text
stringlengths 137
167k
| label
int64 0
3
|
|---|---|
###CLAIM: the ex-husband 's alleged victim, who told police she was slapped so hard that the telephone became damaged and broken, asked castillo to leave her.
###DOCS: An NYPD officer slugged his ex-wife so hard, he busted her lip, police said Monday after arresting the Finest on his second domestic assault rap. Robert Castillo, 51, was charged with assault and criminal mischief after police arrested him around 1:30 p.m. Sunday at his ex-wifes City Island home, according to a police spokesman. The victim told police she asked Castillo, her ex-husband, to leave and he allegedly shoved her into a wall so hard that she smacked into a telephone, causing the phone to become damaged and to break from the wall, a criminal complaint says. He then allegedly punched her in the face with a closed fist, causing substantial pain, swelling, and ableeding laceration to informants lip, the complaint continues. The arrest happened in the area of City Island Avenue and Pilot Street, police said. He was charged with assault and criminal mischief, cops said. Its department policy to suspend arrested cops without pay. Castillo was arrested in 2017 for violation of an order of protection, cops said. He also has an unknown number of sealed arrests, a police source said. The disposition of that case was unclear. | 0 |
###CLAIM: after achieving 21 percent global share in the huaweis market in april, huaweis share is further expected to fall further as the us trade president extended the us trade ban for another year this may due to the decision to damage the global technology industry which huaweis calls arbitrary and pernicious.
###DOCS: Samsung is once more the world's top seller of smartphones, edging out Chinese firm Huawei, according to a report from Counterpoint Research. The Korean tech company took the top spot in the global smartphone market in August, accounting for 22 per cent of the total market share. Second-placed Huawei, meanwhile, took a global market share of 16 per cent in August down from 21 per cent in April this year. Huawei's market share is expected to fall further in the future due to US trade sanctions, according to the researchers. US President Donald Trump added Huawei to the Entity List in May 2019, effectively blacklisting the firm and preventing it from trading with US companies. After achieving its highest global share of 21 per cent in April, Huaweis market share is expected to fall further in the future due to US trade sanctionsTrump extended the US's trade ban for another year this May a decision Huawei called 'arbitrary and pernicious' and one that would damage the global technology industry. The ban came amid ongoing allegations that the company is a threat to American national security which Huawei has consistently denied. 'Geopolitical policies and political affairs among nations are affecting the smartphone market in many ways,' said Counterpoint research analyst Minsoo Kang. 'There will be heightened marketing activity to seize opportunities in these regions and segments. 'As a result, the concentration of top players in the smartphone market will be much stronger. 'We see players like Samsung, Apple, Xiaomi and OPPO benefiting the most.' US tech giant Apple was third in Counterpoint's rankings with 12 per cent of the global smartphone market share, Chinese firm fourth Xiaomi with 11 per cent and other sellers making up the remaining 40 per cent. Ben Wood, chief of research, CCS Insight said it was unsurprising that Samsung had pushed ahead of Huawei as 2020 progressed. 'Its success earlier in the year was a bit of an anomaly as it was performing well in China while the global market was severely depressed due to the pandemic. 'Huawei is facing enormous pressure as a result of the US Administrations extensive sanctions and despite an incredible performance in China, its global position is being dramatically eroded. 'Samsung is the big winner given its global scale, strong consumer electronics brand and extensive smartphone portfolio.' Charts show the global smartphone sales share in April (left) and August (right). After losing its crown in April, Samsung has rebuilt its market shareIn April, Samsung lost the top spot to Huawei due to sharp declines in its major markets of India and Europe. But in July and August, Samsung rebounded as India recovered from a nationwide lockdown, Counterpoint said. Samsung which released the Note 20 and the foldable Galaxy Z Fold 2 in August and September, respectively benefited from anti-China sentiments in India a key market consisting of avid smartphone fans, the researchers add. Meanwhile, third-placed Apple, which has just launched its much-anticipated 5G-ready iPhone 12, had a global share of 12 per cent in both April and AugustCounterpoint expects iPhone sales to rise notably in November, following the launch of the iPhone 12 on October 23. Apple unveiled the new iPhone 12 event during a live event that was watched by millions from around the world on October 13. The smartphone is designed with rounded edges that look similar to the iPad Pro and boasts 5G cellular connectivity'The long lifecycle of iPhone 11 series and successful new iPhone SE will help Apple bridge the gap till then', Counterpoint said. Chinese company Xiaomi is showing a significant increase in its market share up from 8 per cent in April to 11 per cent in August. It's likely Xiaomi will fill the void in markets where Huawei used to have strong presence, such as Central Eastern Europe. In July, it was reported that Huawei was the world's biggest smartphone seller, displacing Samsung from the top spot in the process, from April to June this year. Huawei shipped 55.8 million devices from during the three-month period, trumping Samsung's 53.7 million, according to research firm Canalys. The period was the first quarter in nine years that a company other than South Samsung or Apple had led the market. Huawei released its Mate 30 in the UK for 899 back in February - its first smartphone made without access to Google apps due to the US banHuawei sold 72 per cent of its smartphones in mainland China from April to June, compared with 61 per cent for the January to March quarter this year. Huawei released its Mate 30 in the UK for 899 back in February its first smartphone made without access to Google apps due to the US ban. It's believed the Chinese company has since felt the heat of US sanctions that have disrupted its business overseas. The US has effectively blocked Huawei from using Google's services, damaging the attractiveness of the Chinese company's phones abroad and limited its access to chips for 5G networking. In July, the UK government revealed that Huawei equipment will be banned from the UK's 5G networks due to security concerns. Telcos purchasing any new Huawei 5G equipment will be prohibited in the UK after December 31 this year, and all of its hardware will be removed from the networks by 2027. The decision will not affect Huawei smartphones only the companys network equipment that forms part of the countrys 5G infrastructure. | 0 |
###CLAIM: brazilian president jair and bolsonaro only this week appeared to give strong criticism to china over the creation of the chemical weapons, accusing it of sparking a chemical war.
###DOCS: Chinese scientists have been preparing for a Third World War fought with biological and genetic weapons including coronavirus for the last six years, according to a document obtained by US investigators. The bombshell paper, accessed by the US State Department, insists they will be 'the core weapon for victory' in such a conflict, even outlining the perfect conditions to release a bioweapon, and documenting the impact it would have on 'the enemy's medical system'. This latest evidence that Beijing considered the military potential of SARS coronaviruses from as early as 2015 has also raised fresh fears over the cause of Covid-19, with some officials still believing the virus could have escaped from a Chinese lab. The dossier by People's Liberation Army scientists and health officials, details of which were reported in The Australian, examined the manipulation of diseases to make weapons 'in a way never seen before'. Senior government figures say it 'raises major concerns' over the intentions of those close to Chinese President Xi Jinping amid growing fears about the country's lack of regulation over its activity in laboratories. Chinese scientists have been preparing for a Third World War fought with biological and genetic weapons including coronavirus for the last six yearsThis latest evidence that Beijing considered the military potential of SARS coronaviruses from as early as 2015 has also raised fresh fears over the cause of Covid-19, with some officials still believing the virus could have escaped from a Chinese labDid coronavirus originate in Chinese government laboratory? The Wuhan Institute of Virology has been collecting numerous coronaviruses from bats ever since the SARS outbreak in 2002. They have also published papers describing how these bat viruses have interacted with human cells. US Embassy staff visited the lab in 2018 and 'had grave safety concerns' over the protocols which were being observed at the facility. The lab is just eight miles from the Huanan wet market which is where the first cluster of infections erupted in Wuhan. The market is just a few hundred yards from another lab called the Wuhan Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (WHCDC). The WHCDC kept disease-ridden animals in its labs, including some 605 bats. Those who support the theory argue that Covid-19 could have leaked from either or both of these facilities and spread to the wet market. Most argue that this would have been a virus they were studying rather than one which was engineered. Last year a bombshell paper from the Beijing-sponsored South China University of Technology recounted how bats once attacked a researcher at the WHCDC and 'blood of bat was on his skin.' The report says: 'Genome sequences from patients were 96% or 89% identical to the Bat CoV ZC45 coronavirus originally found in Rhinolophus affinis (intermediate horseshoe bat).' It describes how the only native bats are found around 600 miles away from the Wuhan seafood market and that the probability of bats flying from Yunnan and Zhejiang provinces was minimal. In addition there is little to suggest the local populace eat the bats as evidenced by testimonies of 31 residents and 28 visitors. Instead the authors point to research being carried out within 300 yards at the WHCDC. One of the researchers at the WHCDC described quarantining himself for two weeks after a bat's blood got on his skin, according to the report. That same man also quarantined himself after a bat urinated on him. And he also mentions discovering a live tick from a bat - parasites known for their ability to pass infections through a host animal's blood. 'The WHCDC was also adjacent to the Union Hospital (Figure 1, bottom) where the first group of doctors were infected during this epidemic.' The report says. 'It is plausible that the virus leaked around and some of them contaminated the initial patients in this epidemic, though solid proofs are needed in future study.' AdvertisementThe authors of the document insist that a third world war 'will be biological', unlike the first two wars which were described as chemical and nuclear respectively. Referencing research which suggested the two atomic bombs dropped on Japan forced them to surrender, and bringing about the end of WWII, they claim bioweapons will be 'the core weapon for victory' in a third world war. The document also outlines the ideal conditions to release a bioweapon and cause maximum damage. The scientists say such attacks should not be carried out in the middle of a clear day, as intense sunlight can damage the pathogens, while rain or snow can affect the aerosol particles. Instead, it should be released at night, or at dawn, dusk, or under cloudy weather, with 'a stable wind direction...so that the aerosol can float into the target area'. Meanwhile, the research also notes that such an attack would result in a surge of patients requiring hospital treatment, which then 'could cause the enemy's medical system to collapse'. Other concerns include China's 'Gain of Function' research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology - near where the first Covid outbreak was discovered - at which virologists are creating new viruses said to be more transmissible and more lethal. MP Tom Tugendhat, chairman of the foreign affairs committee, said: 'This document raises major concerns about the ambitions of some of those who advise the top party leadership. Even under the tightest controls these weapons are dangerous.' Chemical weapons expert Hamish de Bretton-Gordon said: 'China has thwarted all attempts to regulate and police its laboratories where such experimentation may have taken place.' The revelation from the book What Really Happened in Wuhan was reported yesterday. The document, New Species of Man-Made Viruses as Genetic Bioweapons, says: 'Following developments in other scientific fields, there have been major advances in the delivery of biological agents. 'For example, the new-found ability to freeze-dry micro-organisms has made it possible to store biological agents and aerosolise them during attacks.' It has 18 authors who were working at 'high-risk' labs, analysts say. Australian Strategic Policy Institute executive director Peter Jennings also raised concerns over China's biological research into coronaviruses potentially being weaponised in future. 'There is no clear distinction for research capability because whether it's used offensively or defensively is not a decision these scientists would take,' he said. 'If you are building skills ostensibly to protect your military from a biological attack, you're at the same time giving your military a capacity to use these weapons offensively. You can't separate the two.' Intelligence agencies suspect Covid-19 may be the result of an inadvertent Wuhan lab leak. But as yet there is no evidence to suggest it was intentionally released. Only this week, Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro appeared to strongly criticise China by accusing it of creating Covid to spark a chemical 'warfare.' The comments were made during a press conference on Wednesday as the hardline leader sought to further distance himself from the growing attacks over his domestic handling of a pandemic that has produced the second-highest death toll in the world. 'It's a new virus. Nobody knows whether it was born in a laboratory or because a human ate some animal they shouldn't have,' Bolsonaro said. 'But it is there. The military knows what chemical, bacteriological and radiological warfare. Are we not facing a new war? Which country has grown its GDP the most? I will not tell you.' While Bolsonaro did not name China in his speech, data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development showed that China was the only G20 member whose GDP showed a growth during the pandemic in 2020, expanding by 2.3%. The dossier by People's Liberation Army scientists and health officials examined the manipulation of diseases to make weapons 'in a way never seen before'Brazil's hardline President appears to claim China created Covid to spark a 'chemical war' Only this week, Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro appeared to strongly criticise China by accusing it of creating Covid to spark a chemical 'warfare.' The comments were made during a press conference on Wednesday as the hardline leader sought to further distance himself from the growing attacks over his domestic handling of a pandemic that has produced the second-highest death toll in the world. 'It's a new virus. Nobody knows whether it was born in a laboratory or because a human ate some animal they shouldn't have,' Bolsonaro said. 'But it is there. The military knows what chemical, bacteriological and radiological warfare. Are we not facing a new war? Which country has grown its GDP the most? I will not tell you.' While Bolsonaro did not name China in his speech, data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development showed that China was the only G20 member whose GDP showed a growth during the pandemic in 2020, expanding by 2.3%. AdvertisementAnd the World Health Organization chief said as recently as March that all theories on the origins of Covid-19 remained open after reading the WHO-China study despite the claim the report dismissed the notion that the virus escaped from a lab as 'extremely unlikely'. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said all of the hypotheses are 'on the table' and require further investigation after reading the report from the international experts' mission to Wuhan. But his comments came just hours after it emerged the report dismissed the lab leak theory and said the transmission of the virus from bats to humans through another animal is the most likely scenario. The report's release was repeatedly delayed, raising questions about whether the Chinese side was trying to skew the conclusions to prevent blame for the pandemic falling on China. Critics including ex-President Trump have accused the WHO of parroting Chinese propaganda on the virus since the outbreak was first announced to the world. The comments by Dr Tedros came after New York Republican Representative Lee Zeldin slammed China for 'covering up to the world the pandemic's origins', while the WHO 'has played along time and time again'. Meanwhile, Dr Anthony Fauci, President Biden's chief medical adviser, revealed he has 'concerns' over the WHO's controversial fact-finding mission. Repeated delays in the report's release raised questions about whether the Chinese side was trying to skew its conclusions. 'We've got real concerns about the methodology and the process that went into that report, including the fact that the government in Beijing apparently helped to write it,' U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a recent CNN interview. China rejected that criticism and accused the US of 'exerting political pressure' on the fact-finding mission experts. 'The US has been speaking out on the report. By doing this, isn't the U.S. trying to exert political pressure on the members of the WHO expert group?' asked Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian. Worrying new clues about the origins of Covid: How scientists at Wuhan lab helped Chinese army in secret project to find animal viruses, writes IAN BIRRELLScientists studying bat diseases at China's maximum-security laboratory in Wuhan were engaged in a massive project to investigate animal viruses alongside leading military officials despite their denials of any such links. Documents obtained by The Mail on Sunday reveal that a nationwide scheme, directed by a leading state body, was launched nine years ago to discover new viruses and detect the 'dark matter' of biology involved in spreading diseases. One leading Chinese scientist, who published the first genetic sequence of the Covid-19 virus in January last year, found 143 new diseases in the first three years of the project alone. The fact that such a virus-detection project is led by both civilian and military scientists appears to confirm incendiary claims from the United States alleging collaboration between the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) and the country's 2.1 million-strong armed forces. The scheme's five team leaders include Shi Zhengli, the WIV virologist nicknamed 'Bat Woman' for her trips to find samples in caves, and Cao Wuchun, a senior army officer and government adviser on bioterrorism. Prof Shi denied the US allegations last month, saying: 'I don't know of any military work at the WIV. That info is incorrect.' QUESTIONS: Colonel Cao Wuchun, a WIV adviser, and, right, Major General Chen Wei, China's top biodefence expertYet Colonel Cao is listed on project reports as a researcher from the Academy of Military Medical Sciences of the People's Liberation Army, works closely with other military scientists and is director of the Military Biosafety Expert Committee. Cao, an epidemiologist who studied at Cambridge University, even sits on the Wuhan Institute of Virology's advisory board. He was second-in-command of the military team sent into the city under Major General Chen Wei, the country's top biodefence expert, to respond to the new virus and develop a vaccine. The US State Department also raised concerns over risky 'gain of function' experiments to manipulate coronaviruses at the Wuhan lab and suggested researchers fell sick with Covid-like symptoms weeks before the outbreak emerged more widely in the Chinese city. Last month, Britain, the US and 12 other countries criticised Beijing for refusing to share key data and samples after a joint World Health Organisation and Chinese study into the pandemic's origins dismissed a lab leak as 'extremely unlikely'. Filippa Lentzos, a biosecurity expert at King's College London, said the latest disclosures fitted 'the pattern of inconsistencies' coming from Beijing. 'They are still not being transparent with us,' she said. 'We have no hard data on the pandemic origins, whether it was a natural spill-over from animals or some kind of accidental research-related leak, yet we're unable to get straight answers and that simply does not inspire confidence.' The documents obtained by The Mail on Sunday detail a major project called 'the discovery of animal-delivered pathogens carried by wild animals', which set out to find organisms that could infect humans and investigate their evolution. It was launched in 2012 and funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China. The project was led by Xu Jianguo, who boasted at a conference in 2019 that 'a giant network of infectious disease prevention and control is taking shape'. The professor also headed the first expert group investigating Covid's emergence in Wuhan. He denied human transmission initially, despite evidence from hospitals, then insisted in mid-January 'this epidemic is limited and will end if there are no new cases next week'. One review of his virus-hunting project admitted 'a large number of new viruses have been discovered, causing great concern in the international virology community'. It added that if pathogens spread to humans and livestock, they could cause new infectious diseases 'posing a great threat to human health and life safety and may cause major economic losses, even affect social stability'. An update in 2018 said that the scientific teams who published many of their findings in international journals had found four new pathogens and ten new bacteria while 'more than 1,640 new viruses were discovered using metagenomics technology'. Such research is based on extraction of genetic material from samples such as those collected by Prof Shi from bat faeces and blood in the cave networks of southern China. Such extensive sampling led to Prof Shi's rapid revelation last year of RaTG13, the closest known relative to the new strain of coronavirus that causes Covid. It was stored at the Wuhan lab, the biggest repository of bat coronaviruses in Asia. Pictured: Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan, in China's central Hubei province, during a visit by members of the World Health Organization (WHO) team investigating the origins of the COVID-19 coronavirusIt later emerged she changed its name from another virus identified in a previous paper, thus obscuring its link to three miners who died from a strange respiratory disease they caught clearing bat droppings. Prof Shi also admitted that eight more unidentified SARS viruses had been collected in the mine. The institute took its database of virus samples offline in September 2019, just a few weeks before Covid cases exploded in Wuhan. A comment was made on social media after Colonel Cao published a paper on a fatal tick bite, saying he and Prof Shi 'can always find a virus that has never been found in humans', adding: 'I suspect this is another so-called 'scientific research' made in the laboratory.' In recent years, China's military has ramped up its hiring of scientists after President Xi Jinping said this was a key element in the nation's march for global supremacy. Lianchao Han, a dissident who used to work for the Chinese government, said Cao's involvement raised suspicions that military researchers who are experts in coronaviruses might also be involved in bio-defence operations. 'Many have been working with Western research institutes for years to steal our know-hows but China still refuses to share critical information a year after the pandemic has killed over three million.' David Asher, an expert on biological, chemical and nuclear proliferation, who led State Department inquiries into the origins of Covid-19, said: 'The Chinese have made it clear they see biotechnology as a big part of the future of hybrid warfare. The big question is whether their work in these fields is offensive or defensive.' | 0 |
###CLAIM: in 2012, the salt lake basin economic and advisory council valued the annual economic industry from the lake at 1. 3 billion dollars.
###DOCS: Water has arguably become the most precious commodity on the West Coast. California was once the site of a gold rush. But now arguably one of the most precious commodities in parts of the state and in the Southwest is something else entirely -- water -- as the region grapples with a decades-long megadrought that experts say has been spurred on by a warming Earth. Farmers struggle to water their crops. Less snowpack feeds rivers, streams and lakes in areas surrounding the mountains. And what little runoff there is from snow in the spring is immediately sopped up by the arid soil before it can reach important bodies of water. A February report from the California State Water Resources Control Board, for instance, said the question is not whether warming will occur, but the "magnitude of warming" instead and says the state is facing the "threat of greaterscarcity of water supplies, increased water demand, and limited water supply reliability." The report said the state said it has taken "bold" actions to reduce the effects of climate change as well as increase water resilience such as the expansion of recycled water. And the Southern Nevada Water Authority, which gets 90% of its water from the Colorado River, acknowledges it is "facing the worst drought in the basin's recorded history" and has been working to address the drought's impact on water supply for 20 years, including using 23 billion fewer gallons in 2020 than 2002, despite a massive population growth. Water levels in major bodies of water in the Southwest -- both natural and manmade -- are approaching historic lows as the drought is exacerbated by heatwave after heatwave during a dry season that started earlier this year. Water levels on the West Coast at near-historic lows ABC News Photo Illustration, Sources - USGS, Bureau of Reclamation, Lakes Online"The American Southwest has always been at risk for this, but climate change even pushes that risk much, much higher," Brad Udall, climate research scientists at Colorado State University's Colorado Water Institute, told ABC News. While some water variation level is cyclical, experts fear that prolonged warming, combined with diversion and other human activities, are putting the region at risk. The Southwest is "particularly dependent" on surface water, so "even a small increase in temperature -- which drives evaporation -- or a decrease in precipitation in this already arid region can seriously threaten natural systems and society," the Environmental Protection Agency said. The region, which is normally hot and dry, has experienced temperatures above the long-term average, with some areas 2 degrees warmer, over the past 20 years and some parts are "experiencing long-term reductions in mountain snowpack," according to the EPA. The depletion of these water sources could be disastrous as it affects the supply for drinking for tens of millions of people and agriculture, ruins local biodiversity by eliminating crucial habitat and negatively impacts billion-dollar economies, experts say. Mineral-stained rocks are shown at Echo Bay on June 21, 2021 in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Nevada. Ethan Miller/Getty ImagesHere is how the ongoing megadrought is affecting five major bodies of water in the West:Lake Mead, Nevada and ArizonaEarlier this month, Lake Mead, the massive reservoir formed by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River, hit its lowest water levels since the lake was created in 1935. About 25 million people are served by the reservoir -- either by electricity, water supplies or both. Officials expect the water levels to continue to decline until November when the wet season starts, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation spokeswoman Patti Aaron told The Associated Press. Water levels at Lake Mead -- and Lake Powell on the other side of the Grand Canyon, the second-largest reservoir in the U.S. -- are headed toward being 30% less than what they were 20 years ago at the start of the most recent warming period, Udall said. "There are huge, big bathtub rings very visible at both Lake Mead and Lake Powell," Udall said, referring to previous high water levels. A "no fishing area" sign and a "no swimming" sign are posted in an area once underwater at the Callville Bay Marina, June 21, 2021, in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Nevada. Ethan Miller/Getty ImagesMinor cutbacks in water deliveries are expected next year if water levels in Lake Mead do not rebound. Another couple of bad years would result in a "major shortage," Udall said. If water levels drop low enough, it would be the first-ever official water shortage declared in Arizona and Nevada, and the governments could order cutbacks. The Bureau of Reclamation is expected to release an official projection in August, which will determine the water deliveries to Arizona, California and Nevada in 2022. Water levels should begin to rebound in November, Aaron said. Folsom Lake, CaliforniaOne of California's largest reservoirs, Folsom Lake, is crucial to providing water to the more than 40 million residents in the Golden State but is also in danger of drying up. Severe drought conditions in the West have left barely any snowpack on the neighboring Sierra Nevada Mountains, contributing to record lows in the reservoir, which is used for drinking water, fisheries in the American River, which feeds the lake, and farming and agricultural purposes, Rich Preston-Lemay, the sector superintendent for Folsom Lake Park, told ABC News. People on Folsom Lake during a drought in Granite Bay, Calif., May 25, 2021. David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesThe lake is 68 feet lower than it was last year -- the equivalent of a five-story building, ABC San Francisco station KGO reported earlier this month. Memorial Day visitors were surprised to find that only one of the lake's 13 boat ramps was operating over the holiday weekend, the station said, and there has been zero precipitation so far in June, according to the Bureau of Reclamation. The water has receded so much that a plane that crashed in 1986 was visible from the bottom of the lake, the Placer County Sheriff's Office announced on June 16. Despite the drought, the lake is not at a record low. That came in 1977 after the Great Drought at 347.57 feet. Its current elevation is 388.61 feet. Officials are in a "race against time" to protect communities and other natural resources from the effects of climate change, California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot told ABC News. "Climate change impacts have become a matter of protecting communities in California -- worsening wildfire risk, worsening drought, extreme heat," he continued. "We used to think about preparing for climate change impacts as sort of a future planning exercise for coming decades. Now, we're actually responding to it as the public safety imperative." Lake Tahoe, Northern California and NevadaVariability in water levels is typical at Lake Tahoe, a 22-mile-long and 12-mile-wide lake on the border of California and Nevada -- dropping during the summer and rising during the early part of the year, Geoffrey Schladow, director of the Tahoe Environmental Research Center at the University of California, Davis, told ABC News. But the combination of less snowpack, drought and increased usage by humans has left the water just about 2 1/2 feet above the natural rim of the lake at the start of the dry season -- and it will only continue to empty as the season goes on, Schladow said. Come October, the water will likely be at the rim, which means water will no longer naturally flow out of the lake and into the Truckee River, the sole outlet of Tahoe and an important source of irrigation along adjacent valleys, Schladow said. The Truckee River also feeds into Pyramid Lake, which supplies water for the city of Reno. The water level was already lower due to a relatively dry year in 2020 that added little volume to the lake, Schladow added. A blustery day with clouds moving across the lake brings the chance of rain and snow as viewed on April 14, 2021, in Sand Harbor, Nevada. George Rose/Getty ImagesIn May, water levels in Lake Tahoe were so low that some boats could not be launched from ramps and docks. The City of South Lake Tahoe even closed a boat ramp to motorized boaters for the 2021 due to the low levels, ABC Sacramento affiliate KXTV reported. Despite the drop, the communities surrounding Tahoe likely won't suffer as much as those who depend on reservoirs elsewhere in the West that supply water to millions of people, Schladow said. Lake Tahoe, by contrast, is massive and serves just tens of thousands of residents, rather than millions. Scientists and lawmakers who monitor the lake are not yet overly concerned about the water levels in Tahoe because fluctuations are normal -- the last time water levels went below the rim was in 2016. However, if the trend were to continue over the next few years, and the region continues to experience dry winters, concerns may be raised, Schladow said. "We're not in any imminent or real danger of not being able to supply in basin water needs, at least not for the next few years," he said. Great Salt Lake, UtahThe Great Salt Lake, the largest saltwater lake in the world and the eight-largest terminal lake -- with no natural outlets -- has lost at least half of its water since the first settlers arrived in the region in 1847, a 2017 study published in Nature Geoscience found. The decline is mostly a result of humans redirecting the water from streams and rivers that feed the lake for use in homes, farms and industries, the study found, with levels dropping 11 feet over the past 150 years -- despite a peak elevation of 4,211.6 feet in 1986-87. The usage has been aggravated by drought and climate change, leaving water levels at near-historic lows, Laura Vernon, Great Salt Lake Coordinator for the Utah Department of Natural Resources, told ABC News. In this Feb. 25, 2016 file photo signs of the Great Salt Lake's low water level are evident at the Great Salt Lake Marina State Park in Utah. Al Hartmann/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP, FILEThe lake levels are currently at three-tenths of a foot away from the historic low set in 1963, Vernon said, adding that she expects that barrier to be broken within weeks. Experts and lawmakers in the region are currently coming to terms with "what that means exactly," she added. The drops are even more significant considering the size of the lake. At 1,700 square miles, "it takes a lot of water to make a change," Vernon said, adding that it was likely "something continuous over time" to make a difference in the water levels. The economic impacts of a drying Great Salt Lake could be devastating. In 2012, the Salt Lake Advisory Council valued the annual economic industry from the lake at $1.3 billion, Vernon said. Depending on how low the water levels were to get, there could be a $1.69 billion to $2.17 billion economic loss every year for the brine shrimp harvesting and mineral operations, the products of which would dwindle as the lake recedes, she added. In this April 14, 2020 file photo The salt covered lake bed and saline waters of the Great Salt Lake are pictured from north of Salt Lake City. Jim Urquhart/Reuters, FILEThe skiing industry could be affected as well, as the lake effect snow that is created as a result of the moisture over the lake would cease to exist, Vernon said. And if the snowpack on the mountains doesn't stay frozen, it will all rush down at once and fail to consistently provide water to the surrounding communities, Vernon said. Human health can take a toll as well as water recedes, exposing more of the lake bed embedded with decades worth of heavy metals and toxic substances within the sediment. When the bed dust is exposed for long periods of time, the particles can end up in the air and can pose a danger as residents breathe it in, experts say. The biodiversity the lake promotes would dwindle as well. About 10 million birds stop over at the lake every year to rest and feed during their migration routes -- such as the Pacific Flyway route before they head to South America, Vernon said. Colorado RiverWater flow in the Colorado River, which supplies water to more than 40 million people and feeds into the two largest reservoirs in the country -- Lake Mead and Lake Powell -- has decreased by about 20% over the last 100 years, according to a 2020 study by U.S. Geological Survey scientists,Several scientific papers published in recent years point to human causes for about half of the decline in river flows. The other half is attributed to warmer temperatures, which then lead to higher evaporation and water use by plants, Udall said. "And if that evaporation goes up slightly, river flow and decline precipitously," Udall said. "So, roughly speaking, a 1% increase in evaporation can lead to a 5% decrease in river flow." In this May 1, 1997 file photo a sign marks the Colorado River as it flows past the Never Summer Mountains in Rocky Mountain National Park near the town of Grand Lake, Colo. David Zalubowski/AP, FILEThe Colorado River system is one of the most important in the country. As the river begins in the Rocky Mountains and wraps across the Southwest before it feeds into the Gulf of California, water is diverted to major cities such as Denver, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Tucson, San Diego and farms to the south in Mexico. About a quarter of the water in Lake Mead and Lake Powell comes out of the Colorado River system, Udall said. Recent droughts have been so severe that even in years when the Rocky Mountains experience a high snow pack, the arid soil in the region is so parched that it absorbs up any moisture as soon as it melts and flows down, Udall said. The Colorado River in Bullhead City, Arizona, June 16, 2021. Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesFor instance, in any given year, 50% the water from a full snowpack would be expected to be runoff, Udall said. Despite the warming temperatures, the region saw an 85% snowpack last year -- described by Udall as "not a bad year." But only about 30% of runoff water made it to the river, Udall said. "On any given day, it's now likely to be hotter. We have a longer growing season, so more days for it to be hot. And the atmosphere, because it's warmer, actually wants to absorb or suck up more moisture," Udall said. The new trends are "basically our future," Udall said, adding that scientists have predicted a worst case scenario of a 40% flow loss by 2050. "It's very worrisome," Udall said. ABC News' Lindsey Griswold, Anthony Rivas and Jon Schlosberg contributed to this report. | 0 |
###CLAIM: pep and guardiola say to maximize his enormous potential phil and foden must play the game at different speeds.
###DOCS: Pep Guardiola says that Phil Foden must play the game at different speeds to maximise his enormous potential, slowing down during decisive moments close to goal. The Manchester City manager offered rare insight into where he feels Foden must improve as he discussed the 20-year-olds boundless energy, his desire to operate at full throttle all the time or, to borrow the phrase that he used, to eat the world. Foden scored his fifth City goal of the season in Tuesdays 4-1 Carabao Cup quarter-final win at Arsenal and he created another for Aymeric Laporte with a perfect cross. Guardiola, whose team host Newcastle on Boxing Day night, has not counted regularly on Foden in his Premier League starting lineup. But he has no doubt that the timing will come for a player he says has everything to become something unique and special. Phil has an incredible energy but in the final decision, the final pass, he has to slow down a little bit, Guardiola said. He needs experience to be calm in some [moments]. He plays football in the same rhythm and football must be played in different rhythms. Sometimes you have to walk, sometimes you have to have rhythm and sometimes you have to change the rhythm. In the final third, especially in the box, the top, top players have patience. They have this second of time or half-second of time to be disposed to take a decision.Guardiola was asked how many goals Foden could score if his composure improves. A lot, he replied. Sometimes the last part of the last action is a little bit ... But its normal at his age. He will get it, no doubts. I know we can trust and rely on him all the time.City have scored 19 goals in 13 league games an unusually low return and Guardiola talked about the need for a reset. We have to play better. Our game has to come back and we have to restart in the way we play. The goals dont come from a present from Santa Claus. They come from the way we have to play. Sometimes you need to refresh the principles. There are things you have to readjust about the behaviours, about the reality of who we are as a team and sometimes you need more time than you expect. | 0 |
###CLAIM: the company planning the merger announced today that the merger, which raised 259 million dollars as share investors last year and went public on the new york stock and exchange, would be completed in the second quarter of this year.
###DOCS: Adam Singolda, Founder and CEO of Taboola, says the company's plans to go public will help it expand ... [+] into areas such as e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and video capabilities for TV and other devices. TaboolaContent recommendation engine Taboola is planning to go public later this year, making it the latest company to take advantage of a white-hot trend by merging with a special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC). Today, the company announced plans to merge in the second quarter with ION Acquisition Corp. 1, an Israeli company that raised $259 million last year as a SPAC while going public on the New York Stock Exchange. According to Taboola founder and CEO Adam Singolda, the company is planning to raise $545 million, with $259 million in trust coming from ION, along with another $285 million in PIPE financing from investors including Fidelity and Baron Capital. After the merger with ION, Taboola will be listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker TBLA with an implied valuation of $2.6 billion. The deal is expected to close in the second quarter of 2021. Before the latest fundraising round, Taboola had raised $160 million, and the company says it is ending 2020 with $1.2 billion in revenues along with $34 million in operating income and $100 million of adjusted EBITDA. After the deal closes, the company expects to have $600 million in cash and cash equivalents, and plans to invest $100 million in R&D efforts this year for areas such as e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and video capabilities for TV and other devices. While Taboola currently works with more than 13,000 advertisers and 9,000 digital properties, its often associated with clickbait content. However, Singolda says 50% of clicks keep a user on a publishers website. Its the other half where he says theres room for more advertisers as well as other types of content. The company has also been growing its content moderation team, which now has 50 people reviewing more than half a million URLs a week to deal with issues around misinformation or content quality. As a public company, we can look into inorganic growth, so we'll have that, Singolda says. We'll have the currency, we'll have the cash. And then beyond that, I'm looking at expanding from a growth perspective (such as) e-commerce. How do we enable Instagram-style shopping experiences and publisher websites? Like buy a shirt now on the website. Or TV ads: TV ads go primarily to YouTube and Facebook, but why shouldn't they go more to the open web? So how do you do that? Integration with devices like the Apple News, integration, but for the rest of the devices in the world. We want to we want to do that. And connected TV. I want to be on every app that I watch like TV over time. So all those things will actually help to supercharge that.Taboola is just the latest company to take advantage of the SPAC craze, which has grown increasingly popular over the past year as an alternative way to go public. SPACsoften nicknamed blank-check companieslist shares as a shell company, then target a private company to acquire that'll be the actual revenue driver. Once the acquisition is complete, the target company becomes public, skipping the formal IPO route. Other companies that have gone public in the past year via SPACs include Group Nine Media, United Wholesale Mortgage, DraftKings and Virgin Galactic. Some say SPACs can avoid the usual scrutiny and transparency that come with the usual roadshow. A recent Forbes investigation found that a group of hedge funds are making 20% returns on SPACs with virtually zero risk. However, ION CEO Gilad Shany says Taboola investors and clients will see a stable company, a growing company and independent company that will also raise the companys profile for consumers as well who might not always recognize the company behind all the content at the bottom of a website. He adds that ION is keeping the SPAC small and putting way more capital in the PIPE than were putting gin the SPAC itself.This is a company where it can significantly benefit from being public on multiple fronts, Shany says. Advertisers and publishers knowing that Taboola is a public company, having the transparency to its filing, knowing that it's a profitable company with a very strong balance sheet with over half a billion dollars of cash I think will allow many companies out thereboth on the publisher side and the advertising sideto look at us in a different light.The news comes just months after Taboola and Outbrainanother Israeli content recommendation companycalled off their $850 million merger. Shany says the companies werent in discussions until after the Taboola-Outbrain merger fell through. However, he says sometimes the stars align.Our SPAC went public exactly as these conversations kind of fell apart, Shany says. And it was clear that these companies are looking for their next act. And you know, we were able to connect pretty quickly with Taboola after our IPO. And I think there was very fortunate to be in the right place at the right time. By promoting the open webwhich many ad-tech companies describe the internet beyond Google and FacebookSingolda says the world deserves a non-giant, non-walled garden.So I think it's a good time to do it, he says of finally going public. And we have the financials to support that. There's a huge market here: It's a $64 billion market for the open web alone...everything is now basically what Google Facebook, Amazon. So it's a big market. It's very fragmented, there is no big company in the open web, and we think we can create a lot more value by being public. (Reuters) - Taboola, a company whose technology directs users to related content on the internet, said on Monday it would go public through a merger with ION Acquisition Corp. 1 Ltd., a blank-check firm, in a deal valuing the company at about $2.6 billion. Taboola said bit.ly/3a402AP it had secured about $285 million in investment from institutional investors, including funds affiliated with ION and Phoenix Insurance. The U.S.-Israeli firm also counts funds managed by BlackRock, Fidelity Management & Research Co and Hedosophia among its investors. A blank-check firm, also known as a special purpose acquisition company, is one that uses proceeds from an initial public offering to buy another company, in a deal that takes the company public. SPACs raised more than $82 billion in 2020, more than four times the amount raised in 2019, according to data from Dealogic. In 2021, Taboola plans to invest more than $100 million in research and development growth initiatives, including artificial intelligence, e-commerce, television and device manufacturers. Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and J.P. Morgan Securities acted as financial advisers to Taboola, while Cowen was the adviser to ION. | 2 |
###CLAIM: he added that the first application was legal to bring a new order, relishing the hope that if the supreme court throws out the case, the second one will go on to stop the protests.
###DOCS: Ghana #FixTheCountry protest pre-trial hearing updates: Leaders stage walk to court4 June 2021Organisers of FixTheCountry protest on Wednesday stage 15 minimum walk to court for pre-trial hearing for Accra High Court. Dis be sake of injunction wey Ghana Police bring against dem ahead of dema planned demo on May 9, 2021 by de Ghana police service. De Police make secure injunction against de protest sake of de ban on public gatherings as part of Covid-19 safety protocols wey Ghana govment roll out. But de group challenge dis application on basis that securing de application through exparte motion no be proper in Ghana. Sake of that dem period de Supreme Court arguing that de police injunction be illegal. But de police introduce new application for Accra High Court which dey prevent dem from staging another demo on May 19 based on intelligence dem gather. De protestors who dey walk to court today for hearing on de new application believe say de Police, who dey expect say Supreme Court to throw out dema injunction shedda secure new injunction to frustrate dem. Convenor for FixTheCountry protest, Oliver Barker-Vormawor talk to BBC Pidgin. De issues which go come up in de during dis June 4 case be say de Police claim say dem pick intelligence that dem go protest on on May 9 or possibly May 19. Sake of that dem bring in new application which be why de FixTheCountry convenors dey go court today. But Mr Barker-Vormawor believe say for de convenors dis application be police strategy against dem sake of dem know say court go throw out de first injunction. "Dem dey try bring new order sake of de first application be illegal wey dem dey hope say if Supreme court throw de case out, de second application go stop de protest" he add. BBC Pidgin pick filla say Police presence dey de court premises already ahead of de hearing. | 0 |
###CLAIM: deputy sheriff don snider said at a news conference that once the shots began firing at individuals hiding in closets, the task force cleared the residence.
###DOCS: Gift Article ShareA deputy U.S. marshal was hospitalized with serious injuries and a man was fatally shot after an exchange of gunfire Thursday in Baltimore, officials said. Baltimore police said the shooting occurred about 6:15 a.m. in the 1400 block of North Mount Street in West Baltimore, where the marshal was trying to serve a warrant on 30-year-old Donta Green. Police spokeswoman Lindsey Eldridge said the deputy was shot by Green, who was killed after the deputy returned fire. The deputy was taken to University of Maryland R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore. Officials did not identify the marshal. As of Thursday afternoon, physician in chief Thomas Scalea said the deputy remained in the intensive care unit on life support following surgery. We are very hopeful, but you just never know, Scalea said. Its just too early.AdvertisementThe deputy is a member of a Special Operations group and a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, said Don Snider, commander of the U.S. Marshals Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force. Snider said the shooting occurred when marshals were clearing the residence of an address associated with Green and a man began firing shots from a closet. The officers returned fire, fatally shooting the man in the closet who was later identified as Green. Id really like this to be the last time I have to walk up here and do this, but thats not likely to happen, Scalea said of briefing the press on the marshals condition. Its really its a little bit too much.The Baltimore Police Department will conduct the investigation into the shooting. Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said Green was wanted on 19 charges, including armed robbery and attempted murder. AdvertisementOn Saturday, Green opened fire at Baltimore police officers at a grocery store in northern Baltimore before fleeing, Harrison said. It goes without saying, Harrison said, going after violent offenders is one of the most dangerous jobs in America.The Baltimore Sun reported that the man who was shot Thursday had been a security guard at the grocery store and was unhappy with his paycheck. The entire city of Baltimores thoughts and prayers are with the deputy marshal, said Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott (D). This is a very dangerous situation, and we have to remember that we will be going after these violent criminals.Family for Green could not be immediately reached. GiftOutline Gift Article Don Snider, Commander U.S. Marshals Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force, talks to the media after a U.S. Marshall was shot while while serving an arrest warrant on Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021 in West Baltimore. Baltimore police spokeswoman Lindsey Eldridge said in an email that the suspect was shot by return fire and died after Thursday morning's shooting. (Jerry Jackson/The Baltimore Sun via AP)Don Snider, Commander U.S. Marshals Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force, talks to the media after a U.S. Marshall was shot while while serving an arrest warrant on Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021 in West Baltimore. Baltimore police spokeswoman Lindsey Eldridge said in an email that the suspect was shot by return fire and died after Thursday morning's shooting. (Jerry Jackson/The Baltimore Sun via AP)BALTIMORE (AP) A U.S. Marshals Service deputy was shot and wounded and a suspect was killed Thursday morning during an exchange of gunfire while law enforcement officers served an arrest warrant in Baltimore, authorities said. The suspect was shot by return fire and died after the shooting, which occurred about 6:15 a.m., Baltimore police spokeswoman Lindsey Eldridge said in an email. The Marshals Service tweeted that the deputy was taken to a Baltimore hospital with serious injuries and was recovering from surgery. Our thoughts and prayers are with the deputy and his family during this tragic time, the agency said. ADVERTISEMENTDr. Thomas Scalea, of the University of Maryland shock trauma center in Baltimore, said at a news conference that the deputy was still on life support in the intensive care unit. Were very hopeful, he said. But you just never know. Its too early.The shooting occurred while members of the U.S. Marshals Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force were serving an arrest warrant on a suspect wanted for armed robbery and attempted murder, the Marshals Service said. The federal agency identified the suspect as Donta Green. Task force commander Don Snider said at a news conference that deputies were clearing a residence when they began taking fire from an individual hiding in a closet. The deputies fired back. Snider said the fugitive was struck as well as the deputy U.S. Marshal. Police Commissioner Michael S. Harrison said authorities had been searching for Green ever since he fired a gun at police officers outside a grocery store Saturday. Mr. Green was deemed a high-risk fugitive, Harrison said. And our detectives were assisted by our federal partners, the U.S. Marshals.Thursdays shooting was the second time in a week that a federal agent was shot while serving a warrant. Earlier this week, two FBI agents were killed, and three other agents wounded when a suspect opened fire as the agents were attempting to serve a search warrant at a home in Sunrise, Florida. The incident was one of the bloodiest days in FBI history. Warrants are inherently dangerous, with agents often approaching and entering properties where they dont know the layout in order to conduct a search or arrest a wanted suspect. Since 2009, around 75 law enforcement officers have been killed nationwide while attempting to serve warrants. And Breonna Taylor, among many others, have been killed by law enforcement when the effort to serve a warrant goes awry. In recent years, some tactical experts have advised police departments to consider not trying to make fugitive arrests at the suspects home, where they could store weapons and instead try other methods like waiting for a suspect to leave a location and arrest them outside or during a traffic stop. But those situations carry risks too and could potentially put bystanders at risk. A U.S. marshal attempting to serve an arrest warrant at the home of a Baltimore fugitive wanted for attempted murder was shot on Thursday morning. The shooting took place at a home on North Mount Street while members of the Capital Area Regional Task Force were attempting to arrest 34-year-old Donte Green. Green was wanted on 19 charges, including attempted murder, armed robbery and handgun violations. Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said at a news conference that Green fired at officers at a grocery store on Jan. 30. Since then our warrant apprehension task force has been actively looking to apprehend Mr. Green," he said. Green was deemed a "high-risk fugitive" so the U.S. Marshals were asked to assist in his arrest. Officials said that deputies knocked and then entered the home. While clearing the residence, Green began firing from inside a closet. He struck one deputy in the torso, authorities said. Deputies returned fire, fatally striking Green. The injured deputy was taken to R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in serious condition. He underwent surgery Thursday morning and is on life support, a doctor said at the news conference. Authorities declined to name the wounded deputy, citing "privacy and other concerns." Mayor Brandon Scott called Tuesday's incident a "very dangerous situation." We have to remember that we will be going after these violent criminals. But remember, those who are going down and trying to track those folks down ... are heroes because we know that people are not always going to go in an easy way," he said. The shooting investigation will be conducted by the Baltimore Police Department. The incident comes days after two FBI agents were killed and three others injured during a shootout in Sunrise, Florida, after authorities attempted to execute a search warrant. The gunman, David Lee Huber, was killed during Tuesday's incident. | 3 |
###CLAIM: sergeant dineen, who specialises in bellmans charges at the billingshurst auction in west sussex, said : `` there is definitely a taste for memorabilia relating to important historical figures at the moment, with up to 1, 000 cigars expected to be worth a policeman 's pick. ''
###DOCS: A cigar butt discarded by Sir Winston Churchill and picked up by a policeman who was guarding him is expected to fetch up to 1,200 at auction. The item cast aside by the wartime leader in the 1940s will go on sale along with a pair of satin slippers that once belonged to Queen Victoria. Made in the mid-19th century, the royal shoes are detailed with gold thread bands and will go under the hammer almost 202 years to the day after she was born. The slippers are expected to fetch up to 3,000 later this month when members of the public will be able to bid. A cigar butt discarded by Sir Winston Churchill and picked up by a policeman who was guarding him is expected to fetch up to 1,200 at auctionThe current owner's grandfather, Arthur Church, served as a policeman at Scotland Yard in the 1940sJulian Dineen, specialist in charge of the Bellmans auction, in Billingshurst, West Sussex, said: 'There is definitely a taste for memorabilia related to important historical figures at the moment. 'The recent sale of Churchill's slippers indicated that although we don't expect Queen Victoria's slippers to necessarily reach five figures as they are less rare. 'We suspect that Queen Victoria's household would have ordered more than one pair of a particular style and due to their delicate nature they probably wouldn't have been worn too many times.' The ballet-style shoes had been gifted by Queen Victoria to her Mistress of the Robes, Harriet Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland. Her granddaughter Lady Florence married Henry Chaplin, 1st Viscount Chaplin and the slippers stayed in the Chaplin family until their sale in 2000. A more unusual item is the cigar butt that was smoked by Sir Winston. The current owner's grandfather, Arthur Church, served as a policeman at Scotland Yard in the 1940s. Sir Winston was regularly pictured with a cigar in his mouth when he was seen in public. Pictured: The former PM displays a 'V' sign as he poses with a cigar during the Second World WarThe cigar is wrapped in a fragile piece of paper which reads, 'thrown away by Rt Hon Winston Churchill'While he was on police duty escorting Churchill, the Prime Minister smoked a cigar and Mr Church picked up the discarded butt. The cigar is wrapped in a fragile piece of paper which reads, 'thrown away by Rt Hon Winston Churchill'. The paper also records the date as being September and in the 1940s but is not fully readable because part of it has fallen away. Speaking of the item, Mr Dineen said: 'It offers the chance for someone to own something that's a very tangible link to Churchill and to be able to hold and own something that they too would have held or owned themselves. 'It's really that tangible link to him that must give any buyer a real thrill.' In March 2021, a brandy balloon glass that had belonged to Churchill sold along with a pair of his velvet slippers. They are being sold by a member of the Churchill family. A further lot is piece of paper featuring Sir Winston's autograph. It bears the full message: 'With all good wishes from Winston S. Churchill 1948'. On a separate sheet is the autograph of Sir Desmond Morton, Sir Winston's former private secretary. The current owner's grandfather acquired it from an acquaintance of Sir Desmond and the lot is sold with a handwritten letter regarding the acquiring of the signature. In March 2021, a brandy balloon glass that had belonged to Churchill sold along with a pair of his velvet slippers. Now three further glasses from the set - the whereabouts of the final two are unknown - are to be put up for auction and could fetch up to 10,000 eachA further lot is piece of paper featuring Sir Winston's autograph. It bears the full message: 'With all good wishes from Winston S. Churchill 1948'A final lot with a Churchill connection is a painted, wooden model boat named 'Namouna' which once stood in the suite used by Sir Winston when he stayed at the Hotel de Paris in Monte CarloThe signatures are expected to fetch between 400 and 600. A final lot with a Churchill connection is a painted, wooden model boat named 'Namouna' which once stood in the suite used by Sir Winston when he stayed at the Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo. The former PM was a frequent visitor to the principality after he left office. The boat was among a number of items from the hotel which were previously auctioned off when the establishment was refurbished in 2015. Bellmans' estimate the boat will sell for between 300 and 500. Bellmans' next auctions are from May 25-28, and for more information visit www.bellmans.co.uk. | 0 |
###CLAIM: the effects of removal on the original family are often life-long and most or most affect the denial of adoption by our society.
###DOCS: Catherine Falls Commercial via Getty ImagesI was adopted at three weeks of age and grew up in a loving family. My parents told me from the very beginning I was adopted, but I had no access to information about my origins because closed adoption was the norm in the United States well into the 1970s. Back then, most birth parents signed away their rights to contact their child (often unwillingly), and the childs original birth certificate was amended, with the adoptive parents names replacing the birth parents. As a baby, my origins were literally erased. AdvertisementMy adoptive parents pursued adoption because they wanted a family and were unable to conceive. They explained to me that my birth mother was a teen when I was born and that in the 1960s unwed mothers had few good choices. They were compassionate about my birth mothers situation and her decision to place me with adoptive parents. Yet much of society gives adopted people subtle and not-so-subtle messages that we have been saved from a terrible fate, and that we should feel lucky to have been rescued.Perhaps its easier for people to understand adoption if they vilify the birth mother; after all, only a bad woman would give away her child. This judgment applies the myth of the birth mother as a promiscuous, irresponsible, drug-addicted or generally bad person. Of course thats not true; the reasons for relinquishing a child are many and nuanced. But for decades, the dominant paradigm has been that women who up and get pregnant without meaning to are seriously flawed. The sexism of such thinking notwithstanding, it also implies that the resultant child of an unwed, unwanted, or unplanned pregnancy must also be damaged and in need of rescuing. And therefore, that child is oh so lucky to be adopted by caring, kind, financially solvent people. AdvertisementWhen the adopted child is of a different race than the adoptive parents, the bigotry can be exponentially worse. I have friends who were adopted transracially or transnationally: Not only were these kids removed from their racial and/or cultural origins, but few of their adoptive parents knew the importance of giving their kids opportunities to reconnect with their heritage. These adopted kids grew up confused, angry and lonely. They grew up hearing things such as, Im sure you have a better life than you would have if your birth mom had kept you.The racism of this message would be harmful to anyone on its receiving end, but it is devastating to someone who has lost not only their birth parents but their connection to their culture and ethnicity to adoption. For transracial adoptees, this is part of their adoption trauma, as well as having to process racism and racial differences without the support of people of their own race. Adoption is a permanent fixture in human society; there will always be a need for it. Im not anti-adoption, but Im exasperated with how the media often glosses over, exploits or simplifies adoptions complexities for popular consumption. In her book American Baby: A Mother, A Child, and the Shadow History of Adoption (Viking, 2021), veteran journalist Gabrielle Glaser works doggedly to expose truths about adoption, including the fact that adopted people often experience lifelong effects of the trauma caused by being removed from their original family, and that our society mostly ignores or denies such trauma. As adoption researcher and psychologist Nancy Verrier explains in her book The Primal Wound, Many doctors and psychologists now understand that bonding doesnt begin at birth, but is a continuum of physiological, psychological and spiritual events that begin in utero and continue throughout the postnatal bonding period. When this natural evolution is interrupted by a postnatal separation from the biological mother, the resultant experience of abandonment and loss is indelibly imprinted upon the unconscious minds of these children.AdvertisementHow does that trauma show up in adoptees? We may have problems with intimacy and attachment; we may experience loss in a much different way than non-adopted people; we may feel and express anger in ways that seem outsized or unfounded. We fear abandonment. We are afraid if we do the wrong thing well be given away, left behind or excluded. We are afraid were inherently flawed and therefore expendable. To my knowledge, my parents didnt read any of the research about the psyches of adopted children or adult adoptees. Like most people involved with closed adoptions in the 1960s, they were ignorant about the psychological trauma babies experience when separated from their mothers, how those babies might grow into children who felt they didnt belong, that they had been abandoned, that there was something intrinsically wrong with them. Do I blame my parents for not knowing, not reading these things? Not really. Doing so wasnt part of adoption protocol at the time. Unfortunately, it still isnt. And that must change. In my mid-30s, after a circuitous, decade-long search, I reunited with my birth families. Only after meeting them and giving birth to my own child did I begin to understand my loneliness was a side effect of my closed adoption something for which I never had context until I experienced the momentous events of adoption reunion and motherhood. When a traumatized person struggling with issues of abandonment is told they are lucky, that they should be grateful, or that they were chosen, it negates the emotional experience of that person. When it happens to me, it makes me feel as though my feelings and thoughts and experiences dont matter. AdvertisementI tried to explain that loneliness to friends, some of whom brushed me off. Everyones lonely, they said. Youre no different.But I am different adopted people are different. And we deserve our individual and collective truths to be heard, believed and respected. What we dont need is myths of rescue, of salvation, of being less-than, of requisite gratitude for the fact of our adoption. In this country, we have been trained to see adoption as a fairy-tale ending to a tragic story, one that elides the birth mothers complex feelings about relinquishing a child and the adopted childs complex feelings of loss and abandonment. Few things in this world are truly binary. Adoption is not an either/or situation. Like every other institution, it has flaws and strengths. Its time to think of adoption in terms of both/and, to hold its opposing truths as equal and valid. AdvertisementWe must train skeptical eyes on the myths of adoption, work to debunk them, and start paying attention to the real struggles adopted people experience. For the benefit of all involved, we must shine light on adoptions shame, secrecy, fear of abandonment, trauma, and loneliness, and work to heal these things. Andrea Ross is the author of Unnatural Selection: A Memoir of Adoption and Wilderness, (CavanKerry Press, 2021). She is on faculty in the University Writing Program at UC Davis, and she speaks and teaches workshops about the adoptee experience. Find out more at andrearosswriter.com. Queer kids face a special challenge in the system, because people dont want to take them, said Keane of You Gotta Believe, who has personally fostered 14 children, about half of whom identify as L.G.B.T.Q. Having that shared cultural identity can be helpful, so it would be fantastic if more L.G.B.T.Q. foster parents got involved.Choose Your Path. There are many ways to support children in foster care even short of hosting a child in your own home if you are not able, or ready, to do so. You can do something as simple as provide transportation to support sibling visitation, said Minna Castillo Cohen, the director of the Office of Children, Youth and Families at the Colorado Department of Human Services. Maybe youll find a deeper relationship develops along the way.Becoming a mentor is another way to be useful without undergoing the training and certification process required of foster parents. Nina MacLean who has fostered five youths at her home on the Upper West Side, over the last 31 years said mentors have proved crucial to her and her family over the years. They take the kids to the zoo or aquarium, giving me time to recharge, and the kids the chance to connect with another loving adult, said MacLean. Those who might be willing to get certified, but are unable to host children for longer stays, can still provide respite care. These short-term stays can last several days, or even hours, and are an important resource for other foster parents who travel out of town, on occasion, or need a moment to run a few simple errands. Many who might otherwise be open to long-term stays fear growing attached to the children in their care, only to see them return home to their biological families. The primary goal of the foster care system is to reunite children with their biological families, said Trey Rabun, associate director of kinship and community services at Amara, a foster care agency in Seattle. But the care and stability they provided remains with that child forever.The very fact that it is difficult to say goodbye, said Mark Gomez, the Colorado foster dad, is evidence of a positive impact. It means these kids developed healthy attachments and experienced healing, said Mark, who, along with his wife, have helped nearly 20 foster youths in their care safely return to their biological families over the last six years. And for those hoping to expand their family permanently through adoption, the foster care system presents an important avenue to do so with kids in need more than a quarter of children in the system, many of them older youth and teenagers, end up being legally freed for adoption, meaning birth parents relinquished their parenting rights, or had those rights terminated by a court. | 3 |
###CLAIM: it took a 20-point lead into the fourth quarter, holding guard stephen and curry, who entered wednesday with an average of 31. 4 points a game, to just two points and two loss statistics against beals and 31. 1.
###DOCS: Comment on this story Comment Gift Article ShareAndrew Wigginss layup that would have tied the score with 8.1 seconds left rolled along the rim and just kissed the backboard before it dipped off the side. The Washington Wizards already had suffered one heartbreak Wednesday night at Capital One Arena, losing rookie wing Deni Avdija in the first half to a grisly-looking right ankle injury, and to weather another in the first home game in front of fans in 13 months seemed too cruel. But a little drama never hurt anybody. The Wizards brought that and then some in a 118-114 win against Golden State in which they surrendered a 19-point lead in the second quarter, trailed by 11 with less than six minutes to play and capped a late barrage from Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal with four points from Davis Bertans in the final 26.7 seconds to stave off the red-hot Warriors (29-30), winners of five of their previous six games. AdvertisementThe win gave Washington (25-33) eight victories in its past nine games and six in a row, its longest streak of the season. That was one of the wildest games Ive coached, the Wizards Scott Brooks said. The joy of the melee, which had the 2,133 fans in the stands on their feet and dancing at various points in the fourth quarter, was tempered somewhat by Avdijas injury. The rookie took a bad fall in the lane near the end of the first half and was taken off the court in a wheelchair. As soon as he fell, a teammate rushed off the bench to cover his lower right leg with a towel. Brooks said he had no update on the injury after the game, though ESPN reported Avdija had suffered a season-ending fracture. But the Wizards fought even after Avdija left. Giving in was not an option Wednesday night, not with a small but euphoric crowd spurring on the home team with the type of energy not felt in more than a year. AdvertisementIncredible, Brooks said of the atmosphere. You want [the fans] to see our team. Our team needs it. I think what they can see with our team is the resolve and the resiliency and a team they can be proud of.Capital One Arena opened its doors to fans for the first time since March 10, 2020, when the Wizards beat the New York Knicks thanks to 39 hard-fought minutes from Beal. The team restricted locker room access for reporters for the first time that day as a response to the coronavirus outbreak. Thirteen months later, Beal dazzled again for a game-high 29 points, and locker rooms remained shuttered to outsiders. So much else had changed. Fans were back after a long hiatus, filing into the arena in groups of four or fewer: Families with young children, post-work pairs in button-downs and slacks and groups of young people sporting jerseys from a multitude of NBA teams populated sidewalks on F and Seventh streets. AdvertisementFrom the press section on the arenas second tier, two Israeli flags were visible in the stands, unfurled proudly when Avdija was announced in the starting lineup and every time he hit a big bucket until he left the court. A group of four sitting in the lower level brought a homemade Welcome Russell Westbrook banner, commemorating the point guards debut in front of fans. Washington Football Team Coach Ron Rivera and his wife, Stephanie, snapped pictures from their seats for Twitter, as did 2021s top womens basketball recruit, Azzi Fudd, and her future teammate, Connecticut freshman sensation Paige Bueckers. The loudest cheer of the pregame festivities came when Mambo Sauces Welcome to DC the song played before every home bout blared over the sound system for the first time. We know covids been striking us like crazy, but we want to thank you all for coming out tonight, Beal said, addressing the crowd on a microphone at center court shortly before tip-off. We know its a small, little step forward, but its a step nonetheless. Thank you all. Hope you all enjoy the night. Remember to mask up, stay safe. Lets go Wiz.AdvertisementFrom there, Washington converted the arenas newfound energy into periods of dominance never more pronounced than in the first and fourth quarters. In the first, it took a 38-20 lead after holding Warriors star guard Stephen Curry who entered Wednesday averaging 31.4 points per game to Beals 31.1 to lead the league to just two points (and four turnovers). Westbrook iced the frame with a three-pointer at the buzzer. Down the stretch, Westbrook entered into attack mode and drew enough fouls to put Washington in the bonus early and have Draymond Green foul out with 2:44 to play and Golden State leading 106-104. That opened the lane up for hard drives from Westbrook, Beal and even Bertans, the three-point specialist who helped close the game from short range for once. The trio had all but three of the Wizards 32 points in the fourth quarter. AdvertisementDraymond fouling out was unique for us. We really needed that and guys kind of cooling down, too, Beal said. Cant act like Steph didnt make, like, 90 threes before coming in tonight, so him missing a few helped.Beal and Brooks also gave Westbrook his due for making Currys life difficult. The guard fizzled for 18 points on 7-for-25 shooting from the field. Brooks said Westbrook would not be underappreciated for his defense. The point guard agreed. I feel like Im a player that can do it all, Westbrook said. Defend, score, whatever it is that needs to be done. My job changes every night, and I feel like Im one of those players that if I need to defend at a high level, I can do that, too. If I need to score at a high level, I can do that. Pass? I can do that. Rebound? I can do that. You want me to coach? S---, I can do that, too.AdvertisementWestbrook finished with 14 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists for his 173rd career triple-double. After a topsy-turvy night of energy, joy and loss, Brooks had one message for his streaking team: Focus on the next game. I know weve won six in a row, but that has nothing to do with our next game, Brooks said. We have to have that same mentality: next man up, next game up and then live with the results. Knowing what I know about the group, thats what theyre going to do.Read more on the Wizards:GiftOutline Gift Article Comment on this story Comment Gift Article ShareIn an alternate universe, one in which the Wizards didnt trade the No. 5 pick in the 2009 NBA draft to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Mike Miller and Randy Foye, Bradley Beal and Stephen Curry might be teammates in Washington, gearing up for another deep playoff run. Instead, Curry went to Golden State, where he eventually teamed with Klay Thompson to lead the Warriors to five consecutive NBA Finals and three titles from 2015 to 2019. While team success has been hard to come by for Beal in D.C., the No. 3 pick in the 2012 draft has developed into one of the games best shooting guards. On Wednesday, with a limited number of fans in the stands at Capital One Arena for the first time this season, the Wizards and Warriors will continue their playoff pushes in a matchup featuring the leagues top scorers in Curry (31.4 points per game) and Beal (31.1). Heres a by-the-numbers look at their individual showdown and whats shaping up to be a close race for the scoring title over the final month of the season. 103Consecutive days Beal led the NBA in scoring after taking over the lead by scoring a career-high 60 points and matching Gilbert Arenass franchise single-game scoring record in a loss to the 76ers on Jan. 6. Curry, who has been scorching hot, overtook Beal in the scoring race with a 49-point game Monday. 40.8Currys scoring average in 10 April games on 55 percent shooting, including 50 percent from three-point range. Only James Harden, Elgin Baylor, Kobe Bryant and Wilt Chamberlain have averaged at least 40 points in a month (minimum 10 games) in NBA history. After averaging a season-low 26.1 points in March, Beal has averaged 29.7 points in seven April games and has eclipsed 30 points in five straight. 24.9Currys scoring average in eight Wednesday games this season, his lowest output, by four points, of any day. Fridays (24.9) have been Beals kryptonite. 10.80Currys offensive real plus-minus, an ESPN metric designed to measure a players on-court effect on his teams offensive performance, measured in points scored per 100 offensive possessions. Thats the best in the league by more than four points. Beal is eighth at 5.43. 6Games in which Curry has made at least 10 three-pointers this season, with four of those performances coming in his past five games. Beal made a season-high seven three-pointers in his 60-point game, but hes shooting a career-low 34 percent from long range this season. 1-4The Wizards record this season when Beal scores at least 40 points. Golden State is 6-2 when Curry reaches the same mark. Before Beal scored 43 points in a March 18 win against the Jazz, Washington had lost an NBA record 11 consecutive games in which he eclipsed 40 points. 10-3The Warriors record against the Wizards in 13 career head-to-head matchups between Beal and Curry. Beal scored six points in the final 6.1 seconds to lift Washington to a 110-107 win over Golden State in San Francisco earlier this month. 0The number of times Beal has outscored Curry in their 13 head-to-head matchups. Beal matched Currys 25 points in Washingtons win over the visiting Warriors on Feb. 28, 2017, but Curry has won the individual scoring battle every other time. Curry averaged 30.2 points in those games, including a pair of 51-point outbursts, while Beal averaged 16.5 points, with a high of 25. With Curry out with a hand injury, Beal averaged 38.5 points in two games against Golden State last season. 1.5Difference in the average defensive rating between the teams remaining on the Warriors schedule (112.7) and the teams remaining on the Wizards schedule (111.2). Currys seemingly easier path to the scoring title includes one game against Sacramento (league-worst 117.5 defensive rating), one game against Minnesota (28th, 114.9) and three games against New Orleans (27th, 112.6). Beal and the Wizards have 15 games remaining, which is one more than the Warriors. Washingtons upcoming slate includes a date with the Lakers, who boast a league-best defensive rating of 106. 110Playoff games Curry has started en route to winning three NBA titles, compared to 40 for Beal, who has yet to advance past the Eastern Conference semifinals. Both teams are in playoff contention heading into Wednesdays game. At 29-29, Golden State is ninth in the Western Conference. At 24-33, Washington is tied with Chicago for 10th in the Eastern Conference. 1Scoring title for Curry, who led the league with 30.1 points per game in 2015-16. Beal averaged a career-best 30.5 points last season, finishing runner-up in the scoring race to Harden. AdvertisementIm not trying to focus on going out and winning that, Beal said after Mondays win over the Thunder. I dont need to score 40 or 50 every night, because I have a lot of help on our team. Would I like to win it? One hundred percent, but Im not trying to go out each and every night, chucking the ball up, trying to win the scoring title. I want to try to get into the playoffs and help my team win.GiftOutline Gift Article | 3 |
###CLAIM: over the past five years, u. s. citizen businesses have invested in new businesses that create at least 5 u. s. jobs and generate 500, 000 dollars in revenues with an average annual growth rate of at least 20 percent.
###DOCS: Law firms Fragomen Del Rey Bernsen & Loewy LLP FollowJune 3, 2021 - The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently revived a short-lived Obama-era regulation providing foreign entrepreneurs with the ability to work for U.S. start-up companies that have received significant funding from qualified U.S. investors. DHS is facilitating this new type of U.S. work permit based on a provision of the immigration laws known as "parole." The parole statute permits the agency, in its discretion on a case-by-case basis, to grant entry and employment authorization to foreign nationals for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit. Recognizing the significant public benefit realized through entrepreneurship, innovation, and job creation in the United States, the regulation establishes general criteria DHS may use in evaluating applications for parole filed by foreign nationals who will play key roles for U.S. start-ups. The new program fills a hole in the current U.S. immigration system, which provides limited or no feasible work permit options for talented entrepreneurs seeking to found, build and/or shape the course of new U.S. businesses. The H-1B visa, for example, is severely limited by an annual quota, imposes competitive compensation requirements, and is often out of reach for start-ups with little or no employees or revenue. The E-2 investor visa is available only to citizens of countries with which the U.S. has a specific treaty, requires that the U.S. business be majority foreign owned, and, like the EB-5 immigrant investor visa, typically involves a substantial capital investment from the foreign national seeking the visa. To qualify for International Entrepreneur Parole (IEP), the entrepreneur must play a central and active role in the operations of the start-up and demonstrate that his or her academic background and/or experience will substantially assist the entity with the growth and success of its business. The definition of "entrepreneur" is not limited to those individuals who manage the overall operations of the start-up entity but may also include technical founders and other key players who are fundamental to the success of the enterprise. At the time of the initial application, the entrepreneur must own at least 10% of the entity, but this ownership may steadily decease over the course of five years as equity is transferred to other investors. He or she must, however, have at least some ownership interest in the start-up during the entire period of employment authorization. The U.S. start-up entity must have been created within the five years immediately preceding the IEP application or within five years of the start-up's receipt of the qualified grants, awards, or investments described below. The IEP application must also demonstrate the U.S. start-up has lawfully done business during any period of operation since its date of formation. A single start-up entity may support no more than three IEP applications. In order for the entrepreneur to qualify for IEP, the U.S. start-up must have received at least $250,000 in funding from qualified U.S. investors, or at least $100,000 in qualified government awards or grants, within eighteen months of the IEP request. Private investors may be individuals or investment firms such as venture capital firms, angel investors, or start-up accelerators, that are majority owned and controlled by U.S. citizens or permanent residents and who in the past five years have invested at least $600,000 in new U.S. businesses, at least two of which have created five or more American jobs or generated $500,000 in revenue with an average annual revenue growth of at least 20%. It is unclear from the rule-making process how DHS will interpret the requirement that qualified investors be "owned and controlled" by U.S. citizens or permanent residents. In the case of some investment firms, it may be difficult or impractical to trace the ownership of a large number of limited partnerships whose funds are invested but have no control over the management of the investment firm or the manner in which its capital is invested. If the IEP application can document that a U.S.-based investment firm's funds are controlled by U.S. citizens/residents who in turn may have an ownership interest in the firm, DHS should accept this as meeting the intended purpose of the rule. Support for such an interpretation is found in the L-1 visa category, where "ownership and control" among legal entities within a multinational group may be evidenced through agreements that vest control in a common parent company or set of individual directors even where there is minority ownership. Also, in the preamble to the IEP rule, DHS responded to a public comment about foreign funding/investment by affirming that a qualifying investment firm must be "owned or controlled" by U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents. IEP provides the entrepreneur with an initial 30 months of U.S. employment authorization with the start-up. This can be extended via re-parole by an additional 30 months, for a total of five years, with evidence that the entrepreneur's role with the start-up will continue to provide significant public benefit to the United States. This generally must include evidence that the start-up received at least $500,000 in qualifying investments or government grants/awards, created at least five U.S. jobs, or reached at least $500,000 in annual revenue with average annual revenue growth of at least 20%. Where the start-up entity has received substantial funding from qualified investors, but does not meet all of the requirements described above for initial or re-parole, DHS may in its discretion approve an IEP application if supported by compelling evidence of the start-up's potential for rapid growth and job creation. This might include evidence such as the entity's number of users or customers; revenue; additional investments/fundraising, including from crowdfunding platforms; social impact; national scope; and/or positive effects on the locality or region where it operates. The entrepreneur's spouse and children may file their own applications for parole, and after arrival in the United States the spouse may apply for employment authorization. Presumably because the statute provides DHS with discretion to grant parole only where there is significant public benefit (or for urgent humanitarian reasons), the IEP rule conspicuously provides that applications by spouses and children must include evidence the dependent "otherwise merits a grant of parole in the exercise of discretion." While the rule is silent on the type of evidence family members must provide to obtain a favorable exercise of discretion, the regulation's preamble suggests that dependents may offer a significant public benefit "by maintaining family unity and thereby further encouraging the entrepreneur to operate and grow his or her business in the United States and to provide the benefits of such growth to the United States." The start-up is not obligated to pay the entrepreneur a minimum salary or other guaranteed compensation. However, DHS may only grant IEP if the entrepreneur's U.S. household income will be at least 400% of the federal poverty line. For example, the current federal poverty line for a household of four in the forty-eight contiguous states is $26,500. An entrepreneur seeking IEP for him/herself, a spouse, and two children would therefore need to demonstrate a prospective annual household income of at least $106,000. This may be income paid by the start-up or may come from a combination of sources such as investment income or income earned by a spouse. The entrepreneur has a continuous obligation to notify DHS immediately of material changes throughout the period of parole. Material changes include, among other things, "significant" changes in the ownership and control of the start-up entity. DHS remarks in the rule's preamble that a significant change may occur when a transfer of equity results in an owner or owners not previously identified in the IEP application acquiring a controlling interest in the entity. It is entirely possible, therefore, that the additional funding (and new controlling owners) the start-up secures during the initial 30 months of IEP will serve as the qualifying investment that renders the entrepreneur eligible for re-parole, and yet also immediately require him or her to report the equity transfer including the entrepreneur's diluted interest in the start-up to DHS as a material change. The agency expressly recognized this apparent dichotomy in promulgating the final rule, explaining that it does not anticipate such changes in ownership, in and of themselves, will result in a termination of parole, but that vetting the impact of new ownership is important to the integrity of the IEP program. The regulation provides DHS with broad discretion to terminate parole at any time for any reason if the agency determines the IEP no longer provides the United States with significant public benefit. By analogy with its execution of termination provisions in other work permit categories, and as explicitly permitted by the IEP rule, DHS may also notify the entrepreneur of any concerns or questions it has about continued IEP eligibility and provide the entrepreneur an opportunity to respond. Among other things, the agency may raise concerns if it believes information in the IEP application was not true or accurate, the entrepreneur failed to timely report a material change, or the entrepreneur is no longer employed in a central and active role or ceases to possess a qualifying ownership interest in the start-up entity. The IEP program, at least in its current form, permits U.S. employment authorization for up to five years. Entrepreneurs whose talents are needed in the United States longer term should therefore explore options for U.S. residency well in advance of the expiration of their authorized parole. The relaunch of the IEP program is a welcome sign that the current administration understands the critical role that start-up businesses founded by foreign entrepreneurs have played, and will continue to play, in creating jobs and stimulating the U.S. economy. Opinions expressed are those of the author. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias. Westlaw Today is owned by Thomson Reuters and operates independently of Reuters News. | 0 |
###CLAIM: the washington post has been writing a long story about the department of justice's decision to announce the case because none of these questions were ever raised.
###DOCS: Fox News host Tucker Carlson has accused the Justice Department of double standards after the decision not to charge the Capitol cop who fatally shot Ashli Babbitt on January 6, after it emerged that an InfoWars staffer who filmed the shooting was arrested just a day earlier. The name of the Capitol police officer who shot Babbitt has still not been released, which Carlson called a double standard in comparison with other police shootings including the recent fatal shooting of Daunte Wright in Minnesota. InfoWars staffer Samuel Christopher Montoya, a Texas resident, was arrested at his San Marcos home on Tuesday, 24 hours before the DOJ said there was 'insufficient evidence' to charge the officer who killed Babbitt. Montoya, a video editor for the right-wing fringe outlet InfoWars, was filming inside the U.S. Capitol on January 6 when a Capitol police officer fatally shot Babbitt, an unarmed Air Force veteran who was trying to climb through a smashed window into the Speaker's Lobby. In a scathing monologue on Thursday, Carlson compared the handling of the case to other police shootings of unarmed suspects, accusing President Joe Biden's Justice Department of pursuing separate standards for political opponents. 'Two systems of justice -- one for the allies of the people in charge, and a very different one for their enemies,' Carlson said. 'If this happened in Ukraine, what are the chances NBC News would describe Samuel Montoya as a 'dissident journalist,' and then describe Ashli Babbitt an 'unarmed pro-democracy demonstrator'? The chances are roughly 100 percent,' he added. Fox News host Tucker Carlson has accused the Justice Department of double standards after the decision not to charge the Capitol cop who fatally shot Ashli BabbittInfoWars staffer Samuel Montoya (left), who filmed Babbitt's shooting, was arrested one day before the Justice Department announced the officer who killed her would not be charged'And, once again, who exactly shot Ashli Babbitt? Journalists exist to ask questions like these, but theyre not,' Carlson continued. In the Daunte Wright case, 'we know that officers name because every news organization in the country printed it immediately. She has now resigned and is facing charges. Her mugshot is all over the Internet,' he said. 'Two nights ago, a mob showed up at her house, forcing her to flee.' 'Last August, a police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin shot a man called Jacob Blake. Remember that? Riots erupted immediately. Yesterday, that officer was cleared of all charges. When that story broke, NPR put that police officers name and photograph on the front of their website,' he continued. 'So thats the standard, except in this case where they are still hiding the identity of the man who shot Ashli Babbitt,' he added. On Wednesday, former Brooklyn Center officer Kim Potter, 48, was charged with manslaughter in Wright's death. Kenosha officer Rusten Sheskey, 31, was found legally justified in the shooting of Blake last August, which left Blake paralyzed from the waist down. A spokesperson for the Justice Department did not immediately respond to messages from DailyMail.com about the Babbit case on Thursday morning. Carlson pointed out that former Brooklyn Center officer Kim Potter (left) and Kenosha officer Rusten Sheskey (right) were both quickly named after the shootings of Daunte Wright and Jacob Blake. Potter was charged with manslaughter and Sheskey was found justifiedIn a statement to DailyMail.com, Babbitt family attorney Terrell Roberts said: 'The actual evidence is this: the officer shot an unarmed woman who was not an immediate threat to him or any Member of Congress.' 'That is inconsistent with any claim of self-defense or the defense of others, period,' he said. 'We strongly disagree with the U.S. Attorney's decision. But we are not dissuaded from our goal of ultimately vindicating Ashli Babbitt's constitutional rights in the civil arena,' Roberts said. Montoya's arrest was made public on Wednesday, the same day that the the Justice Department announced the decision not to press charges in the case. Montoya is charged with entering and remaining in a restricted building, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a Capitol Building, impeding passage through the Capitol Grounds or Buildings, and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol Building. According to an arrest warrant affidavit, a family member of Montoya tipped off the FBI that he was 'physically inside the U.S. Capitol near the shooting of a woman on January 6, 2021.' On Thursday, it emerged that officers with the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia (MPD) requested backup at least 17 times over the span of 78 minutes, according to an analysis of the events that unfolded when MAGA fanatics descended on the Capitol on January 6. The mob of Trump supporters would eventually grow to at least 9,400 people, outnumbering officers by more than 58 to one. A family member of Montoya tipped off the FBI that he was present at the Capitol riot. U.S. District Judge Emmett Sullivan denied 51-year-old Jeffrey Sabol's request to be released pre-trial, citing his actions on January 6 and his efforts to escape accountability, according to 64-page ruling filed on Wednesday. 'To arm himself, he stripped a vulnerable police officer of his police baton,' Sullivan said in the decision. 'He then used that stolen police baton to force another officer away from his post and into a mob of rioters who proceeded to viciously attack him, leaving him bleeding from the head. Sabol - along with four co-defendants - was indicted in January for their roles at the Capitol insurrection. The decision mentions that Sabol's motion included option to return to either to his home in Colorado or under house arrest in New York at a home owned by his girlfriend. But given the possibility of Sabol serving a 20 year maximum sentence for assaulting the police officer, Sullivan noted that 'he has an even more compelling incentive to flee.' AdvertisementFBI investigators reviewed a video posted by InfoWars titled 'Patriots Storm Congress Raw Footage Includes Execution of Ashli Babbitt' in which the narrator identifies himself as 'Sam with Infowars.com,' according to the affidavit. 'It feels good to be in the Capitol baby!' the man filming the video said at one point, turning the camera toward himself and displaying a gleeful expression. The FBI showed this image to Montoya's family member, who positively identified him, the affidavit said. 'We're gonna crawl, we're gonna climb. We're gonna do whatever it takes, we're gonna do whatever it takes to MAGA,' Montoya said at another point in the video, according to the FBI. 'Look at this, look at this. I don't even know what's going on right now. I don't wanna get shot, I'll be honest, but I don't wanna lose my country. And that's more important to me thanthan getting shot,' he continued. 'I'm sure these officers are scared, but we're here, we're here to just show that we've had enough. We've had enough,' he said at another point. Throughout the video, Montoya identified himself as a 'reporter' or 'journalist' as he attempted to work his way through crowds. However the FBI said that 'The director of the Congressional press galleries within the Senate Press office did a name check on Samuel Christopher Montoya and confirmed that no one by that name has Congressional press credentials as an individual or via any other organizations.' In a staff-bylined article on Montoya's arrest, Infowars said: 'Montoya was reporting live on the ground freely exercising his First Amendment right to document the events of that day in a journalistic capacity.' Carlson sneered at the FBI's reasoning, saying: 'So that's the standard. If the U.S. Congress's credentialing office says that you're not a journalist, you're not a journalist.' 'Did Samuel Montoya have strong personal political views? Apparently he did. But you may have noticed that's not so unusual in journalism right now,' Carlson added. Babbitt, 35, was an Air Force veteran and ardent supporter of former Republican President Donald Trump who participated in the mob that stormed the Capitol on January 6. Officers were later seen tending to the bleeding woman on the floor of the Capitol building before she was taken to hospital where she succumbed to her injuries later that dayWhile in the Speaker's Lobby, the Capitol Police officer, who was not been identified, fired a single round from his service weapon, striking Babbitt in the shoulder, prosecutors saidHer shooting was captured on video and posted widely on social media. In it, she can be seen climbing through a doorway with a smashed window, when a Capitol Police officer on the other side fires his gun. The investigation into Babbitt's death focused on whether the officer had deprived her of her constitutional Fourth Amendment right not to be subjected to an unreasonable seizure. To prove such a case in court, the department would have needed to show not only that the officer used constitutionally unreasonable force, but that he did so 'willfully.' In a statement on Wednesday, the Justice Department said: 'the investigation revealed no evidence to establish that, at the time the officer fired a single shot Ms. Babbitt, the officer did not reasonably believe that it was necessary to do so in self-defense or in the defense of the Members of Congress and others evacuating the House Chamber.' 'This double-negative is an odd way of explaining the basis for not bringing charges,' said Terrell, the Babbitt family attorney. 'It plainly glosses over the obvious problem of squaring the decision not to prosecute with the known facts.' Prosecutors have filed charges so far against more than 400 defendants in the Capitol riots, with some facing allegations they conspired to storm the building in advance. DC Police called for backup 17 times in 78 minutes during MAGA mob riot as crowd grew to nearly 10,000Capitol police officer Brian Sicknick collapsed and died after engaging with protestersOfficers with the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia (MPD) requested backup at least 17 times over the span of 78 minutes, according to an analysis of the events that unfolded when MAGA fanatics descended on the Capitol on January 6. The mob of Trump supporters would eventually grow to at least 9,400 people, outnumbering officers by more than 58 to one. Capitol police officer Brian Sicknick collapsed and died after engaging with protesters. Police radio communications and footage from the insurrection were jointly analyzed by the Washington Post to understand the failures of police and how they were hindered by insufficient numbers. Cmdr. Robert Glover, who had just arrived with a team of D.C. police officers, shouted his first call over the radio at around 1.13pm from the west side of the U.S. Capitol as the mob stormed. Officers with the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia (MPD) requested backup at least 17 times over the span of 78 minutes when MAGA rioters stormed the U.S. CapitolCapitol Police officers were pulled back, as the crowd grew more intense, according to recordings, leaving MPD officers to the masses'Hard gear at the Capitol! Hard gear at the Capitol!' he shouted into the radio channel used to communicate with joint operations centers at D.C. police headquarters, calling for more officers in riot gear. At 1.18pm, he announced: 'Multiple Capitol injuries. Multiple Capitol injuries.' As more time went on and as more Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, Glover's calls for help became more desperate. 'I need those two other hard platoons up here now,' he said between 1.36 and 1.39pm. He was told one was 'coming' as the MPD platoon Unit 42 geared up on the north side of the National Mall. 'They're gearing up, and they should be to you now,' Glover was informed. Capitol Police officers were pulled back between 1.50 and 1.59pm, as the crowd grew more intense, according to recordings. 'A decision was made by the United States Capitol Police to pull their personnel back inside the building at a point leaving one of my flanks pretty weak,' Glover said on January 12. Glover would go on to request guidance on a fallback position four times between 2.13pm and 2.25pm. 'I need a command official from Capitol so we can coordinate where they want us to pull back to,' he said. 'We cannot hold this without more munitions or manpower.' A rioter would soon break through police lines near the center of the inaugural platform, allowing the frenzied crowd to barge their way toward the entrances of the building. 'We lost the line! We've lost the line! All MPD fall back!' Glover screamed at 2.28 pm, shouting the code for an emergency. 'I repeat, 10-33, West Front of the Capitol. We've been flanked and we lost the line.' US Capitol police officers try to stop supporters of US President Donald Trump to enter the Capitol on January 6The mob of Trump supporters would eventually grow to at least 9,400 people, outnumberings officers by more than 58 to oneAt 2.31pm, Glover called for backup for the 17th time as the MPD retreated up to an upper terrace. 'Cruiser 50 still going to need reinforcements upper deck West Front. Upper deck West Front; we cannot lose the upper deck,' he said. The MPD team would eventually lose the upper deck, some 10 minutes later. The analysis of the radio calls comes after a blistering internal report by the US Capitol Police described a multitude of missteps that left the force unprepared for the January 6 insurrection which saw hundreds of Donald Trump's supporters laying siege to the Capitol. The watchdog report, released internally last month, describes riot shields that shattered upon impact, expired weapons that could not be used, inadequate training and an intelligence division that had few set standards. The ironically-named "Civil Rights Division" of the Biden Justice Department announced Wednesday there will be no charges brought against the man who shot and killed protester Ashli Babbitt in the Capitol back in January. No one who pays attention was surprised to hear this. In cases like this, the benefit of the doubt usually does goes to law enforcement, and as weve often said, were fine with that. It should. But still, in a free society, the rest of us have a right to know roughly what happened. In this case, who shot Ashli Babbitt and why? No one will tell us. The Biden administration says the man who killed Babbitt is a Capitol Hill police officer, and he did the right thing. Thats all theyve said. We know that Ashli Babbitt was short, female and unarmed. Theres no evidence the officer who killed her gave any kind of verbal warming before he pulled the trigger. Is that standard procedure? Wed imagined the rules of engagement for federal agents limited the use of deadly force to situations where law enforcement has reason to believe they or the people around them are in imminent danger of being harmed. You cant just shoot people without warning because theyre in the wrong place. Thats not allowed. Except now, apparently, it is allowed. When did these rules change? And, once again, who exactly shot Ashli Babbitt? Journalists exist to ask questions like these, but theyre not. The Washington Post wrote a long story about the DOJs announcement in the case and never raised a single one of these questions. The Post didnt name the shooter or even acknowledge that the government is withholding his name. CAPITOL RIOT: POLICE OFFICER WON'T FACE CHARGES IN FATAL SHOOTING OF ASHLI BABBITT, PROSECUTORS SAY"Authorities determined that there was insufficient evidence to prove Babbitts civil rights were violated," the Post declared. That was it. The rest of the piece was a personal attack on Ashli Babbitt and her political views. She deserved to die. That was the point of the Washington Post story. How amazing to read something like this, especially now. Eleven hundred miles from Washington, in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, a police officer accidentally reached for her gun instead of a Taser and killed a man called Daunte Wright. It was a tragedy, as all shootings are. But we know that officers name because every news organization in the country printed it immediately. She has now resigned and is facing charges. Her mugshot is all over the Internet. Two nights ago, a mob showed up at her house, forcing her to flee. Shes not the only one. Last August, a police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin shot a man called Jacob Blake. Remember that? Riots erupted immediately. Yesterday, that officer was cleared of all charges. When that story broke, NPR put that police officers name and photograph on the front of their website. So thats the standard, except in this case where they are still hiding the identity of the man who shot Ashli Babbitt. EX-MINNESOTA POLICE OFFICER KIM POTTER RELEASED FROM JAIL AFTER POSTING $100G BONDSensing a theme here? The standards that big news organizations use to cover shootings depend entirely on the political views of the people who get shot. When The Washington Post doesnt like the candidates you vote for, they suppress the details of the case. In the case of Ashli Babbitt, wed know next to nothing about how she died, and we wouldnt know anything if her shooting hadnt been captured on video by people who dont work at the Washington Post. One of those people is a video editor from Texas called Samuel Montyoa. Montoya was in the U.S. Capitol that day. Montoya doesnt look much like a White supremacist, and he has no criminal history that were aware of. On Jan. 6, Samuel Montoya took what may be the clearest video of Ashli Babbitt's death:When you watch the video, there are a lot of things to notice. Ashli Babbitt had no weapon. She wasn't attacking anyone. She couldnt attack anyone, because she was climbing through a window at the moment she was shot. But whats most striking is that several Capitol Hill police officers in paramilitary gear were standing directly behind Babbitt when she was killed. They were carrying what Joe Biden refers to as weapons of war loaded AR-15s. So tell us again how Ashli Babbitt posed an imminent physical threat to anyone when she was shot. She didnt. Samuel Montoya's footage proves it. And were grateful we have that tape. If we didnt, The New York Times would be telling us that Ashli Babbitt was beating people to death with a fire extinguisher when she was killed. Thanks to Samuel Montoya, the New York Times cant claim that. Wed love to have Montoya on "Tucker Carlson Tonight" to describe what he saw that day, but we cant do that, because hes in jail. Yesterday, a large group of armed federal agents showed up at his house in Austin. They smashed Montoyas front door, confiscated his electronic devices and threw him in jail. Hes behind bars right now. What was his crime? Well, to find out, we read the Biden administrations arrest warrant application. The FBI says it began investigating Montoya after one of his family members provided "proof that Montoya was physically inside the U.S. Capital near the shooting of a woman on January 6, 2021." To be clear, Montoya didnt shoot the woman. He just happened to be nearby. AOC-LINKED GROUP BACKS 'DEFUND THE POLICE' ADVOCATE IN NY PRIMARYBut wait a second. Weren't there plenty of journalists inside the Capitol on Jan. 6? According to CNN, yes there were. CNN ran a piece telling us that, "Congressional reporters became the country's eyes and ears as rioters stormed Capitol Hill." So why hasnt the FBI arrested the people CNN identified in its story the photographers from Getty, the political reporters from NBC, the congressional correspondents from CNN and the AP? Well, thats a good question. The FBI explains why in the warrant affidavit. "At times during the video, Montoya describes himself to others inside the Capitol Building as a reporter or journalist as he attempts to get through crowds." And yet, the FBI concludes, "The director of the Congressional press galleries within the Senate Press office did a name check on Samuel Christopher Montoya and confirmed that no one by that name has Congressional press credentials as an individual, or via any other organizations." So thats the standard. If the U.S. Congresss credentialing office says that youre not a journalist, youre not a journalist. Did Samuel Montoya have strong personal political views? Apparently he did. But you may have noticed thats not so unusual in journalism right now. So why is journalist Samuel Montoya behind bars tonight? Well, he committed a crime? "Interfering with government business." In other words, trespassing. If this happened in Ukraine, what are the chances NBC News would describe Samuel Montoya as a "dissident journalist," and then describe Ashli Babbitt an "unarmed pro-democracy demonstrator"? The chances are roughly 100%. But this is America, and theyre not saying that. Instead they're telling us that Ashli Babbitt deserved to die. LAWRENCE JONES: LEFT TRYING TO 'BLOW UP OUR CURRENT STATE OF POLICING'JOY REID, MSNBC: She embraced conspiracy theories. Her name was Ashli Babbitt, 35 years old. She tweeted about Pizzagate. She tweeted thousands of tweets to Fox News hosts. She engaged [on] social media with the conspiracy news Internet site Info Wars. In 2020, she began to tweet with QAnon accounts and use QAnon hashtags. Oh, see, not a pro-democracy demonstrator, not an unarmed military veteran. So she sent tweets to Fox News hosts. No problem. Ashli Babbitt got what she deserved. Whats amazing is not simply the grotesque cruelty of assessments like that a young women is shot to death and the media applaud but whats more amazing is the contrast between this and the coverage of other violence thats now in progress. Tuesday night, Biden voters burned a police building in Portland, Oregon. Did you know that? Probably not, it didnt get much coverage. In the wake of Daunte Wrights death Sunday, riots broke out all over the country, in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Minneapolis. TERRELL RIPS MINNESOTA MAYOR'S REMARK ABOUT COPS NOT NEEDING GUNS AT TRAFFIC STOPSPeople were stealing stuff off store shelves, but dont call it looting. Its a peaceful demonstration. We know that because the mayor of Brooklyn Center, Mike Elliott, told us so. Tuesday night, Mayor Elliott tweeted a picture of himself on the scene. "Earlier this evening, I had the opportunity to go talk to these peaceful protesters," he wrote. "Our city is calm now." Heres the funny thing: the mayors wearing a Kevlar helmet in the picture, which was not taken in Syria, but in his own town. Thats how peaceful it is. He was wearing a Kevlar helmet. Whatever else he is, Mike Elliott isnt a very effective liar. Others, by contrast, have decided to drop the pretense entirely. BLM leader Bree Newsome no longer talks about "peaceful protests." She doesnt want those any more. "Im definitely in the camp of defending rioting and looting as a legitimate, politically-informed response to state violence," she wrote in a tweet that the Twitter censors have pointedly left up. It goes without saying that Bree Neswsome is a child of privilege. Only privileged people could be that decadent. Whats really striking is that Newsome once committed a more aggressive version of the offense that Samuel Montoya is changed with. A few years ago, she trespassed at the Capitol in South Carolina and ripped down the flag. She also trespassed in a state lawmakers office and refused to leave. Is she rotting in jail? No. She was arrested briefly, then drew praise from no less than Hillary Clinton herself. Hillary endorsed that particular insurrection. But not everyone gets the same treatment, you may have noticed. That should worry you, no matter who you voted for and no matter how fervently you may support Joe Biden. This is a huge, society-ending problem. Laws have no meaning if theyre not applied equally. When they are not applied equally, they are not even laws. Theyre just tools of political persecution. You dont want to live in a country like that, even if the people you dont like are the ones being persecuted. Rashida Tlaib does want to live like that. Tlaib is a member of Congress, so her security is never in doubt. Shes protected by bodyguards, weapons of war, and now thousands of federal troops youre paying for. Shes fine. But in your neighborhood, shed like to see the police eliminated. AOC SAYS DAUNTE WRIGHT DEATH NO 'ACCIDENT,' INSTEAD PART OF 'INDEFENSIBLE SYSTEM'"No more policing, incarceration, and militarization," Tlaib wrote on Twitter this week. "It can't be reformed." Again, militarization is fine if the military is protecting her. Shes got federal troops. But not for you. You get mob rule. Were not making this up, were not misquoting her. Shes demanding this in public as a member of Congress. Many are. A character on MSNBC tells us that we must abolish your police department immediately:JASON JOHNSON: Ive been saying we need to abolish American policing as it currently exists. It doesnt work ... Do you know the average [number of] homicides that are actually solved by police departments? Only about 35%. You know the number of rapes and sexual assaults that are solved by police departments? Less than 60%. You know the percentage, likelihood of being shot unarmed as a Black person is, like, five times as likely than a White person? Policing doesnt work the way were doing it right now. A panel of privileged people tell you to abolish the police. But theyre not saying actually abolish the police. We often claim they are, but listen very carefully. They say they want to abolish American policing as it currently exists. And that raises the question: how does policing currently exist? Heres how: local communities get to control it. So the cops walking down your street, you hired them. Thats what Rashida Tlaib doesnt like. Thats what offends MSNBC. The thing they hate about it is that they dont control it. They cant use your local police department to punish you for your political views. For that, they have to go to the FBI. It drives them crazy. CORI BUSH CLAIMS COP 'WOULD'VE KNOWN THE DIFFERENCE' BETWEEN GUN, TASER IF DAUNTE WRIGHT 'WASN'T A BLACK BOY'Abolishing the police doesnt mean getting rid of people with guns. It merely and specifically means stripping you of any control over local law enforcement. Its just a more ambitious form of gun control, meant to disempower the citizenry, not protect them. When your police department answers to them, things will be very different. To get a sense of how different, take a look at what the Biden administration is doing in the state of Oregon. In the past few days, federal prosecutors have essentially dropped half a dozen federal felony cases that arose from those famous riots in Portland last summer. The feds reached non-prosecution agreements, which ensure that people who committed felonies will walk away with no criminal record of any kind. What are the defendants in Oregon accused of doing? More than trespassing. One of them, a woman called Alexandra Eutin, was charged with beating a Portland police officer in the head with a wooden shield while he was trying to make an arrest. Another defendant, called Alexa Daron Graham, was charged with trying to bring down a police aircraft with a laser pointer. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPNow thats bad, obviously. But its not quite as bad as, say, voting for Donald Trump, or walking around the Capitol building with a camera. Alexandra Eutin and Alexa Graham won't have a criminal record by the end of this. Samuel Montoya could spend the next seven years in jail. You see whats going on. Two systems of justice -- one for the allies of the people in charge, and a very different one for their enemies. These arent traditional liberals. Theyre not calling for a peaceful utopia where no one uses violence. This isnt the tradition of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King. That was the old liberalism. We used to make fun of it, when it was going on. We could use a lot more of it now. This stuff is scary. This article is adapted from Tucker Carlson's opening commentary on the April 14, 2021 edition of "Tucker Carlson Tonight" | 2 |
###CLAIM: the wild turn of the crypto market has collided with the risks of ordinary investors and the potential of this largely anonymous payment system to facilitate conduct.
###DOCS: Comment on this story Comment Gift Article ShareFor a brief moment, Brian Cardarella was a Dogecoin millionaire. The 41-year-old said he invested tens of thousands of dollars earlier this year in the cryptocurrency. As the digital token created in 2013 based off a humorous online meme surged, he watched the value of his investment cross $1 million. Despite a recent reversal, it is still worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to a screenshot he provided of his trading account. It is an emotional roller coaster, said Cardarella, who lives near Boston and founded a software consulting firm. The rise of bitcoin a type of cryptocurrency that exists on computers all over the Internet and does not rely on any government to oversee it has often been dismissed as a financial fad for techie speculators. But this year has seen the number of cryptocurrencies explode, minting hordes of newly successful investors drawn by the potential of huge profits, a culture soaked in humor and the encouragement of celebrity billionaires including Elon Musk. Dogecoin, named after the Shiba Inu doge meme, is up roughly 10,000 percent this year, according to Coindesk, a media outlet that tracks cryptocurrency. But the wild turns of the crypto market are colliding with intensifying concern from regulators about the risks taken on by ordinary investors and the potential for these largely anonymous digital payment systems to facilitate misconduct. AdvertisementLast week, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission warned investors that bitcoin is a highly speculative investment, pointing to the lack of regulation and potential for fraud or manipulation.The cryptocurrencies, which now number nearly 10,000, have been fueled by websites that allow investors to easily trade the investments, as well as stimulus checks that could easily be used to speculate as Americans were stuck at home during the coronavirus pandemic. Why is it that so many people are getting into it? Cardarella said. I would not be surprised if a lot of the people invested in crypto count that as their only investment.Cryptocurrencies are essentially digital assets that allow people to exchange information or represent items of value on the Internet. In many cases, the digital currencies are run on a global network of computers that are not under the control of a central bank or company. They promote record-keeping, granting users the ability to instantly record their transactions on a public ledger without a middleman brokering the transaction. AdvertisementThe ransomware attack that brought down the Colonial Pipeline, sparking gas shortages in large swaths of the country last week, renewed attention on the use of cryptocurrencies to facilitate crime. There is a tension of privacy versus a governments right to know, said Kenneth Rogoff, an economics professor at Harvard University, who noted tax evasion and the financing of illicit activity among the challenges that cryptocurrencies pose to governments. This has been going on with cash forever, but cash is nothing compared to the potential for crypto, he said. Many of the most popular tokens such as bitcoin have entire communities of developers and entrepreneurs building financial products and computer programs on top of the technology. Other currencies have no discernible utility other than to trade. AdvertisementRecent days have underscored the extreme volatility of the market and the breathtaking sums trading hands. Following his May 8 appearance on Saturday Night Live, where Musk, who has called himself the Dogefather, appeared to disparage the cryptocurrency, Dogecoin tumbled more than 30 percent. Musk followed that performance with another market-moving event, tweeting that his electric-vehicle company Tesla would no longer accept bitcoin as payment, citing its high-energy demands. Bitcoin, the most valuable digital token, shed about 10 percent, taking many other names along with it. On Sunday, Musk suggested on Twitter that Tesla may have already sold or will sell its bitcoin holdings sending prices diving. The whims of a billionaire executive and his wrecking-ball tweets were only part of the story this month. A new cryptocurrency dubbed Internet Computer, which aims to foster open, decentralized versions of social media and enterprise software, debuted to the tune of $90 billion, with its market cap settling near $21 billion on Tuesday. Over the past three months, the total value of all cryptocurrencies jumped 30 percent, to about $2 trillion. AdvertisementApps such as Robinhood and Coinbase offer a host of cryptocurrencies to invest in, which users can convert into cash. The ease of trading, experts say, was amplified by the economic and social conditions of the pandemic, which cut people off from live entertainment and casinos, while many Americans had thousands of dollars in stimulus checks to spend. A viral tweet posted by Nick Maggiulli, chief operating officer at Ritholtz Wealth Management, captured the astronomical growth for those willing to take the risk: If a person who received three government stimulus checks invested the full amounts in Dogecoin buying in April and December last year and again in March that portfolio would now hold approximately $500,000 worth of the token. Because you get this big price movement, you start to see your friends making money, people have this general fear of missing out and they want to be part of the excitement, said James Putra, vice president of product strategy at TradeStation Crypto, a trading platform. When you put an entire nation at home, they find interesting ways to spend their time, he said. People that never even contemplated trading are now talking to me about moving averages and chart patterns.AdvertisementBut the phenomenon is global, and many investors see the merits of new technology and the chance for life-changing winnings. I am entering a new tax bracket that I would never touch based on my income from working, said Christopher Hansson, a 29-year old law student in southern Sweden who used to work in retail and shared a screenshot of his cryptocurrency account. A lot of people made life-changing amounts of money during the early stages of the Internet, and I would say cryptocurrency is the Internet 2.0.Since 2017, Hansson said he has invested about $15,000 in several tokens and has seen his crypto portfolio grow significantly. Financial independence of course its a long shot, but its a shot, he said. I live in my apartment with my dog. A garden and all that would be nice.Angela Walch, a professor at St. Marys University School of Law and a research associate at the UCL Center for Blockchain Technologies, said a confluence of factors is behind the flood of amateur investors diving into the market for novel assets. AdvertisementWhy is this happening now; culturally, where are we? Weve had major world-shaking events, this massive global pandemic, stimulus packages and lots of government spending in the U.S. and elsewhere, she said. This is your safe haven; the world is falling apart. Think of it as buying a lottery ticket. Spend whatever you would be comfortable spending in Vegas. You may win big. But you also treat it as entertainment value the chance to win big.In the wake of the GameStop frenzy earlier this year, when stocks became memes, hype replaced fundamentals and celebrity endorsements turned attention into financial authority, regulators are taking notice. Statements from finance officials highlight growing government concern, especially as figures such as Musk have shown their outsize influence over markets and, experts say, as prices swing wildly when influencers proclaim their excitement or scorn. AdvertisementThe SECs recent warnings of the dangers of bitcoin follow calls for more muscular government action, establishing a federal watchdog with a clear mandate to oversee cryptocurrencys regulatory gray area. Right now the exchanges trading in these crypto assets do not have a regulatory framework, either at the SEC or our sister agency, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, SEC Chair Gary Gensler told Congress earlier this month in one of his first remarks on cryptocurrency regulation. Right now theres not a market regulator around these crypto exchanges. And thus theres really not protection against fraud or manipulation.Officials abroad have taken a less diplomatic approach. Im going to say this very bluntly again, said Andrew Bailey, governor of the Bank of England. Buy them only if youre prepared to lose all your money.AdvertisementRegulators face increasing pressure to set new policy on cryptocurrency not just because of the risks to retail investors, but also the broader crypto boom bolstered by premier financial institutions such as JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs advancing plans to offer crypto-based financial products to their clients. The more that these tendrils from crypto are weaving their way into the mainstream financial system, the more they can pose a systemic risk, said Walch of St. Marys University. They cease being their own alternative-world projects its not just those dedicated people anymore.And as the Colonial Pipeline ransomware crisis made clear, government officials have yet to resolve a fundamental tension at the heart of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. There are two very different concepts: creating anonymity in the blockchain and simultaneously having a traceable and regulated currency in my mind, they are very antithetical concepts, said Alex Reffett, co-founder of the East Paces Group, a wealth management firm. The government can destroy cryptocurrencies if they want to, he said. But the ideas that make cryptocurrencies unique and valuable to at least some degree relies on the unregulated areas.GiftOutline Gift Article LONDON, June 30 (Reuters) - If you're a bitcoin investor, your nerves may have taken quite a pounding in 2021. The cryptocurrency's journey towards the investment and commercial mainstream has gathered pace, with major financial firms and companies embracing the emerging asset. read moreSuch interest helped push it to a record high just shy of $65,000 in April. Yet in typically capricious fashion, it has since slumped by almost half. At the halfway point of the year, the original and biggest cryptocurrency is up around 20% year-to-date. Here are some charts that tell the story of bitcoin's year so far. 1/STILL VOLATILEWild price swings have been a defining feature of bitcoin throughout its near 13-year life. The first half of 2021 has been no different, despite hopes that greater liquidity in markets and stronger infrastructure would dampen swings. Bitcoin more than doubled from the start of the year to its all-time high of $64,895 hit in mid-April, before slumping by over half in just five weeks as regulators across the world - especially China - cracked down on cryptocurrencies. In May alone bitcoin lost 35%, in its worst month since 2018. Last week it fell under $30,000 for the first time since January, briefly wiping out its year-to-date gains. Many larger investors also left the bitcoin market after prices spiked in the first quarter, with some shifting to gold, according to JP Morgan analyst Nikolaos Panigirtzoglou. "What we found out in the second quarter was that actually demand for bitcoin is price sensitive," he said. "Some institutional investors started getting out of bitcoin in April ... they thought bitcoin prices were too high relative to gold." 2/BITCOINS OR ALTCOINS? Bitcoin has attracted the lion's share of the headlines so far this year. Yet many of its smaller digital currency rivals - known as the altcoins - have posted bigger gains. Ether , the second-largest cryptocurrency, has nearly trebled so far this year, bolstered by a surge in the so-called decentralised finance sector. "DeFi" often uses its underlying blockchain technology to offer financial services without traditional middlemen such as banks. Signs that the ethereum blockchain is gaining traction with mainstream financial firms has also fuelled gains. XRP , the seventh-largest coin, has gained a similar amount. Other once-obscure coins such as dogecoin, started in 2013 as a joke, have also far outpaced bitcoin, with investors drawn to the prospect of quick gains. Dogecoin is up over 5,000% so far this year. 3/OUTPACED BY MEME STOCKSRetail investors have embraced bitcoin this year, attracted by narratives that it can act as a hedge against inflation and as a future payment method. Also driving gains has been a perception that it is a vehicle for quick gains - a perceived quality shared by another 2021 financial market phenomenon: "meme" stocks, whose value is propelled by social-media buzz. GameStop Corp (GME.N) and AMC Entertainment Holdings (AMC.N), two of the leading meme stocks, soared in the first quarter along with bitcoin, fuelled by retail investors with spare cash and free time because of coronavirus stimulus lockdowns. Yet the assets have since decoupled, with bitcoin's gains for the year so far outpaced by GameStop - up more than 1,000% - and AMC Entertainment, which has surged over 2,500%. "It's just an extension of free money just going crazy and so I think that has somewhat you can see that rippling over into cryptocurrencies," said Joel Kruger, a strategist at crypto exchange LMAX Digital. Reporting by Tom Wilson; Editing by Pravin CharOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. [1/2] Representations of the virtual currency Bitcoin and Ethereum stand on a motherboard in this picture illustration taken May 20, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo/File PhotoNEW YORK, May 21 (Reuters) - When Brjann Bettencourt rolled out of bed on Wednesday morning to find the assets in his cryptocurrency portfolio slammed in their biggest selloff in years, he knew exactly what to do: buy more. "Investing in crypto is not for the faint of heart," said Bettencourt, a 32-year-old photographer in Toronto who has owned bitcoin and ether over the last year-and-a-half to complement his stock portfolio. "I'm looking at this as a serious long-term investment." This week, cryptocurrencies were buffeted by factors ranging from critical tweets by Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) CEO Elon Musk to governmental controls in China. The price of bitcoin, the worlds biggest cryptocurrency, tumbled as much as 30% before retracing some losses. It is down some 40% from its highs of the year. Leveraged positions in bitcoin and ether futures fell sharply last week, said Vanda Research, which tracks retail trades. This indicates that some retail traders probably have folded their tents. "(The) crypto bubble has started to unravel and data from different exchanges suggest that retail investors are capitulating," Vanda researchers said. But other retail investors have been happy to ride the turbulence out or trade around it. "In crypto talk, when stuff like this happens, people say it shakes out all of the weak hands and the people ... who maybe bought because they saw it on the news," said Ethan Lou, author of "Once a Bitcoin Miner: Scandal and Turmoil in the Cryptocurrency Wild West," due this autumn. As retail investors piled into cryptocurrencies, bitcoin surged around 345% in the last year, ether soared 1,219% and dogecoin skyrocketed 15,480%, according to Coinbase data. Crypto-exchange Coinbase (COIN.O) said its more than 56 million users accounted for $335 billion in trading volume in the first quarter: $120 billion retail and $215 billion institutional. That compares to $30 billion in total a year earlier, of which $12 billion was retail, the company said. Retail interest this year also scooped up shares of "meme stocks" such as GameStop (GME.N), pushing prices through the roof and punishing hedge funds that had sold the shares short. Some retail investors have embraced the wild price swings in hopes of catching some of the next big rally. Users on Reddit's popular WallStreetBets forum have popularized the term diamond handsas shorthand for their willingness to hold an asset through thick and thin. INCREASED SCRUTINYIncreased mainstream adoption has drawn the attention of regulators. The U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday called for new rules that would require large cryptocurrency transfers to be reported to the Internal Revenue Service. The Federal Reserve said cryptocurrencies pose risks to financial stability. read more On Friday, China said it will crack down on bitcoin mining and trading activities. read moreCryptocurrencies have been notoriously volatile throughout their history. Bitcoin plunged 94% in 2011, and dropped 82% between late 2017 and the end of 2018, causing many investors to back away. Lily Francus, however, has tried to take advantage of the big swings. The 25-year-old, who lives in San Diego and works as a quantitative researcher at a crypto hedge fund, first traded cryptocurrencies in 2017, but got out before the price crashed. Then last month she put about 1% of her net worth into various cryptocurrencies, joining a rally she saw as partly fueled by social media hype. She liquidated her ether and cut her bitcoin position when Musk hosted Saturday Night Live on May 8. read more She later bought 40% of her ether position back at a lower price. The Tesla CEO has flip-flopped on whether the electric carmaker would accept bitcoin as a payment, and has often moved the price of dogecoin with his tweets. "When you see ... people diving into the markets for fear of missing out, that's usually a good time to get out," Francus said. Doug Liantonio, 31, of Deerfield Beach, Florida, said he owns dogecoin and ethereum classic. With dogecoin prices down 50% from their highs, he is waiting for another rally before selling. "I don't think I will wait for Elon's PR stunt for his rocket, that would be too late," he said. Musk recently announced that his company SpaceX will launch a rocket to the moon next year, funded with Dogecoin. read moreFor Bettencourt, the photographer, the ups and downs of crypto are part of its appeal. Investing in cryptocurrencies feels like that scary rollercoaster, he said. You're riding it up and riding it down and feeling every twist and turn, which to me is exciting and fun.Reporting by John McCrank; additional reporting by Anna Irrera in London; Writing by Ira Iosebashvili; Editing by David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. | 3 |
###CLAIM: the outlook for the global economy brightened as vaccine roll-out gained speed and the united states launched a massive new stimulus package.
###DOCS: GameStop shares jump for the fifth day running Tuesday with a nearly 100% gain after Chewy's founder took over online sales and amid speculation Reddit investors will pour their stimulus checks into stocks. Shares of the retailer were up 23.5% to $239.80 in early trading, a day after the company entrusted leadership of its online sales efforts to board member and major shareholder Ryan Cohen, co-founder of the online pet retailer. They've gained as much as 96% over the last five days and the resurgent rally lifted other stocks favored by retail investors on forums such as Reddit's WallStreetBets. It follows wild gyrations in the share price since January, when it was at the heart of a social media-driven surge in a number of stocks that squeezed some hedge fund investors. Market watchers have cited the U.S. Senate s passage of a $1.9 trillion stimulus bill including $1,400 direct payments to Americans as one catalyst. GameStop shares jump for the fifth day running Tuesday with a nearly 100% gainThey've gained as much as 96% over the last five days and the resurgent rally lifted other stocks favored by retail investors on forums such as Reddit's WallStreetBetsOnce the aid bill is finalized and signed into law, the U.S. government should be able to start delivering $1,400 checks quickly, tax experts said. Since January, GameStop shares have had several wild swings, one of the hottest meme stocks followed on social media. Shares of AMC Entertainment another popular bet among retail investors, were recently up around 5%, headphone maker Koss Corp climbed 1% and Blackberry Ltd rose by around 2%. Cohen, a major shareholder who has pushed Gametop s move away from its brick-and-mortar model, joined the board in January shortly before a social media frenzy drove a meteoric rise in which GameStop shares surged more than 1,600%. The flurry of buying drove hedge funds that had bet against the stock to unwind their short positions, a situation known as a 'short squeeze.' GameStop pared most of those gains the following month. Shares of the retailer were up 23.5% to $239.80 in early trading, a day after the company entrusted leadership of its online sales efforts to board member and major shareholder Ryan Cohen, co-founder of the online pet retailerSome analysts believe another short squeeze may be adding to the recent gains. Short interest in GameStop was valued at $2.58 billion, or 24.3% of the stock s float on Tuesday, compared to $1.80 billion, 32.6% in late February, according to data from financial analytics firm S3 Partners. The number of shares sold short has dropped by about 25% since February 26 to 13.3 million shares, data from S3 Partners showed. In Washington, the U.S. Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee planned a remote hearing titled 'Who Wins on Wall Street? GameStop, Robinhood, and the State of Retail Investing.' Shares in the company are still below January peaks of more than $480 a share but the recovery may reduce losses for more of the investors who lost money on the stock's subsequent collapse. The Nasdaq jumped more than 3% Tuesday to recoup its losses in the previous session. Among the biggest boosts to the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq were Tesla Inc, Apple Inc, Amazon.com Inc, Facebook Inc and Microsoft Corp.U.S. 10-year Treasury bond yields eased to 1.54% after hovering near 13-month highs of 1.613% in the prior session. Longer-dated yields have jumped over the last month as investors price in a faster-than-expected economic rebound and higher inflation. Higher yields can weigh even more on tech and growth stocks with lofty valuations, as they threaten to erode the value of their longer-term cash flows. It follows wild gyrations in the share price since January, when it was at the heart of a social media-driven surge in a number of stocks that squeezed some hedge fund investorsAt 9:59 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 168.01 points, or 0.53%, to 31,970.45, the S&P 500 gained 57.06 points, or 1.49%, to 3,878.41 and the Nasdaq Composite gained 399.55 points, or 3.17%, to 13,008.71. The global economic outlook has brightened as vaccine rollouts gain speed and the United States launches a massive new stimulus package, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development said, hiking its 2021 growth forecasts. The U.S. House of Representatives could approve the relief bill as early as Tuesday, with a vote allowing the Democratic president to sign the legislation into law later this week. The bank index dropped 2% after vaulting to a new 14-year peak. Financials and energy sectors were in the red. Market watchers have cited the U.S. Senate s passage of a $1.9 trillion stimulus bill including $1,400 direct payments to Americans as one catalyst Slideshow ( 2 images )(Reuters) - GameStop and other meme stocks mounted a late-day rally on Monday, with shares of the video game retailer climbing nearly 32% at one point on little apparent news. Shares of the videogame retailer, along with other stocks favored by retail investors congregating in online forums such as Reddits popular WallStreetBets, have roared back in recent sessions after a wild ride in which they soared in late January and tumbled early last month. Along with GameStop, which pared gains to close up 18.3%, cinema chain AMC Entertainment finished up 14.6% and headphone maker Koss added 13.4%. At one point, GameStop, which closed at $120.40, reached a session peak of $133.99. Its low for the day was $99.97. Some analysts said a tick higher in short positioning from last week may have provided some fuel for the rally. A short squeeze - in which a flurry of buying forces bearish investors to unwind their bets against the stock - was a key catalyst behind GameStops late January run, when it gained as much as 1600% before reversing. The number of GameStop shares shorted stood at 17.74 million, analytics firm S3 Partners said on Monday, with short interest accounting for about 32.6% of the float, compared with about 26% a week earlier, according to S3 Partners. Short interest peaked at 142% in early January, S3 data showed. Were definitely seeing some of the shorts who came on over the past week probably covering and its helping boost todays rally, said Ihor Dusaniwsky, managing director of predictive analytics at S3. Looking at todays price movement, Im sure these big red numbers are going to be chasing out quite a few shorts out of their positions.GameStop short sellers were down $331 million in mark-to-market losses on Monday, bringing year-to-date mark-to-market losses to $5.1 billion, according to Dusaniwsky. More than 48 million shares in GameStop changed hands, with volume surpassing the 10-day moving average. So far the stock is up 539% year-to-dated. However, it was still below its Jan.28 peak of $483. | 2 |
###CLAIM: along with the companion, the star, still wearing bloody movie makeup and holding a celebration cupcake, filmed a video thanking fans for their quick
###DOCS: Kevin Hart was looking a bit worse for the wear on the set of his upcoming action comedy, The Man From Toronto, on Tuesday. The 41-year-old actor was spotted with a bloody face and shirt while filming an action sequence for the flick which is (fittingly) being filmed in Toronto, Canada. Later, the A-lister took a break to hop on social media for a quick video thanking his Instagram fans for helping him cross the 100 million follower threshold. Action star: Kevin Hart was looking a bit worse for the wear on the set of his upcoming action comedy, The Man From Toronto, on Tuesday, as he celebrated 100 million Instagram followersOn set, Kevin was dressed in character wearing a cream colored Henley, black pants and a black quilted jacket. What would have been a trendy ensemble was marred by the fact that the top was covered in a trail of fake blood and the whole thing was pretty filthy. In the scene, Hart was seen running out of a classic black Dodge Charger and bolting down the street as smoke billowed from the vehicle. His on-screen wife in the movie, Jasmine Mathews, was also there. The pair were seen filming a sequence together at a train station. At work: The 41-year-old actor was spotted with a bloody face and shirt while filming an action sequence for the flick which is (fittingly) being filmed in Toronto, CanadaRough day? Hart's costume was covered with dirt and fake blood and his face looked bloodied and beaten upAction! In the scene, Hart was seen running out of a classic black Dodge Charger and bolting down the street as smoke billowed from the vehicleThe Jumanji star's stunt double was on hand as well - which presumably means there were some action-packed shots being filmed. Between takes, Kevin spent some time getting direction from director Patrick Hughes. The action-comedy follows the world's greatest assassin, known solely as The Man From Toronto, who gets mistaken for Teddy, described as 'New York's biggest screw-up' at an Airbnb rental, as they're forced to team up and save the day. While the cast and crew was taking five from filming, Kevin took the opportunity to celebrate a big social media milestone. Co-stars: Kevin also filmed a scene with his on-screen wife, actress Jasmine MathewsTravelers: Kevin and Jasmine's characters were carrying several rolling suitcases at a train stationMovie magic! Hart is seen here being touched up by a makeup artist who is adding fake blood to his faceSafety first: The crew was all decked out in masks, shields and other forms of personal protective equipmentHe wrote on Instagram: '100 million followers on IG!!!! All organic....I love and appreciate you all. Your love and support means the world to me!!!!' Along with the caption the star filmed a quick video thanking his fans still in his bloody movie makeup and holding a celebratory cupcake. 'It's a lot of hard work - blood, sweat and tears. My face is a representation of that,' the comedian dead-panned to the camera. The director steps in to hilariously interrupt Hart's love-fest with Instagram: 'Kevin can you cut the s**t we need to film.' 'I don't eat sweets so this is a waste of time,' he quips at the end while referencing the chocolate cupcake. Cast of characters: Kaley Cuoco and Ellen Barkin also star in the action-comedy from director Patrick Hughes (The Hitman's Bodyguard) and writers Chris Bremner (Bad Boys For Life) and Robbie Fox (Playing For Keeps)Exciting! During a break, the A-lister took a break to hop on social media for a quick video thanking his Instagram fans for helping him cross the 100 million follower thresholdThe Man from Toronto stars Hart alongside actor Woody Harrelson. The project was originally set to star Jason Statham alongside Hart, though he backed away in March just before production was shut down due to COVID-19. Reportedly, Statham bailed over not seeing eye-to-eye with producers over the tone of the film. 'It's a lot of hard work - blood, sweat and tears. My face is a representation of that,' the comedian dead-panned to the camera. A crew member steps in to hilariously interrupt Hart's love-fest with Instagram: 'Kevin can you cut the s**t we need to film.' 'The action star was insisting on making an R-rated film, but Sony execs didn't budge in their belief in making a broader, four-quadrant movie,' THR reported earlier this year. Kaley Cuoco and Ellen Barkin also star in the action-comedy from director Patrick Hughes (The Hitman's Bodyguard) and writers Chris Bremner (Bad Boys For Life) and Robbie Fox (Playing For Keeps). Sony Pictures had originally eyed a November 20 opening for The Man From Toronto, but now it will be released on September 17, 2021. 'I don't eat sweets so this is a waste of time,' he quips at the end while referencing the chocolate cupcake. | 0 |
###CLAIM: former indian captain sourav ganguly, who also heads the cricket board, was admitted to a kolkata hospital after a mild heart attack.
###DOCS: Former India captain Sourav Ganguly, who also heads the country's cricket board (BCCI), was admitted to a hospital in Kolkata on Saturday after having a mild cardiac arrest. One of India's most successful captains, 48-year-old Ganguly, who hails from the state of West Bengal, took over as the BCCI president in 2019. His transition from a player to top administrator was seen as a natural progression for a former captain who helped India emerge from a damaging match-fixing scandal in 2000. Former India captain Sourav Ganguly was taken to hospital after suffering a mild cardiac arrestThe 48-year-old, now the president of the country's cricket board, retired from cricket in 2008'Sad to hear that @SGanguly99 suffered a mild cardiac arrest and has been admitted to hospital,' Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of the West Bengal, said on Twitter. Local media reported that Ganguly complained of chest pain after a gym session on Friday and was taken to hospital after the problem recurred on Saturday. Messages poured in on social media from the cricketing community wishing Ganguly, fondly known as 'dada' or 'elder brother', a speedy recovery. Ganguly (right) played 113 Tests and is ninth on the all-time ODI run-scorers list with 11,363'I wish and pray for the speedy recovery of @SGanguly99. I've spoken to his family. Dada is stable and is responding well to the treatment,' BCCI secretary Jay Shah said on Twitter. The former left-handed batsman, who retired from international cricket in 2008, played 113 tests and 311 one-dayers and led India to 21 test wins. A prolific scorer, Ganguly brought up 16 centuries during his career and is ninth on the all-time ODI run-scorers list with 11,363. | 1 |
###CLAIM: dr. and fauci must step up and protect their colleagues and tell us what's going on here with the american people and whether they're paying.
###DOCS: This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," June 1, 2021. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated. SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS HOST: And welcome to HANNITY this Tuesday night. Tonight, we begin with a bombshell report in "The New York Post". It reveals Joe Biden did, in fact, meet with zero experience Hunter's business associates, foreign associates from Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, all while Joe was vice president. This in spite of the numerous claims by Joe himself that he never, ever, talked to zero experienced Hunter about his overseas business dealings. Why did you lie, Joe? We need to know the truth? What's going on? And, Joey, if your last name was Trump, well, you know what that would mean. You'd be impeached and probably indicted. There'd be a grand jury summoned immediately. By the way, if you even know what that means anymore. We're going to unpeel the layers of this report coming up. We'll ask an important question. Is the corrupt Biden family syndicate now impacting U.S. foreign policy? Interesting. Russia, China, Ukraine, Kazakhstan seems like it potentially may be because they're compromised. Also, another week, another massive cyberattack from the hostile regime of Vladimir Putin and the hostile actors that are in Russia, making a fool out of sippy cup Joe, and it's about to get much worse. Later, the extremely expensive and exclusive Dalton School in New York City, this private school showing -- well, this cartoon to six-year-old kids in first grade that teaches them how to touch themselves. Viewer warning, this was shown to first graders, six year olds, but probably not appropriate for children. That's my recommendation. Three -- if you don't want them to see it -- one, I would just put it on off but come back in seconds. Here's a preview. Take a look. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)CARTOON CHARACTER: Sometimes, I touch my penis because it feels good. CARTOON CHARACTER: Sometimes when I'm in my bath or when mom puts me to bed, I like to touch my vulva too. (END VIDEO CLIP)HANNITY: Okay, beam me up, there's not intelligent life anymore in New York City. We'll play all of this extremely disturbing tape. It will shock your conscience, coming up. But, first, over the Memorial Day weekend, millions of us, we all honored the heroic service of the brave men and women that died defending our freedoms, our liberties and our country. For many families, it was a somber weekend of remembrance for those loved ones who made the ultimate sacrifice. When we do quietly reflect on the blessings that are liberty that we all kind of usually take for granted if we're honest, so many people made the ultimate sacrifice for all of us. But for Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, oh, it's just a nice long weekend. Have a great long weekend. No Joe and no Kamala. On Friday, Biden kicking off the national holiday tweeting a picture of himself with an ice cream cone and a caption that reads: Stay cool this weekend, folks. And not to be outdone is Kamala Harris tweeting a picture of herself smiling from ear to ear enjoy the long weekend with no mention of why we have a long weekend, which would be Memorial Day, whatsoever. That kind of brings back memories of Obama. He didn't know the difference between Veterans Day, Memorial Day. Remember he referred to Navy corpsman, Navy corpsman. He did it three times in one speech and the DNC which tweeted out this celebratory Memorial Day picture of Obama with an ice cream cone in 2015. Well since so many liberals seem to have such a difficult time honoring our fallen heroes or remembering what Memorial Day is all about, maybe they could learn a thing or two from the Indy 500, because here's how they kicked off their Memorial Day race. Take a look. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)(PLAYING "TAPS")(END VIDEO CLIP)HANNITY: How refreshing. I did notice that every person was standing. Of the 150,000 people, I didn't see anybody take a knee and complete silence of 150,000 people during the taps and then of course the national anthem that was played thereafter. Reverence, appreciation, respect, thankfulness. There's a powerful moving tradition from the Indy 500. We give them all the credit in the world. In case you were wondering, Joe eventually honored our fallen soldiers and then celebrated the long weekend by staying cool at a French restaurant in Washington, D.C. called Le Diplomate. And on Friday, Joe also spoke to our military members in a base in Virginia but his prepared remarks went off the rails when Joe made more creepy remarks about a very young girl in the audience. Then, of course, he stammered and stumbled and bumbled like he usually does. But, yeah, this was particularly creepy. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm especially honored to share the stage with Brittany and Jordan and Nathan and Margaret Catherine. I love those barrettes in her hair, man. I tell you what look at her. She looks like she's 19 years old sitting there with her like a little lady in her legs crossed. (END VIDEO CLIP)HANNITY: OK, that kind of makes my skin crawl, don't know about you. If it doesn't, I don't know what will. At least we have improvement, no hair sniffing, no unsolicited back rubs like usual. Meanwhile, Vice President Harris, she had a cringe-worthy moment of her own. During a commencement address at the U.S. Naval Academy on Friday, she obsessed about green energy, made a woke joke that almost nobody found funny except for her. And then she did what she usually does starts laughing, somewhat uncontrollably, somewhat uncomfortably. Look. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You are electrical engineers who will soon help convert solar and wind energy into power, convert solar and wind energy into combat power. And just ask any marine today, would she rather carry 20 pounds of batteries or a rolled up solar panel. And I am positive she will tell you a solar panel and so would he. (END VIDEO CLIP)HANNITY: It wasn't funny and I don't think they got it. With China, Russia, Iran all teaming up an unholy alliance against the us and every country besides them in the Middle East, meaning the Iranians, waging war, cyber attacks, proxy wars around the world, members of our military facing serious challenges, woke Kamala seems more interested in solar panels and the fight for social justice. It's not only tone deaf but also kind of scary and chilling. Hostile actors in Russia just pulled off what is a second major cyberattack. First, it was against America's largest oil and gas pipeline system, impacting the entire East Coast of the United States. Biden did nothing. Now, the world's largest meat supplier has been disrupted again, according to reports, by Russian hackers. JBS processes a quarter of America's beef, one-fifth of our country's pork and they operate a couple of dozen chicken processing facilities all across the country. Matter of fact they probably have fed every one of you watching tonight. That's not good and it means that already high meat prices, they're just going to get higher and higher and higher. So, Joe, you're president, what the hell are you going to do to the hold the Russians, this hostile regime, this hostile actor Putin accountable? And sadly, it appears that Joe per usual is going to do nothing? In fact, his one-on-one meeting with Putin, now, it's still on the books for June the 19th. Make no mistake and let me go on record up here and just lay it out. This summit's a bad idea. Putin will be assessing and he's not going to see Joe through the prism of the media mob and big tech. He will be assessing Joe Biden and I'm pretty confident he'll come to the same conclusion that many of you have that Joe is weak, he is frail, a total, complete cognitive mess and a hollow shadow of his former self. And Putin will use that firsthand assessment and walk all over him and the U.S. and he probably will leave laughing at our country and leave embolden, feeling he can get away with anything. For once, I would argue Joe needs to take his little sippy cup, go to the basement, take a nappy. If he's really good, we'll give him a bedtime story. Meanwhile, according to an explosive report from "The New York Post", in 2015, the vice president, then Biden, was a regular at this D.C. hot spot where he frequently met with his son's sketchy foreign business partners. That includes oligarchs, other individuals from Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Russia, which brings us to a couple of serious unanswered questions. Why was the vice president meeting with zero experienced Hunter's sketchy business partners? And why did Joe lie again and again and again and again and say he's never discussed his foreign business dealings with Hunter? Clearly, those foreign nationals were paying for access. Did Joe get a cut? You know, where's the special counsel looking into this corruption? So is the corrupt Biden family syndicate business now impacting America's foreign policy? And is anybody in the media mob will you ever once actually build up a little bit of courage ask Joe the questions that you know you'd be asking every second, every minute, of every hour, of every day if it was Trump? Of course, you'll need to head to Delaware and shout the question from the beach because tomorrow, Joey is taking a sippy cup back to his beach house, marking the 12th trip to Delaware in four months. Now, keep in mind, he only starts his day at 9:30, starts getting ready for biddy bye at 7:00. He's never seen the show that I know of as president. Zero experience Hunter is now under a criminal investigation but he's a liberal, he'll probably get away with it. Only conservatives get life in jail for jaywalking. Of course, Hunter's charges, international money laundering, tax fraud. But outside "The New York Post", FOX, a couple of other outlets Biden is protected by the Democrats the media mob and of course big tech people that pretend to be journalists. Here with reaction from the Trump Organization, Eric Trump. Imagine if it was your father. We already know the answer, Eric. And this is a problem I have -- I could no longer say honestly to the American people that I believe we have equal justice under the law. I cannot say because I don't believe it that we have equal application of our laws, because if we did, quid pro quo Joe would be held responsible for firing the prosecutor investigating his zero experienced son being paid millions, and all of these other instances now where he's been caught red- handed lying about knowing anything about Hunter's foreign business dealings. ERIC TRUMP, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION: Sean, I agree completely. Listen, I'm on the receiving end of it every single day. My father gets subpoena after subpoena. We do as a family, they attack us. They go after us. We're doing absolutely nothing wrong. We gave up business when my father went to the White House. They did the exact opposite. When Joe Biden became vice president, Hunter Biden got into business. But yet every single day, my family is attacked and they look for any comma that's out of place and the prosecutorial misconduct in this country is out of control. But yet, because we're Republicans, they attack us and they do absolutely nothing to the other side. And we've talked about this a thousand times. I mean, Hunter Biden gained three and a half million dollars from the -- you know, Moscow mayor's wife. Could you imagine if I took three cents from Russia, right? I mean, you'd have another Russian collusion hoax. I mean, why didn't he get charged with that? Could you imagine if I threw away a loaded firearm in a dumpster outside a grocery store? Could you imagine if I smoke crack? Could you imagine if I did 1/100th of what this kid does? And you know what, there is unequal justice in this country and people are sick and tired of it as they watch our family who has done nothing wrong get prosecuted every single day and they see others get away with absolute murder. HANNITY: And now, you know, now, we got a grand jury convened in the case in New York. And then you got on tape Joe's saying you're not getting a billion U.S. tax dollars unless you fire a Ukrainian prosecutor who's looking into Burisma, the millions of dollars of payment to Hunter who goes on GMA and says no experience in oil, gas, energy, Ukraine. Now how do you get millions of dollars when you have no experience whatsoever in that field of endeavor? How do you get that deal? I'd like that deal. How do I get that deal? E. TRUMP: Well, Sean, why is no one asking the question? Well, let me ask you another thing, why is no one asking the question that once Joe Biden was out of office, once he was no longer vice president U.S., why did Hunter Biden's salary get cut in half? So, January of 2017, Hunter Biden's salary got cut in half, right? Immediately when Joe Biden was out of power, they cut his salary in half. I mean, what do you think that they were paying for? And again, no one's investigating him. The media carries their water. The guy -- I mean, your opening monologue was genius. I mean, it was -- it's unbelievable. You're right. Putin is literally licking his chops right now knowing that he's going to be meeting this guy. He's going to be sizing him up. He's looking at the weakness in this country in terms of fuel prices going, you know, sky high, lumber prices going sky high, food prices, everything. He's looking at inflation. He's looking at you know how effective, you know, they've been in terms of hacking pipelines and meat processing plants and every single -- you know, everything else. They're looking at the Middle East, Sean, and, you know, the mess in the Middle East because of the lack of U.S. leadership right now. You never had any of these problems under Donald Trump. You had the exact opposite. And, you know, you better believe that Putin is licking his lips and a lot of other adversaries around the world are doing the same thing, because they're seeing a weak leader and it's -- it's very, very scary. Very scary. HANNITY: So, we'll have a weak leader in Washington and this guy Bennett in Israel who's a total complete liar and idiot is going to take over as prime minister with the weakest coalition in the history of Israel since the U.N. partition plan and we expect what, how -- none of this is going to end well. Eric Trump, thank you, sir. Thanks for being with us. Now, we turn to a disturbing story out of South Carolina. Look at this, over the weekend, apparent far left anarchist vandalizing the home of Congresswoman Nancy Mace. They graffitied her property with personal attacks, profane language and anarchist symbols with two young kids at home. These images are extremely chilling. The congresswoman will join us in a moment, along with Sean Parnell. He's now running for Senate in Pennsylvania. Now, I do wonder the stories out there about what fake Jake Tapper over at fake news CNN thinks about this. Remember, Tapper, now he likes to claim that he's a fair and balanced and objective journalist. Well, apparently, he begged Parnell not to run against Conor Lamb and in the House in a series of private messages on Twitter. Now, I think private messages should be private but I guess they're not. Let me be clear, if fake Jake wasn't a liar and didn't claim to be something he's not, a journalist, it wouldn't be a big deal. Now, I'm a case in point. I am a member of the media. That's right, a member of the press. I am a talk show host. We have thousands of hours of straight news I can produce on radio and TV, thousands of hours of investigative reporting that we've done, thousands and thousands of hours of opinion that I give, and thousands of times where I state up front, completely honest, I'm a conservative. And we do sports and culture. I'm like the entire newspaper. You see fake Jake claims to be something that he's not. He claims to be a journalist. No, he's not. He's a political activist or maybe he's a talk show host wannabe who just really needs to be honest with his viewers and say, I have opinions, these are my opinions -- you know, like most people in the news media claim to be objective journalists and they're full of, you-know-what, Adam Schiff. Here with more two veterans, South Carolina Congresswoman Nancy Mace, Pennsylvania senatorial candidate Sean Parnell. Nancy, first, I'm sorry what happened to you. Nancy, I'm sorry what happened to you and your family and, you know, tell us about what happened. How scary is it? I've been in the immediate 33 years. I've lived through a lot myself. It's not fun. REP. NANCY MACE (R-SC): No, it's not, and it was -- it's been a jarring day. This was invasive. This was my home and it was quite frankly scary. This is the home where I live. I'm a single mom and I have two kids and I'm sad for my kids because they had -- they had to see this. And I'm sad for my neighbors. They didn't ask for this to happen. But this is a left coming after the right, coming after us conservatives. And earlier today, I'm conservative, first thing I did was talk to local law enforcement, got them to my house. And there was a former Obama staffer, you know, forging conspiracy theories on social media today saying I didn't even file a police report. What do you think I did, Sean? The very first thing I did was file a police report. And so, if your viewers want to see that police report, they want to see the photos, the photographic evidence and videos that I took when this happened, then go online to my website at nancymace.org. This is wrong and this is the left coming after the right, and it's got to stop. HANNITY: Yeah, it's just -- it's terrible. Sean Parnell, did fake Jake Tapper over at fake news CNN advise you not to run in that congressional race you ran in? SEAN PARNELL, GOP CANDIDATE FOR SENATE IN PENNSYLVANIA: Yes, yes, Sean. But I think that --HANNITY: Doesn't he claim to be a journalist? He doesn't say that he's a talk show host or an advocacy journalist or an opinion host, right? He claims that he's a journalist, fair and balanced, objective. PARNELL: Yes. Yes, correct, correct. But, Sean, I think that this speaks to a much larger issue in our national discourse. Many in the media today, they're not fair and balanced. They don't care about the truth. Look at every single major story that came out last year, impeachment one, hoax. Impeachment two, based on a lie. Our troops are losers and suckers, lie, right? The Russian bounty stories, lie. President Trump said that we'd have a vaccine for coronavirus in a year, the media said that he was a conspiracy theorist and liar that was based on no evidence. That was untrue. And I think the most egregious example of this, Sean, is that last year, President Trump said that there was a really great possibility that the coronavirus came from Wuhan, a lab in Wuhan. The media for a year called him a conspiracy theorist. And ultimately, that cost American lives. Imagine where this country would be if we were investigating the origins of COVID over a year ago and -- over a year ago? And the only reason why the media did this is not because they have a commitment to the truth. It was because they did not want President Trump to get reelected. And if you think it stops there, it doesn't. Big tech is just as bad. They are the enforcement arm of the Democrat Party. They are the enforcement arm of the media. If you step out of line, if you think critically, if you question the narrative, they call you a conspiracy theorist and they censor you. Sean, they're doing it to me. Have your viewers Google Sean Parnell U.S. Senate Pennsylvania, you won't find my website there, which makes it hard for me to raise money. And so, clearly, the Democrats and big tech and the media have their finger on the scale here and are wading things toward the Democrats, and it's a problem. And ultimately, Sean, the American people are the ones that lose. HANNITY: Nancy, I don't care what your -- what your politics are. Every one of our elected officials needs to be protected. Are you getting in the protection you rightly deserve? And I would say this to -- that it should be available to any Democrat threatened this way. MACE: Absolutely. And no one, regardless of your political beliefs, everyone should feel safe at home. But look at what's happened over the years. They shot Steve Scalise, Rand Paul was left in a hospital and has part of his lung missing now, and we're seeing the left burn, loot and destroy our cities and our property. This is not the first time that I've been attacked with vandalism. They -- they keyed my car last year when I was campaigning for Congress on the day of one of my debates. And now, they're on my front doorstep. But I want to say one thing, if the folks that did this, the person or persons that came onto my front doorstep that did this, thinks that I'm going to be intimidated -- well, they thought wrong. I'm going to work harder and stronger and fight more for my convictions and my core values and my beliefs and protecting my kids and my country. They're all worth saving. HANNITY: All right. Thank you both for being with us. Sorry you went through that. Sean, thank you. Coming up, shocking video. Wait until you see this. Shown to six-year-olds, first graders at one of New York City's most prestigious schools. You're not going to believe this one, I promise you. Kayleigh McEnany, Mike Huckabee weigh in, straight ahead. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)HANNITY: We now turn to what is an absolutely pretty disgusting, disturbing, downright sickening story in New York City where first graders, in other words, kids that are six years old, at the very prestigious Manhattan $55,000 a year per student Dalton School, reportedly, where they showed a series of videos last fall that discussed -- let's see -- masturbation, sexual expression, other explicit and sensitive topics, oh, with no consultation from parents. According to "The New York Post," this is the video that was shown to first graders, that's right, six-year-olds. Now, I will give you a view of discretion as advised, so if kids are watching, I'll give you three seconds. We'll count it down and if you want them to watch. That's up to you, but you've been warned. Anyway, we report, you decide. Three, two, one. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)CARTOON CHARACTER: What's so funny you, two? CARTOON CHARACTER: He said PP. (LAUGHTER)]CARTOON CHARACTER: Do you notice that when you say PP, you giggle, but when you say penis, you say it in a serious voice? CARTOON CHARACTER: I never noticed that before. CARTOON CHARACTER: Some children and adults feel uncomfortable when they talk about their private parts. So, they make up cute or funny names for them. CARTOON CHARACTER: What's one for a girl's private parts? CARTOON CHARACTER: Vajayjay. CARTOON CHARACTER: But what does Scoops mean when he says vajayjay? CARTOON CHARACTER: He means vulva. CARTOON CHARACTER: That's right, Kayla. It's important to use the proper words for our private parts. CARTOON CHARACTER: Hey, how come my penis gets big sometimes and points up in the air? CARTOON CHARACTER: That's called an erection. CARTOON CHARACTER: Sometimes I touch my penis feels good. CARTOON CHARACTER: Sometimes when I'm in my bath or when my mom puts to bed, I like to touch my vulva, too. CARTOON CHARACTER: You have a clitoris there, Kayla, that probably feels good to touch the same way Keith's penis feels good when he touches it. But have you ever noticed that older kids and grown-ups don't touch their private parts in public? CARTOON CHARACTER: They don't? CARTOON CHARACTER: That's right, Keith. It's okay to touch yourself and see how different body parts feel but it's best to only do it in private. (END VIDEO CLIP)HANNITY: we're also learning that the woman heading up this apparent effort to sexual lies young children, her name is Justine Fonte is the same woman who last month led a controversial explicit porn literacy workshop at another elite New York grammar prep school, grammar school. Great. We reached out for comment for Dalton. We haven't heard back. Shocker. School spokesperson did tell "The Post", quote, as part of Dalton's comprehensive health curriculum for students, a lesson on gender and bodies included two evidence-based age-appropriate videos approved for students four years and older. These videos align with nationally recognized methodologies and standards. So they tell us. Anyway, the ever so-called prestigious Dalton School thinks the video is appropriate for students as young as four. Okay, here with reaction, "Outnumbered" co-host Kayleigh McEnany, who happens to be a parent, along with -- we already know -- FOX News contributor who happens to have a daughter that will outperform him as governor in the great state of Arkansas, so I think you know a thing or two about parenting. If I recall, Governor, you were also a pastor at one point in your life, correct me, if I'm wrong. I'll start with you. That doesn't sound particularly age-appropriate for me, and I don't think -- I think if you want to show this, I think you kind of need to get parent's permission. But what do I know? Maybe the state should just raise our kids. MIKE HUCKABEE, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: That's where we're headed. It would be bad enough it was in the it was in a public, but the fact that people are paying $55,000 a year for their kids to be subjected to this stuff? First of all, pull your kids. Secondly, yank the money out of this school. And third, don't put up with it. And I would just say, you mentioned being a pastor. Well, the Apostle Paul had a great expression of people like this in Romans Chapter 1, professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. And you got people who in the name of education pretend that they know something, pretend to be intellectual. This is not intellectualism. This is a fool's errand. And it's embarrassing and disgusting. I can't believe somebody thinks this is appropriate for 4-year-old children. HANNITY: Your reaction, Kayleigh? KAYLEIGH MCENANY, FOX NEWS ANALYST: This is stomach churning. You know, my husband, Sean, and I, we try to guard anything our daughter watches. He's 1-1/2 years old. We have to screen the cartoons these days because we don't know what Hollywood is putting together. Never in a million years would you think you would need to screen your private school for a video like this as the governor points out, you're paying $55,000 a year. This is wholly inappropriate but it's part of the trend, Sean. You know, you go to science class and you learn about disgusting things like this, 6- year-olds do. Then you go to another class where you're taught critical race theory, where you're taught that you're irredeemably an oppressor based on the color of your skin. This is toxic ideology. And we need parents, instead of complaining anonymously, as the parents did in that FOX News article I read, in "The New York Post" article I read to supplement it, they need to complain vocally, loudly, take your child out of the school. Put your name to your words. Be bold enough to say, we are raising a generation of children in a toxic environment and they will never recover if they learn these heinous, heinous, poisonous theories throughout the entirety of their education. HANNITY: You know, I look at the fact, not even bringing the parents into the process here, Governor, and I find that disturbing. You know, on a side note, people outside of New York wouldn't understand this because the public schools are so bad, not as bad as Baltimore where they have, I think, 13 high schools where not a single kid is proficient in math and science -- I'm sorry, math and reading, even though we spend more per capital in Baltimore. It's the second highest per capital spending per student in the world with the worst results, can you imagine 13 public high schools, not a single kid proficient in reading and math? That's pretty -- you really can't get worse than that but a lot of New York public schools are that bad. So the competition for parents to start, they have to set up interviews and testing for kids to get into kindergarten so they can get into the right kindergarten which will set them up to get into the right grammar school and high schools, and then they will have a decent shot at an education and a chance at a decent college. But now, so the parents are like -- one parent in one story at "The New York Post" said, well, if I speak up, I know I'm going to get canceled, and there's 15,000 other parents who has a kid that they want to take that spot. So the parents are cornered here. It's their values or the highway pretty much. HUCKABEE: They're not cornered. They may think they are, but their kids will be better off in virtually any school in America than for them to shell out that kind of money, 55 grand a year, to have every value that they hold dear undermined rather than undergirded. That's not an education. That's an indoctrination. Parents need to wake up and quit surrendering their children and turning them over to some outfit that will absolutely destroy their very children's future. This isn't a hard decision. Parent need to act like parents and start speaking up, standing up, and get their kids out of places like that, and put them into a decent school and we demand every place in the country give parents a choice for their kids' education. HANNITY: Last word, Kayleigh. MCENANY: Yeah, and with that choice, put your kid in inaugural Catholic school. That's where I went. The nuns taught us nothing of this sort, nor would they ever. Sadly, the public school doesn't seem to be the answer, the private school. But indeed, the parochial school. HANNITY: All right. Thank you, both. Appreciate it, Mike Huckabee, Kayleigh McEnany. When we return, Dr. Flip-flop Fauci following in the governor of New York's footsteps, cashing in on a book deal. Senator John Kennedy who just announced his 2022 re-election bid, he'll join us next with reaction. That's straight ahead. Stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)HANNITY: Now, tonight, following the path of New York Governor Cuomo, Dr. Doom, Gloom, Flip-flop Fauci is now using his pandemic failures to cash in on a book deal about, quote, "truth in service." Now, remember, it was just last week that Fauci flipped and flopped and flailed on the lab leaked theory. Oh, maybe it is possible. Of course, we've documented right here on this program, he's flip-flopped on everything from masks can't fix anything, they won't do anything, to one masks, to two masks, to mask once a season. He flip-flopped on ventilators, schools and reopenings and the risk of outdoor transmission to the threshold needed for herd immunity and so on and so forth. And then, of course, the issue of the gain of, yeah, gain of function research being done at the Wuhan lab at the NIH, apparently, partly funded. Now, the book's reportedly only 80 pages long. No word on whether it will address all the controversy surrounding gain of function research and now, Fauci still refuses to give a straight answer on that. But back in 2012, Fauci claimed the benefits of this controversial gain of function research outweighed any risk of a pandemic. Dr. Fauci, you still believed that? And one of the senators who has been forcing Fauci to actually answer the tough questions, he's from the great state of Louisiana, Senator John Kennedy. And, by the way, Senator, I strongly -- unless you ask me not to -- strongly support your re-election. You have done a phenomenal job as a senator from the great state of Louisiana and you become a true leader in the Senate and I have a great admiration for you, sir. SEN. JOHN KENNEDY (R-LA): Well, thank you, Sean. My campaign people would beat me about the head and shoulders if I didn't ask folks to -- to go to my website JohnKennedy.com, JohnKennedy.com. I put up some cool new pictures and some -- some admonitions to folks like pretty please with sugar on top, stand your ass up for the national anthem, and that sort of stuff. (LAUGHTER)(CROSSTALK)HANNITY: Go ahead. KENNEDY: But can I say a word about Dr. Fauci? HANNITY: Yes, sir. KENNEY: Let me -- let me say this about Dr. Fauci. I know Dr. Fauci. I like Dr. Fauci. I respect Dr. Fauci. But karma as they say is a witch. For the record that's W-I-T-C-H. The evidence has finally caught up with the Chinese communist party with Dr. Fauci and with the other permanent Washington types who for over a year have said that the idea that the coronavirus came from a China lab leak was a conspiracy theory and that anybody believed that was circus freak crazy. Well, it wasn't a conspiracy theory and people aren't circus freak crazy. It was a reasonable question to ask from day one, suspicious facts have existed from day one if people cared to look pointing to that possibility. The Chinese communist party and Dr. Fauci -- and I'm going to be blunt here -- have said for over a year, look, nothing to see here. The coronavirus came from an animal. Except after a year, no one's been able to prove that. And as "The Economist" magazine put it this week, no one has found anything close to a smoking bat. Not to put too fine a point on it, but a year ago this month, in May of 2020, my friend Dr. Fauci gave a number of interviews and in them he dismissed the lab leak theory. Now, I want to be fair to him. I know the press was all over him and he did it under pressure from the press, but Dr. Fauci should have told the press to stick it up their fact checker that I'm going to follow the science and he didn't. And we've lost a year here. And I don't know if we'll ever find the origin of the virus now. It's not a question, Sean, of keeping score, who was right or nah, nah, nah, you were wrong, we need to know this, so that we can keep it from happening again. And I don't know now if we'll ever find out, and that's a -- that's a bloody shame. HANNITY: You know, he's flipped and flopped and failed. Now, the comments in 2012 about gain of function, this is significant. In other words, labs that actually -- they manipulate -- and I'm using layman's terms here forgive me, Senator, I'm not a doctor and I'm not a medical researcher. But manipulate viruses, but it causes the --KENNEDY: Yeah. HANNITY: It can potentially and he acknowledged that it can potentially cause a pandemic that gets out of control. He said it was worth the effort. KENNEDY: Yeah. HANNITY: He was in charge of the NIH. He gave money to the Wuhan lab. He can't say based on your questioning of him whether or not any of that money was used that way. Is that correct, sir? KENNEDY: Yes, and I don't know that that's Dr. Fauci's call or the call of any other scientist or Washington, D.C. insider. Look, this is what we discovered. Scientists all over the world are creating Frankensteins. That's what gain of function research is. In gain of function research, a scientist in a lab takes a harmless, benign pathogen and turns it into a deadly contagious virus to learn from it. And this is happening all over the world and labs leak, and we didn't know about it. And Dr. Fauci and his colleagues, they're going to have to step up and tell us what's going on here and whether the American people are paying for it. HANNITY: All right. Well, congratulations again, Senator, on your announcement for your reelection. We always love having you on. Appreciate you being -- pushing this issue hard. KENNEDY: Thanks, Sean. HANNITY: We need to know. Thank you, sir. All right. Directly ahead, shocking crime in New York City. Does Comrade de Blasio even care? Wait until you hear the rise that we see nationwide of Asian-American hate crimes, virulent anti-Semitism. Larry Elder, Leo 2.0 Terrell, straight ahead. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)HANNITY: Sadly from coast-to-coast, violent crime in broad daylight is plaguing many liberal cities and blue states all across the country. Look at your screen. Out in San Francisco, look at this, bystanders on Friday -- they had to rescue a police officer after a brazen attack by a homeless man. The officer, who is Asian, suffered a bloody nose and minor injuries during the attack. But police have yet to say whether it will be investigated as a hate crime. We've now been watching an alarming increase in hate crimes against Asian Americans and what's a dramatic screens in virulent anti-Semitism in the U.S. and worldwide. Of course, it's just the latest act of violence under the California city's failed far left leadership. In New York City, yet another shocking crime caught on tape. Look at this. As this woman, look at this, literally knocked unconscious in Chinatown, New York, yesterday. Again, a viewer warning, it's extremely violent. Take a look. (VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)HANNITY: And it gets worse. The homeless man was arrested today in the attack, reportedly arrested a whopping eight times for assault last year alone, has dozens of prior arrests. The big question is, for the governor of New York and the mayor of New York City, why in God's name was this guy out on the street? NYPD's police commissioner says the state's far left socialist no bail laws that let criminals roam the streets, well, that's partly to blame. I would add that the billion dollars in cuts to the NYPD are to blame. Ask yourself, where are you Democrats, media, mob, where are all these activists groups? BLM? They claim to care about the most vulnerable. Where are the protests for the victims of these anti-American Asian hate crimes? You know, the victims here? How come -- how come there is no-bail law? How is that working out? How is this billion dollar cut to the NYPD working out? Well, one Black Lives Matter whistleblower is coming forward with some answers, and revealing that the group is not at all what it claims to be. Take a look. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)FORMER BLM LEADER: In 2015, I was a founder of Black Lives Matter in St. Paul. I believed the organization stood for exactly what the name implies. Black lives do matter. However, after a year on the inside, I learned they had little concern for rebuilding black families and they cared even less about improving the quality of education for students in Minneapolis. That was made clear when they publicly denounced charter schools alongside the teacher's union. (END VIDEO CLIP)HANNITY: By the way, the gentleman who said that will be on "FOX & Friends" tomorrow. Joining us with reaction, radio talk show host Larry Elder, Leo 2.0 Terrell is with us. Larry, I mean, my blood just boils, it really does. That switch me as -- you know, a student of martial arts and self-defense, you know, these people are getting away with this every time. LARRY ELDER, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Yes, Sean, where do you start with all of this? A dirty little secret, of course, is that the majority of these perpetrators against these Asian Americans are people of color, and that is one of the reasons why the media has been downplaying all of this. But regarding the gentleman who has had an epiphany about Black Lives Matter, he ought to have an epiphany about the premise behind Black Lives Matter which is bonus. And the premise is that the police are out killing blacks just because they're black. There's been ample studies showing the reverse that the police if anything are more hesitant more reluctant to pull the trigger on a black suspect than a white suspect. Now, normally, left-wing lies don't really matter a whole lot but this one does, because bad guys know the police are pulling back because the police are fearful of being called racist and good black guys are being taught to be afraid of officers and therefore don't cooperate and as a result a an ordinary encounter ends up becoming something a lot more serious because a young black man has been taught that the guy pulling him over is an enemy, is a villain and wants to kill you. That's what's going on here. HANNITY: Leo? LEO TERRELL, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: I'll tell you right now. I'm glad this guy came out because he -- this is the beginning of the end to Black Lives Matter. He made a key point. Education is meaningless to Black Lives Matter. There are profiteer. Last week, the co-founder quietly resigned because people who have been used by Black Lives Matter, they're sick of it. They're tired of it. And so, Black Lives Matter is the beginning the end. They have been exposed. Regarding the hate crimes on the East Coast, West Coast, Larry's right. It's because the perpetrators are black. Andrew Yang, you're running for mayor. Stand up. Put on your big boy pants say something but he's afraid of being canceled. I mean, this is outrageous and has to stop, but it's not going to stop in Democratic cities because they're afraid of being canceled. HANNITY: Yeah. All right. You, by the way, both of you deserve praise because you both have been saying this for a long time. Thank you both. When we come back, you won't believe what a woman had to do to keep her dog safe. Our video of the day, next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)HANNITY: Video of the day, a brave teen saving her dog's lives yesterday, going head-to-head with a bear in the backyard of her California home. Security footage captured the heroic rescue as she shoved the bear off of the fence allowed her dogs to run to safety. Fortunately, she was able to do it. Please DVR. Never miss a show. In the meantime, let not your hearts be troubled. Content and Programming Copyright 2021 Fox News Network, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Copyright 2021 VIQ Media Transcription, Inc. All materials herein are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of VIQ Media Transcription, Inc. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," February 26, 2021. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updatedSEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS HOST: Welcome to "Hannity". It's Friday night. Tonight, we are tracking multiple developing stories. CPAC is officially in full swing from beautiful Orlando, Florida -- you know, the state that actually protected the elderly from COVID and never adopted draconian shutdown measures and is doing so much better than those states that did like, you know, New York, Michigan, California, et cetera. We're going to bring the highlights coming up. Plus, we have an exclusive preview of President Trump's keynote address coming on Sunday. And later, we will expose the rampant hypocrisy in the Biden administration's foreign policy. Apparently, bombing Syria is now A-okay as long as a Democrat is in office. We'll bring you all of this. Plus, a shocking new report is making us wonder, who was really in charge at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue? And we'll have Biden's blunders a week in review. But, first, if you think the $2 trillion so-called emergency COVID relief package has anything to do with the ongoing pandemic? Think again, this is, in fact, the Pelosi/Schumer pay off to the political cronies, a $350 billion budget bailout for liberal governors that misappropriated money and taxed people into oblivion. A bridge from New York to Canada for New York Senator Chuck Schumer, a tunnel in Silicon Valley for Nancy Pelosi, billions for social justice issues and green energy initiatives. And, of course, loan guarantees for Planned Parenthood. Hundreds of billions of dollars won't eat them be spent until after 2022 and other funds won't be spent until 2024. Now the disgusting Washington swamp, as you can see on your screen, at its worst, none of this is emergency COVID relief, period. And make no mistake, only 9 percent. With this $2 trillion wish list of socialist Democrats, they are just getting started because they are also buying a separate $2 trillion green energy bill that socialist Bernie Sanders, AOC, the squad want to pass through what's called the reconciliation process. That's the procedure lawmakers can use once a year to avoid filibusters on budgetary legislation. In other words, he wants to ram it through Congress without any Republican support. Kind of like Obamacare, and Sanders is also looking for a way to raise the minimum wage to 15 bucks an hour, again, through the reconciliation process, via a brand-new tax on businesses. And Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the real speaker of the House, has another idea. She wants to fire the Senate parliamentarian who won't allow the minimum wage hike to be part of the spending bill. So much for that unity that Joe talks about, and so much for the U.S. Constitution, and so much for the idea of coequal branches of government. We don't even need a legislative branch. Democrats now want to ram through the socialist visions with an iron fist. Now, here's the thing, Democratic socialists almost always remember are lying to you. They talk about unity. There's no unity. They talk about health care, no, they failed us there too. They believe in taxes. They're against fracking. They only are I-believers, oh, when it fits their political agenda. And, of course, this is also true when it comes to foreign policy. Now, for example, breaking last night, the Biden administration ordered air strikes in Syria targeting Iranian militias. But when Donald Trump, remember when he was president? Not that long ago, and he ordered targeted air strikes in Syria, he beat back the caliphate, too? Joe Biden called President Trump's actions, quote, erratic, impulsive decisions endangering our troops and making us all less safe. In 2017, Jen Psaki, White House communications director, even questioned the president's legal authority for airstrikes writing, quote: Assad is a brutal dictator, but Syrian is a sovereign country. Does she still believe that today? And Senator Harris also publicly question the legal rationale now Vice President Harris. Apparently, these are all just hollow, empty, political smears against Donald Trump -- one standard for the Democrats, one if you are a Republican. And according to a new shocking political report, Vice President Harris is quickly being prepped to take the foreign policy reins from the Biden administration. Biden is now reportedly encouraging vice president to engage directly with warring leaders. That would be his job. And, by the way, even develop her own rapport with U.S. allies. Harris has also been meeting weekly with Secretary of State Antony Blinken. So the question tonight is, why? If Joe Biden is not up to the task, well, we know he rarely appears in public, and we know he takes very few questions. We know he has not schedule joint session of Congress for the state of the union address. This week, he struggled mightily to read off of a cheat sheet. It was frankly embarrassing and hard to watch. We could all see with our own eyes that Joe is frail. He is weak, and yes, he is struggling cognitively. Even a few Democrats are trying to take away the nuclear codes from Joe Biden so it's not in the hands of just him, one person. They never tried that with Trump and his vice president now holding one on one coals with other world leaders, what is really going on here? Who was in charge? And, by the way, should we be concerned? You got somebody weak, frail and cognitively struggling, matter of fact here's Biden's blunders, a week in review. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I -- you know, the idea that over 500, a carry a card on me every day, total number of folks who have been affected by the -- as of yesterday, there were 500,071 people who have died from this. For God's sake, wear a mask. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bye-bye, thank you. Thank you so much. BIDEN: My mask. My mask, my mask. (END VIDEO CLIP)HANNITY: All right. Joining us now with more at the host of "Untold: Patriots Revealed" Pete Hegseth, along with Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz is with us. Good to see you both. Now if you have one position when Donald Trump is president one view on striking Syria and Syria, sovereign country, Pete, and then Joe Biden does it, it's perfectly fine. It's like everything else the Democrats do. They're all I-believers but they're dead silent when it comes to Andrew Cuomo. PETE HEGSETH, HOST, "UNTOLD: Well, of course, there is only one standard and it's a double standard in this particular case. Maybe we're lucky, Sean, because Joe Biden hasn't been right on a single foreign policy aspect of the last 40 years, so maybe outsourcing to Kamala Harris is a good idea. How much worse can you do then the worst? But in this particular case, so much has to do with the fact that he's not capable. Why would you want him involved in those? And they were grooming her as the left has from the very beginning for that particular position. So, the problem is it's also serious and the half measures that they're taking pale in comparison to the killing of Qasem Soleimani and the sanctions put on by the Trump administration that actually brought Iran to its knees so we can put them in a place where they don't get a bomb. Now, we are bombing buildings on the Syrian border without a real strategy on the Iran deal. It's all foolish. And Joe Biden is absent and he's wrong. Kamala Harris is front and center. Who's really in charge? We don't know, Sean. But I would be remiss. I'm sitting right here next to my man, Matt Gaetz. He gave a great speech today at CPAC. He rocked the house, I got to say it. HANNITY: Matt Gaetz, is that true? I mean, really? Did you let it all out or did you go full on or just half measure? I'm imagining full on Matt Gaetz came first and out. (LAUGHTER)REP. MATT GAETZ (R-FL): Pete and I look like we're having a great time in Florida. Sean, we're having the best -- we are not even wearing ties here in Florida. No ties, no lockdowns. HANNITY: Wow. GAETZ: No mandates, just conservatives together enjoying patriotism for our great country. You got Democrats in Congress now, Sean, talking about taking the nuclear authorities away from Joe Biden. You got Kamala Harris taking these meetings with foreign leaders. You have to wonder, has the transition to Kamala Harris already begun? I mean, I'm watching these clips you just read of Joe Biden -- Joe Biden would score below average on the cognitive matrix at like a Florida retirement community. And somehow this guy is the one that's supposed to be running the country, it really begs a lot of questions. And on this foreign policy stuff, Pete is absolutely right. And we have to realize in Syria, what are we really trying to win there? Like, what does America hope to get out of these misadventures in Syria? I think it's time that we focus on our people. That's the doctrine that President Trump advanced. HANNITY: You know, I'm doing -- I know it's Biden's blunders week in review and a part of it, kind of, Pete, is a little bit funny. You know, he loses his place, oh, I got my card, you know? I feel like he's reading my name is Joe. My wife's name is Jill. I live at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, because he was looking for a number that we have lost 500,000 fellow Americans to COVID and he just had a vigil like the day before. And he was having a hard time remembering that number. That's not a hard number to remember. And it was slow and it was confusing, and he loses his place. It's kind of getting disturbing. And then I watch all of this foreign policy being conducted by Kamala Harris. And I begin to wonder why. And why isn't there a State of the Union Address scheduled? HEGSETH: Good question. It's not hard, Sean. It really isn't. It hasn't been from the beginning. And in this particular case, day after day, time after time, we have examples. And remember that executive orders? You had the cards with the one line written on what they were, and he was reading them line by line while signing them? Who wrote them and what does he really know about them? Of course, the far left is driving this. You know why it's serious? Because they're firing on all cylinders in Beijing. The Chinese know this is the time to full-court press on initiatives, whether it's militarily on -- big tech and their technological advantages. This is serious times. We can't have a guy asleep at the wheel. That's why we can joke all we want. It's not funny because we have real adversaries that are taking advantage of this moment where --(CROSSTALK)HANNITY: You know, I think about this all the time. Matt Gaetz, guess what? Putin is a hostile actor. Russian -- Russia, a hostile regime. The Iranian mullahs hate us. Joe Biden is trying to get South Korea to hand over $7 billion to the Iranian mullahs. I worry about them. I worry about China. I worry all these hostile regimes. And you've got to believe that they studied the American political system. And you've got to believe that they see what every person that I know sees in Joe Biden. And do they begin to think they can take advantage of that? That does concern me. GAETZ: You mentioned the mullahs in Iran. Next week, I'll be introducing the No Cash for Iran Act to insure that in any reentry into a deal with Iran, we don't shovel cash on them, that then these proxies and militia forces are able to use around the world when they're shooting at Pete's buddies who are still wearing the uniform. So, we need to make sure we stand strong on that. But, Sean, let us not delude ourselves into thinking that the state of intellectual wonderment that Joe Biden is in is somehow stopping the progress they are making. Remember, Hunter Biden's lawyers, law partner has been installed in the criminal division of the United States Department of Justice. They are taking Peter Strzok's wife and putting her in an enforcement role when you look at the American financial sector. And I think that the vertical integration of people who are going to hunt MAGA, that should concern everyone and that is happening even though Joe Biden probably doesn't know it. HANNITY: All right. I don't know, I know both of you pretty well, you're both friends of mine, Gaetz and Hegseth in Orlando -- trouble. I don't know -- I don't know what trouble, but I just sensed trouble, somewhere, or someplace. I'm going to have -- we will have to send bodyguards down there. Keep it --(LAUGHTER)GAETZ: Bail money, Sean, if we need bail money, we know you can wire it. So, just answer it if we call tonight. HANNITY: All right. I'll wire the bail money. I'll be a good Christian. Thank you both. All right. Now let's turn to CPAC which is officially off and running, yep, down in Florida. They didn't have draconian shutdown. They're doing a lot better than New York and California. And on Sunday, President Trump set to give his first public remarks since leaving office. Earlier today -- well, here's what Senator Ted Cruz of Texas had to say about Donald Trump and the future of the Republican Party. Let's take a look. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX): There are a lot of voices in Washington that want to just erase the last four years. Want to go back to the world before where we had the government of the lobbyists, by the lobbyists, and for the lobbyists, where the Republicans compelling message was, Republicans! We waste less. They look at Donald J. Trump and then they look at the millions and millions of people inspired who went to battle fighting alongside President Trump and they are terrified. And they want him to go away, let me tell you this right now -- Donald J. Trump ain't going anywhere. (END VIDEO CLIP)HANNITY: Senator Cruz is right. Even Trump hater Mitt Romney admitting that if President Trump runs again, he will get the party's nomination. Now, we have Minority Leader Mitch McConnell saying he will support President Trump in 2024 if he becomes the party's nominee, which brings me to an important message to every conservative and Republican. I understand how this works. Ronald Reagan called it the 11th commandment -- thou shall not attack other Republicans. Humorous in Reagan's way. Of course, that's not going to happen, but I do believe in Reagan's 80 percent principle. If we agree with people 80 percent of the time, well, they are not really your enemy. And the Republican Party -- well, I would prefer to be as conservative as I am. It is not but the Republican Party like the Democratic Party is made up of a broad coalition. If Republicans are to succeed and win elections moving forward, it's really not that complicated. They have to stop the infighting and focus on a few basic America First, Make America Great Again, Reagan conservative principles. Let's see, conservatives, what do we believe? We believe in freedom. We believe in liberty. We believe in limited government, lower taxes, less bureaucracy so a good business environment and we can create jobs. We believe in constitutionalist on the bench, judges. We believe in law. We believe in order. We believe in safety and security and in every city, every town in every neighborhood. Parents should have school choice all across the country. We want our borders secure. We want free and fair trade. We believe in energy independence, national security reasons we like to pay lower prices at the pump and less for heating our homes. We believe in the First Amendment and yes, the Second Amendment. We believe in the Constitution. We believe in peace through strength with the meanest, toughest most advanced military equipment on the face of the earth. And yeah, free and fair trade. That's it. I'm a conservative. That's my agenda. I have not changed in 33 years on radio and 25 years on FOX. And for the idiots of Washington, D.C., that want to fight each other, if you stay focused on that agenda, it's not that complicated. It's simple and you will win, and you will get power. All you need to do if you promise it, go fight for it. By the way, affordable health care using free-market standards, yeah, instead of Obamacare. By the way, not just for America first principle. That's not what all of this is about but also the smears, the attacks from Democrats, the media mob. There are enough enemies in your life. Here with reaction come, of course, this landmark Supreme Court case Citizens United, David Bossie is with us. American Conservative Union chairman Matt Schlapp, he runs this whole mess down there in Florida. I'm usually there. I took a year off. I hope you don't mind. MATT SCHLAPP, AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION PRESIDENT: You are. HANNITY: I hope you're not mad at me. But this is an important year. And I think this speech is coming at a very pivotal moment, especially now Mitch McConnell's comments, other Republican comments, the Democrats seemed more divided. Republicans seem to now be coalescing together. SCHLAPP: Yeah, I think that's right, Sean. That's same for me. And let me tell you, we are mad that you are not here only because we love it when you are here. And -- but I have to say that FOX is doing a great job of covering it. And I think this is an important moment and I think David would agree, conservatives and Republicans don't emote too much. We're more like logical thinkers. But there was something emotional about having your president get silenced, get shut down, have his Twitter account and everything shut down. The way the election ended, it was really upsetting to these people and they're really -- it's jarring to see the socialist policy just coming at them every day. The fact that the president is going to come and reconnect with the people that love him so much on this stage I think is going to be a very, very important moment for actually healing amongst conservative side of all of this, but I think for the country generally, no one's voice should be silenced and definitely not a president of the United States. HANNITY: You know, I'm noticing H.R.1, David Bossie, the bill that the Democrats want. They want to take all the changes in election law and bake them into, you know, permanent status, things we were told specifically designed in consideration for COVID. That would include overturning the landmark decision of Citizens United. That would include felons' right to vote. That would include automatic registration. That would include no voter ID and no signature verification standards whatsoever. Now, if that happens, even "The New York Times," they had said that would open this country up to fraud and a lack of confidence in our election results. Do you think that that will happen next? Is that the next shoe to drop? DAVID BOSSIE, PRESIDENT, CITIZENS UNITED: Well, I certainly hope H.R.1 is defeated. Look, I think the left will pass it out of the House but I don't think it will get through the Senate. Mitch McConnell, we have a lot of disagreements over the years, but he is unbelievably good on free speech. I think we're going to be able to defeat this monstrosity. But what it does, Sean, is it's going to continue to educate the American people about how far left the Democrat Party has lurched. They do not know any boundaries. They are going to move this country to the socialist agenda. That is what Joe Biden and Kamala Harris that they would do and that is what we see the left demanding of Joe Biden. And I think that we're going to see that. And we're going to benefit from it. Look this is a tremendous place for a rebirth for Donald Trump and for conservatism. And CPAC has always been the leader and really the cathartic moment postelection, we come together as a movement and we move forward as Matt was talking about. We talk about the conservative ideas that bring this all together. Donald Trump is going to bring in energy to CPAC on Sunday. I think it's going to be off the charts. I'm excited to see it. I can't tell you -- I can't tell you how much. HANNITY: I'm expecting surprises. Real quick. I have no idea if the president will make an announcement about his future plans. I have no idea what he's ultimately going to decide to speak about, but I would assume the president will talk about "I told you so", if this agenda of Biden's is radical and these are the differences between the two parties. And he will talk about the trouble of media mob, and big tech controlling, creating this candidate protection program, Matt, where Biden was hidden in the basement the whole time. SCHLAPP: Yeah. I mean, wow. I mean, just -- it is shocking to me to think about. But I think what he might talk about. He might talk how he's going to get revenge with a new social media platform or new strategy when it comes to the silencing of conservative forces on social media, or maybe helping those victims of the cancel culture. He's clearly going to stay involved in politics. You know what normally Republican presidents do, including the last who I revere? They tend to leave the stage. Donald Trump is not leaving the stage, and I think that's the greatest thing. Hillary Clinton never left the stage, Bill Clinton never left the stage, Barack Obama never left the stage. Guess what, guys? Donald Trump can stay on that stage too. HANNITY: Yeah. Last word, Dave Bossie. BOSSIE: President Trump speech I think is going to talk about the future. Certainly, he's going to talk about what happened. And I think that is a very important thing cathartically for the conservative movement for the Republican Party to hear directly from the president about it, but I think -- you look at what we will be able to do. The left is going to move so -- the Democrats are going to move so far to the left over the next year or two that 1994, 2010 all over again. We are going to see us begin to take back the House and Senate in 2022. HANNITY: Right. BOSSIE: And Donald Trump is going to be the leader, the political leader, the ideal leader, the thought leader, and the fund-raising leader for our party over the next couple of years. And I think he's going to be tremendously successful at it. HANNITY: All right, coming up, thank you both. CNN continues to cover for disgraced Governor Andrew Cuomo, as the Democrats in New York that are fighting to get him impeached. We'll talk to Joe Concha, Miranda Devine next as we continue this busy, breaking Friday news night. Thank you for being with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)(NEWSBREAK)HANNITY: Now, more explosive developments tonight surrounding Andrew Cuomo's burgeoning sexual harassment scandal as we are now learning, the New York state attorney general is reviewing a letter from Republican state senators asking for a full investigation, but in all fairness, this effort has started because of Democrats, not Republicans in the state of New York. And, by the way, this all because even left wing Hollywood now is beginning to turn on the man they gave their Emmy to. And as the times, group, for example, released a statement calling for full pledge investigation. As they're reporting, Governor Cuomo's denying the allegations. Ask yourself, where are -- where is the entire I-believer caucus? Where are the rest of the I-believers? Where is Hillary Clinton, Kamala Harris, Kirsten Gillibrand? The ones that rushed to judgment and gave no due process to Justice Kavanaugh? By the way, who by the way get to -- said this, reportedly said she hasn't even read the complaint against Cuomo. Yeah, of course. The Cuomo scandal is a media scandal. Major networks have largely ignored both the nursing home cover-up and the sexual harassment allegations. Look at fake news CNN finally covered Cuomo allegations from a mere 96 seconds while totally ignoring it during primetime hours. But compare that to their endless, never-ending hysteria of unfounded allegations against Justice Kavanaugh and Donald Trump, every second, minute, every hour of every day. Look at these two headlines right there on your screen. Look at the one from September 2018. Woman accuses Kavanaugh of assault in letter to senator. Compared to a headline from Thursday, quote, Cuomo denies harassment allegations. Oh, slight difference in coverage. You see the abusive bias. And don't forget, you know, a lot of these fake news channels covered up Cuomo's nursing home scandals for months and months, refusing to take it seriously, despite what was overwhelming evidence of wrongdoing. And now they continue to downplay what is a growing harassment scandal with very serious claims. Fascinatingly, it's Democrats leading the charge. Here with reaction "New York Post" columnist, FOX News contributor Miranda Devine, and FOX News contributor, media columnist for "The Hill", Joe Concha. Miranda, you know, if you really look -- they are not even any Republicans I can name in New York to be honest to have any kind of real influence in New York state, not trying to be rude. I'm just being factual. But the point is, you know, you look at this case. This is largely Democrats going after Cuomo. They are the ones calling for impeachment and censure and investigations. MIRANDA DEVINE, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Yeah. So, it is a one-party state and anyone who has worked with Andrew Cuomo we discover what a bully he is and knows about his skeletons in his closet. It is just that they kept them all hidden when he was useful to them in terms of attacking Donald Trump. And, of course, he was used last year and put himself forward as a foil against Donald Trump and Joe Biden called the gold standard in leadership during the pandemic, which, of course, he was the opposite. He was a terrible leader during the pandemic as we know, with the nursing home crisis, and all sort of other disasters that have happened under his reign which are under a cloud. There are lots of questions being asked about the contributions, the donations he received from the nursing homes and the hospital industry. And the fact is that if he were a Republican governor, you can bet that CNN and MSNBC and "New York Times" and all of the Democrat-leaning media would have made an absolute mountain out of this story. There would have been hundreds and hundreds of stories by now, just as they were with Justice Kavanaugh. HANNITY: Yeah. And, Joe, look, you followed the media for a living. This isn't surprising. This is pretty much every day -- every day of the year, every minute of every hour of every day. JOE CONCHA, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Yeah, that is not surprising that that is the shame of it all, Sean. And who knew that CNN, the Cuomo news network, because how do you explain the bias of omission around a story that has so many layers and has such legs to it. Every day, there's a new development that we are learning about. And you have a layer one, for example, and this goes back to last March, right, when the governor signed that order to put COVID-19 positive patients back into nursing homes. Then you have layered two, when you have a senior aide, Melissa DeRosa, she said this recently about the nursing home depth tallies. It's amazing. Quote: We weren't sure if we were going to give the Department of Justice what we were going to give the Department of Justice was going to be used against us and we weren't sure if there was going to be an investigation. That is literally a mission of a cover-up. Then you have layer three, these allegations of bullying by again by Democrats, a New York Democrat, Assemblyman Ron Kim, echoed by others. And then layer four, just recently now, this allegation of sexual misconduct by Lindsey Boylan. And this isn't an allegation that comes from 40 years ago when Cuomo was in high school. This is something that happened relatively recently. So as far as scandals go, to use a baseball term, this one hits for the cycle. But because there's a D next to Governor Cuomo's name, he gets a pass here by most of the media and particularly CNN, and the D, by the way, means disregard, nothing to see here and that is a dereliction of duty, Sean, because this is absolutely a huge national story. HANNITY: What amazes me, Miranda, is, OK, the I-believers, right? You have the I-believer caucus. I believe, I believe, I believe. OK. I didn't say I took the position that Justice Kavanaugh, we need more facts, he deserves the presumption of innocence. I believe in due process, and I'm taking the same position here. Just because somebody says something, we don't have all the facts. I don't believe rushing to judgment. The Democrats are the ones that use it when it's convenient as a political story, which should bother people. DEVINE: Absolutely. And, you know, every man should be given the presumption of the innocence when these allegations come out. Every victim should be heard, but we should keep a sense of proportion. But it doesn't work like that with the Democrats. They use feminism as a weapon. It's not about what's good for women. It's just about power. HANNITY: Yeah, sad. Last word, Joe. CONCHA: 2018, Julie Swetnick comes out and accuses Brett Kavanaugh of being a party to gang rape. She is represented by Michael Avenatti, you know, the serious presidential contender who became like a debate captain at Rikers at a cellblock? OK. So, her allegations are given no scrutiny, nothing whatsoever, she even gets on national television, gets an interview. Now, in this case with Lindsey Boylan, we can barely cover it. So that's all you need to know if you want to compare the way these two stories were covered again because one was a conservative who is being accused, and now, the other one is a Democrat and a prominent one. HANNITY: Joe Concha, Miranda Devine, thank you both. When we come back, liberal hypocrisy knows no bounds. Wait until you hear what Joe Biden and Kamala Harris did this time. Congressman Steve Scalise, Congressman Dan Crenshaw, straight ahead. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)HANNITY: All right. Talk about rank hypocrisy, now resurfaced tweets from both Joe Biden and, of course, his spokesperson, Jen Psaki, communications director, slamming President Trump's previous Syria airstrikes. It's now fueling claims of hypocrisy and a massive double standard after the Biden administration launched what was a retaliatory strike last evening against Iranian-backed militia in Syria. For example, in April 2017, not that long ago, Jen Psaki tweeted, quote, well, what is the legal authority for strikes? Assad is a brutal dictator, but Syria is a sovereign country. Oh, you sit back and do nothing? That, of course, prompted a response from other Democrats like Congresswoman Omar, who responded, quote, great question. And in June 2019, Joe Biden called President Trump's airstrikes, quote, impulsive and claimed he didn't understand the consequences. OK, Joe, really? Donald Trump was alert and aware and used targeted strakes to take out terrorist and defeat the caliphate that you and Obama never defeated and take out Soleimani who you never took out. And even took out Baghdadi and associates and the al Qaeda leader in Yemen. By the way, you were avoiding endless boots on the ground conflicts in the Middle East and, of course, bribing the Iranian mullahs. You know, you held Iran accountable for their actions? Did you ever do that while you were vice president, as you appeased Tehran, appeased these mullahs? Now restarting the disastrous nuclear deal, pressuring South Korea to hand over 7 billion more dollars now? Well, the contrast couldn't be clearer. Here with reaction, House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, along with Texas Republican Congressman Crenshaw with us. Congressman Scalise, it's either the right thing to do or the wrong thing to do. Now Obama/Biden couldn't beat the caliphate. Trump did because he took off rules of engagement and let the military do their job. They've been critical the whole time, but it was successful. I would assume that this strike last night was the right thing to do. I don't know the background yet. One day, we'll probably know. REP. STEVE SCALISE (R-LA): Yeah, Sean, and good to be with you. Yeah, I agree that, in the end, let's see where the facts are on this strike but it was the right thing to do to send a message to Iran who backs terrorism all the time around the world. President Trump led with peace through strength. It was a doctrine that actually worked to stand up for America and our allies again. But the whole time he was doing that, you had Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Jen Psaki, all the ones you mentioned, who are critical of that, questioning whether it was erratic or illegal authority. They were wrong then, hopefully, they are right now. But it's this double standard. You see hypocrisy. Maybe the first 100 days of Joe Biden are defined by nothing but hypocrisy, whether it's shutting down schools when the science says to open schools, they sidelined the scientist when they said they'd follow the scientist. You know, having John Kerry fly around the world on a private jet telling American energy workers that they had to go install solar panels. I think people are sick and tired of that hypocrisy but it's on full display. Hopefully, they're right here. Hopefully, it keeps a peace through strength mantra, but he also needs to recognize -- Iran is not our friend, don't go back to dealing with Iran and giving them a pathway to nuclear weapon. President Trump took the right steps by backing away from that deal. Let's not lose ground. HANNITY: And, Dan, the movement towards pressuring South Korea to give the Iranians money on top of that tells me what? Do they think bribing the mullahs and Iran will make them be nice to us? Because their $150 billion in cash and other currency didn't particularly buy us any goodwill and didn't stop their nuclear program. REP. DAN CRENSHAW (R-TX): No, policies of appeasement do not work. Look, I like killing terrorists and I like it when Obama killed Bin Laden. I like it when Trump killed Baghdadi and Soleimani. And I like Biden killing these Kataib Hezbollah guys that were just killing our people last week. I like all that. I also like consistency. And I think what people are upset about is just the lack of standards, because, you know, they have no standards except for double standards. Criticizing Trump, you know while applauding Obama, telling us that we will engage in World War III, just last year when Trump made the decision to kill Soleimani. It was good decision. Peace through strength actually works, but it does not mean that we're engaging in endless wars. I think we should look at AUMFs and maybe modernize those. I don't think Americans want 100,000 troops on the ground. But we do have to recognize that sometimes we do have to retaliate and we do have to show strength against Iranian mullahs as you're saying. I think that's exactly right. HANNITY: Here's my question though. Do you think it -- do you fear as I do that if our enemies -- are they assessing Joe Biden as a leader that they are fearful of? Because I actually think in an interesting way, Steve Scalise, that Donald Trump's -- well, being unpredictable probably -- you know, they couldn't figure him out which I think is a good thing. SCALISE: You're exactly right. And look, every president is tested at some point, and usually, it's early in their presidency. I think when Donald Trump made it clear, number one that, yeah, you weren't sure where he was going to go, but a lot of allies were worried he was going to pull out of NATO. What he did, he strengthened NATO by making sure our allies put up their own fair share. But he also sent a message to the Middle East and the rest of the world when he put the United States embassy in Jerusalem. And they were predicting, you knew that, they predicted there was going to be violence and there was going to be all kinds of wars on the Middle East. What do we get? We got peace agreements, Abraham Accords in the Middle East, because people recognize Donald Trump is a man of his word, he's going to follow through. He believes peace through strength, but he rebuilt our military and it worked. There will be a test no doubt like every president that Joe Biden gets. I hope he stands up for America and our allies around the world when that day comes. HANNITY: Dan, you get the last word. CRENSHAW: Look, I think that's absolutely right. President Trump had a good foreign policy, you know, like small quibbles and disagreement mostly just how much troops you would reduce at a time. But for the most part, Trump took a pretty aggressive stance. And I'm not even sure supporters even recognize that to a large extent. And that stance helped us a lot. We regained our deterrence against Iran. And that moment happened when we killed Soleimani. That was a really big change and I hope that the Biden administration continues down that path. Frankly, the strike last night is a sign that they -- that they are at least learning some things from the last administration. It's a good sign, and I hope they maintain that path and do not pay off the Iranian mullahs, do not reengage in this disastrous Iran deal without a much better deal at hand. HANNITY: All right. Thank you both. Dan, appreciate it. Steve Scalise, good to see you both. Now, coming up, according to one report, border officials, get this, they're projecting 13,000 unaccompanied migrant children who crossed the border in May and guess how much it is costing you, the taxpayer for every illegal immigrant and every person that gets amnesty. Let's put it this way, it's hundreds of either millions or billions. We'll give you the answer coming up and Lara Logan. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)HANNITY: Now, we are continuing to see the dangerous real-world consequences of the Biden open borders amnesty agenda. Border officials are now reportedly predicting 13,000 child migrants will cross the border in May this year alone, which would exceed the height of 2019 crisis and calls the Biden administration to expand the capacity of their migrant centers, or as the media called it under Trump, "kids in cages." Well, meanwhile, Border Patrol is deploying hundreds of northern and coastal border patrol agents to the southern border to help handle the surge in Latin American immigrants. Now, in the Rio Grande Valley sector alone, agents have recently been apprehending nearly a thousand migrants a day and warned the facilities are being overwhelmed. And don't forget, open borders comes at a major cost to you, the U.S. taxpayer, as a new report for the Center of Immigration Studies finds amnesty will cost the Social Security and Medicare trust funds, brace yourselves, hundreds of billions of dollars, billions with a B. Hundreds of them. Here with reaction, the host of "Lara Logan Has No Agenda: Return to the Border", now available. Lara Logan, thank you for joining us. You know, what is fascinating is 2018, they show images of Biden and Obama's kids in cages. The video was from their time in office, their administration. They built the kids in cages. Now they decide to switch to cargo storage containers that have bars on the tiny windows, but they do say they put pictures of butterflies on the walls so we should all feel better? LARA LOGAN, FOX NATION HOST: You know, Sean, what this is symbolic of is obviously the hypocrisy of the media, which has been exposed so many times now that many Americans see through it. Bu also, what it's masking is the policies of the Biden administration in terms of the border, because what you're -- what they're not telling you is that they are having this problem, in spite of the fact that they are pushing these children through as quickly as they possibly can. And that is happening so fast because, in part, they don't want anyone to really see the numbers. They don't want anyone to have a real sense of how many people are coming over, because those figures you just gave, those don't include the gotaways, those don't include the people that are literally running past border patrol agents. And they also don't tell the whole story because there has just been a significant threat issued by a cartel against Border Patrol agents, the marine units down in the Rio Grande Valley where crossing so many people. They move the team in position with snipers to attack these boat units. And the government of Mexico was instrumental in driving the cartel members out of the area. So, now, they are telling Border Patrol agents, make sure you got your long guns, and your body armor. And why is that so significant? Because all we're talking about is migrant care and immigration. No one is talking about border security. Both sides are allowing the conversation to be defined by immigration and ignoring what this means for security. All those agents coming from the northern border, they are not doing security patrols. They are doing migrant care. HANNITY: You know, I think when you control the border, we should be able to check people's backgrounds, make sure they don't have radical associations. Obviously, with COVID, I think a health check would be warranted myself. Then, of course, I think people should be able to show us that they will be able to provide for themselves and their families. The study that came out, hundreds of billions of dollars. Well, that's real money at a point where we don't really have that kind of money to give away. LOGAN: You know, it's so interesting, Sean, that you raise that point because I can tell you, everyone that I speak to that is responsible for securing the border, that's their number one concern. They are literally telling me over and over again no matter who I speak to that they don't know who was crossing the border. So as you are pushing to get rid of people as quickly as you can, what is the impact of that? They are no longer being interviewed. They're no longer being held for a period of time long enough for foreign governments to confirm what they may or may not know about them. And they don't even know if they are the age they say they are. So children, unaccompanied minors that are being released, they often get people who are 22, 23, 24 and who are saying they are 20 so they fit in that category and they can be released. And the reality is that they say you can't hold people accountable if you have no idea who they are. And that's what's really concerning so many of the agents. HANNITY: Great report. Lara, thank you. All right. We'll have more "Hannity" right after this. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)HANNITY: All right. Unfortunately, that's all the time we have left this evening. As always, we want to thank you for being with us, you make the show possible. We hope you will set your DVR so you never miss a episode of "Hannity". We will be watching the president's speech Sunday. We'll talk about it on Monday. We hope you have a great weekend. We'll always be independent. We'll never be the media mob. See you back here Monday. Thank you for being with us. Content and Programming Copyright 2021 Fox News Network, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Copyright 2021 ASC Services II Media, LLC. All materials herein are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of ASC Services II Media, LLC. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. | 2 |
###CLAIM: senator bernie sanders, chairman of the senate budget committee, said in the interview: "we spend a lot of money in vietnam.
###DOCS: cash gettyThe continued message of the Biden administration is this: the passage of the American Rescue Plan, their name for the $1.9 trillion spending bill, is vital for the country to make it through the pandemic: in addition to aid for the unemployed, health insurance purchase subsidies, food stamp boosts and the like, the bill promises faster vaccine production and distribution. And they have explicitly tied the reopening of still-shuttered schools to the Covid relief bill. As USA Today reported just yesterday,From the outset Biden has said the goal depends on funding, which he hopes to get through passage of his $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill. It sets aside $130 billion for school reopenings.Even Dr. Anthony Fauci has added his support, saying, Thats the reason why the national relief act that were talking about getting passed we need that to open schools. But the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget has now voiced strong criticism of the plan. However much supporters of multiemployer pension plan relief may take the any port in a storm perspective after so many years of attempting legislation through regular order, as they say, in a Republican/Democrat compromise, the CRFB finds this unacceptable. Only about 1 percent of the entire package goes toward COVID vaccines, and 5 percent is truly focused on public health needs surrounding the pandemic. These multiemployer pensions have been on shaky ground for some time and ought to be dealt with transparently, where lawmakers can appropriately finance and reform these plans. The financial status of these funds shouldnt be addressed in a piece of crisis legislation, and certainly not at the cost of benefits for unemployed workers. Frankly, no member of Congress should be willing to defend this.Other areas of concern for the CRFB include the vast sums of money to be sent to state and local governments, well in excess of their budget deficits. In addition, Marc Goldwein, head of policy at the CRFB, observed via twitter that a startlingly low fraction of the funds budgeted for schools are anticipated to be spent during 2021; according to the Congressional Budget Office, because most of [the CARES Act and December stimulus] funds remain to be spent, CBO anticipates that the bulk of spending of funds provided in the reconciliation recommendations would occur after 2021. In fact, only 1/20th of the school funding would be spent in 2022. Whats more, the Biden administration continues to insist that such massive spending is justified in order to restore the American economy. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen described the spending plan as the difference between full employment in 2022, vs. continued unemployment as far out as 2025, though the CRFB lays out a list of skeptical voices including former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, who worry that this spending is far too much and will trigger a bout of high inflation, and worry more that there is no longer any political will to take action to end inflation once it starts. As economist Allison Schrager writes, Weve come to expect the Fed to keep employment up at all costs, so do you really think that theyll slow a recovery to fight inflation something many people cant even conceive of?That it is deemed necessary to place multiemployer relief in the so-called covid relief bill is a testimony to the brokenness of the system. That a bill is marketed as covid relief when its provisions extend far beyond whats needed to directly alleviate financial suffering and implement needed remedies, is all the more so. I cannot offer any remedies, but can only ask, when will it end? As always, youre invited to comment at JaneTheActuary.com! | 0 |
###CLAIM: megan and mckenna, big essex hairdressers with full lips and full lips, frankly admit that the pressure of being on reality tv shows like the x factor and x factor has left them feeling 100% liberated.
###DOCS: She recently revealed that she is reversing 100,000 of plastic surgery and body modifications. And Anna Vakili went braless as she enjoyed a fun night out with her friends in Mayfair, London, on Friday night. The former Love Island star, 30, who recently admitted she has gone 'a lot more towards the natural look', wowed in a backless figure-hugging black sheer dress. Wow: Anna Vakili went braless as she enjoyed a fun night out with her friends in Mayfair, London, on Friday night after revealing she is reversing 100K of plastic surgeryPeachy! The former Love Island star, 30, who recently admitted she has gone 'a lot more towards the natural look', wowed in a backless figure-hugging black sheer dressAnna, who is set to undergo a boob reduction, displayed her very ample assets in the racy item of clothing, which also highlighted her peachy posterior. Adding some finishing touches, the reality star opted for black perspex heels, a tiny clutch bag and gold jewellery. Anna styled her blonde balayage locks into a glossy wavy hairdo, she added a slick of glamorous make-up. It comes after the pharmacist revealed that she is reversing 100,000 of plastic surgery and body modifications. Gorgeous: Anna styled her blonde balayage locks into a glossy wavy hairdo, she added a slick of glamorous make-upAnna admitted that she has gone 'a lot more towards the natural look' and hopes reversing some of her procedures will help to achieve her desired appearance. She revealed that she will undergo a boob reduction and will have her porcelain veneers removed, but won't ditch her lip filler or regular Botox injections. It comes as a collection of reality star, including Chloe Sims, Molly-Mae Hague and Chloe Ferry, have recently been embracing a more 'natural look' with fans. The TV personality estimated that she's spent about 100,000 in total on altering her appearance, but now wants to tone it down. 'I feel like everything is a trend and everyone is going more towards the natural look now!' insisted the reality star. Anna revealed that she's now planning to splash out a further 12k on a boob reduction, has reduced the amount of filler she gets pumped into her face and opts for shorter nail extensions than previously. Changing faces: The difference which the filler made to the shape of Anna's chin, nose and cheekbones is clear to see (pictured left pre-Love Island fame; pictured right April 2020)From Chloe Sims to Molly-Mae Hague... the reality stars who are embracing a more 'natural look' A collection of reality stars are currently embracing a more 'natural look' and candidly sharing the process with their followers online. MailOnline has taken a look at the influencers who have opened up about their cosmetic overhauls... Molly-Mae Hague Former Love Island star Molly-Mae Hague was the first celebrity to reveal that she is on a journey to be 'more natural'. Only recently, the influencer, 21, reversed dental work on her teeth where she previously had composite bonds fitted. It came after Molly-Mae drained her fillers last year in a cosmetic overhaul and has recently been ditching her hair extensions. 'Reversing mistakes': Love Island star Molly-Mae Hague, 21, has been on a mission to return to her natural looks after she got her lip fillers dissolved late last year (pictured before in October 2020, left, and after, right) In a candid YouTube video shared in March, the star said: 'I'm turning over a new leaf and going for more natural teeth.' Molly-Mae added on her old teeth: 'You can really see that they're fake and you guys know I've been going through a bit of a journey to be more natural. 'I've had my fillers dissolved and just really trying to strip everything back, the next step for that is my teeth.' Molly-Mae continued: 'I do think now it's time to strip myself back a bit, remember, I'm only 21!' Chloe Sims Chloe Sims recently revealed she is having her fillers drained in a bid to achieve a more natural look after years of cosmetic work. The TOWIE star, 38, gave a make-up tutorial on Instagram in April before revealing she had made the alterations to her face. Changes: Chloe Sims recently revealed she is having her fillers drained in a bid to achieve a more natural look after years of cosmetic work Sharing progress snaps, she penned: 'So I decided to remove my fillers... the first photo is before, the second is without filler and the third is my more natural look... 'I'm really happy that I've toned it all down and as you know I think it's important to be honest with things like this. It's my personal choice and that makes me feel confident. Thanks Vogue Aesthetics.' Chloe Ferry In April, Chloe Ferry declared that she's 'done' with plastic surgery after splurging 50k on procedures - in a bid to be taken 'more seriously'. The beauty admitted she became 'obsessed' with going under the knife after she first appeared on the MTV show Geordie Shore in 2015 and saw Charlotte Crosby's enhanced lips. She admitted that she's had the most work done out of the entire cast, but plans to stop now as she hopes to be taken more seriously. 'I'm in a new chapter of my life. I want to be taken more seriously,' she said to Closer magazine. 'I want to be taken more seriously': In April, Chloe Ferry declared that she's 'done' with plastic surgery after splurging 50k on procedures - in a bid to be taken 'more seriously' (pictured right in 2014 and left recently) 'As soon as I started on the show in 2015 I was obsessed with surgery. When I met Charlotte and seen her lips I was like 'I NEED THEM!' and now I've had the most work done out of the cast. 'For the first time in ages, I'm really happy with the way I look. I feel that I look good. And I really don't think I will get any more surgery I feel done with that now.' Chloe has undergone multiple cosmetic procedures throughout recent years including three breast operations. She first began receiving Botox injections at the age of 19 to maintain a wrinkle-free visage. Megan McKenna In 2019, Megan McKenna admitted that she felt 'liberated' after breaking free from her lip fillers, big Essex hair and the pressures of being on a reality TV show. The former TOWIE star, 28, said that she was 'finally comfortable' in herself after dramatically overhauling her image in a bid to be taken seriously as a singer. After swapping boozing and late nights for vitamins and herbal teas, Megan told MailOnline in an exclusive interview: 'I've done all the partying. I want more!' Candid: In 2019, Megan McKenna admitted that she felt 'liberated' after breaking free from her lip fillers, big Essex hair and the pressures of being on a reality TV show (pictured in 2019, left, and before, right) The X Factor: Celebrity star, said: 'I feel liberated, 100 per cent. I finally feel comfortable in myself. I'm so over that life! It's boring. 'I have stripped back with loads of things, my hair, my make-up, my lips, right down to my clothes. I feel less is more. 'I know I dress up for stage but that's a different story, if you see me in my day to day clothes, I am on a much different vibe to what I used to be. AdvertisementThe Love Islander explained that she currently has non-porcelain veneers, but is going to have them removed and replaced with composite veneers because it will be 'a more natural look.' Anna insisted that she hasn't had filler in her cheeks 'for a while' and that the filler she would get in her nose, chin and jaw has now all dissolved. She said: 'All these things I've stopped. My face is going a lot more back to how it naturally looked.' Less is more: Anna insisted that she hasn't had filler in her cheeks 'for a while' and that the filler she would get in her nose, chin and jaw has dissolved, left, recently, and right, on Love IslandHowever, Anna explained that she won't ditch lip fillers because she believes bigger lips 'suit her face' but claims she won't 'go overboard' like she has in the past. Similarly, she won't be giving up Botox because she's gifted the procedure three times a year. Anna's insistence that she's done with fillers, except for in her lips, comes just two weeks after she showed off her new 'dollified' look after having a non-surgical nose job. New side profile: Two weeks ago, Anna showed off the results of her non-surgical nose job and lip lift that has given her a more 'dollified' lookShe shared a post uploaded by London and Dubai based company Zuzu Aesthetics on her Instagram story, which showed her with a straighter nose bridge and lifted tip. In a post on the beauty salon's page, they outlined that the pharmacist had her 'Top lip lifted and lower lip slightly dropped' as well as 'VERY small touch on her already small nose. They added of Anna's new appearance, 'Same nose just more dollified', alongside the hashtag #nonsurgicalnosejob, indicating she didn't go under the knife to achieve her look. | 1 |
###CLAIM: heidi klum has had enough of her blonde dreads : heading into berlin this fall wearing a black top with a gold zip-up graphic and black jeans and black leather shoes to make herself a star on the german show next top.
###DOCS: Heidi Klum celebrated her first outing at a restaurant in six months on Sunday, enjoying a family meal at Nobu Malibu before rounding off her perfect weekend with a beach trip. The America's Got Talent judge relaxed with her family at the oceanfront establishment, kissing her husband Tom Kaulitz, 31, on the scenic day as they ate on an outdoor porch. 'First time eating out at a restaurant in 6' months, the 47-year-old model captioned an Instagram post, adding an emoji of a face savoring food. Fun day: Heidi Klum, 47, kissed husband Tom Kaulitz, 31, as she celebrated her first outing at a restaurant in six months in an Instagram post on Sunday from Nobu Malibu, a restaurant frequented by many celebsShe later took to the site sharing a post from a trip to the beach as she relaxed with the Tokio Hotel guitarist and her kids. On the outing, Heidi had her blonde locks down with bangs, and wore a black top with gold graphics of zippers, black jeans and black leather shoe boots. She accessorized with bracelets, a black leather purse and wore reflective sunglasses and a black protective mask amid the ongoing pandemic. Klum's public outing to the restaurant comes as California has slowly lifted restrictions on indoor/outdoor dining as the pandemic has lasted more than six months. Stylish: On the outing, Heidi had her blonde locks down with bangs, and wore a black top with gold graphics of zippers, black jeans and black leather shoe bootsMoving forward: Klum will be headed to Berlin this fall to make her show Germany's Next Top ModelThe California Restaurant Association says that one out of every three restaurants in the state is planning to downsize or close as result of the economic impact of the ongoing pandemic, CBSLA reported Friday. The mom-of-four - to daughters Leni, 16, (with ex Flavio Briatore) and Lou, 10, and sons Henry, 15, Johan, 13 (with Seal) - later shared a shot from the shores of Malibu and she and her family enjoyed the sunny day in Southern California. She wrote in the caption: 'Sunday ... a beautiful day with my family,' adding emojis of hearts and aquatic symbols. She later took to the side sharing a post from a trip to the beach as she relaxed with the Tokio Hotel guitarist and her kidsBusy: Klum recently finished taping another season of the NBC series America's Got TalentGorgeous: Klum wore a long black coat as she stood on the sand in MalibuThe German supermodel and Kaulitz began dating in 2018 and exchanged vows in a secret ceremony in February of 2019. Klum recently finished taping another season of the NBC series America's Got Talent, on which she appears with Simon Cowell, Sofia Vergara and Howie Mandel. Klum will be headed to Berlin this fall to make her show Germany's Next Top Model. | 0 |
###CLAIM: johnson, who has a top senate alliance with former president donald trump, also sparred with bowser over the treatment of protesters involved in a black lives matter demonstration last summer and those involved in a capitol attack on january 6.
###DOCS: Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser slapped down arguments against making D.C. a state during a Senate hearing Tuesday, while also ruffling Republicans' feathers by saying D.C. only had 'one night of rioting' last summer. 'One thing I know about D.C. residents is that they have been fighting for this for 220 years,' Bowser stated before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. 'We will not quit until we achieve full democracy and our two senators are seated here with you.' She knocked down claims that D.C. should be retroceded to Maryland, the state that originally gave the land. 'Maryland has no claim to the land it ceded to the federal government when the District was founded,' Bowser said. 'Certainly, no one in this body would suggest that Maine should retrocede to Massachusetts or that West Virginia should return to Virginia.' Bowser also poked fun at some of the more 'preposterous to inaccurate' arguments she's heard. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said Washingtonians 'will not quit' until the District of Columbia becomes the 51st state. Bowser also said Maryland has no claim to the land that the District now commands'Just to cite a couple, in 2019 we were asked what would happen to the parking spaces for Congressional staff if the district were to become a state,' the mayor said. 'We were at a loss to see how our full democracy should be equated to just a few parking spaces.' 'This March I was confronted with concerns that the District could not be a state because it was believed that we didn't have a car dealership, even though we do,' she continued. 'Statements like these not only discount the civil rights of D.C. residents, they also demonstrate a true lack of understanding of the rapidly growing and thriving businesses and culture that surround the small federal presence,' Bowser added. Rep. Jody Hice, a Georgia Republican, had said in a House hearing in March, 'D.C. would be the only state, the only state, without an airport, without a car dealership, without a capital city, without a landfill, without even a name on its own, and we could go on and on and on.' The Senate hearing came two months after the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives voted for a second time to make D.C. the 51st state - which would be called Washington, Douglass Commonwealth. Despite getting a reception from senators, the bill looks permanently stuck in the upper chamber, with Republicans and even Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia against D.C. statehood. Bowser ruffled feathers when she said D.C. only experienced 'one night of rioting' last summer, as she went back-and-forth with GOP Sen. Ron Johnson on the treatment of Capitol rioters versus those engaged in Black Lives Matter protestsBowser appeared alongside former independent Sen. Joe Lieberman, the former chair of the Homeland Security committee, who also argued on behalf of D.C. statehood. 'Today's residents of the District of Columbia, as it has been said, have every right to sound the battle cry of our revolution, "No taxation without representation,"' Lieberman said. The Connecticut ex-senator said that 'all the arguments seem to be legalistic disputations and ultimately excuses for something that is inexcusable,' sassing at the Republicans in the room for presuming granting D.C. statehood would lead to the election of two Democratic senators and a Democratic House member. Lieberman noted that how when Alaska and Hawaii were added to the union, Alaska was believed to be a blue state and Hawaii a red. Now Alaska traditionally votes Reublican, whle Hawaii votes Democratic. Sen. Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican, dismissed Lieberman's argument calling granting D.C. statehood a 'naked power grab,' adding that 'you can predict quite handedly' how D.C. residents will vote. Johnson, a top Senate ally of former President Donald Trump, also sparred with Bowser over the treatment of protesters involved in the Black Lives Matter demonstration last summer versus those involved in the January 6 Capitol attack. Bowser tried blowing off much of Johnson's questioning, refusing to answer a query about how much the rioters' damage cost. 'I'm glad to hear you say that you are against riotous behavior whether it happened on 16th Street of here,' Bowser said on Capitol Hill. 'I know we had one night of rioting in the District in the summer,' she added. The 'one night' comment got a flurry of pushback on social media, with Twitter users posting photos of the several days of unrest that followed the Memorial Day death of George Floyd. | 0 |
###CLAIM: advertisementbidens ' speech comes amid deep worries for the national economy, which is suffering from a nationwide surge of virus cases and new restrictions on dining and other economic activity.
###DOCS: Comment on this story Comment Gift Article ShareWILMINGTON, Del. President-elect Joe Biden urged Congress to immediately pass an economic relief package Monday as he warned that the coronavirus pandemic will worsen in the coming months. The incoming Democratic president also criticized President Trump for his refusal to concede his election loss and begin handing over power. Biden called Trumps unprecedented actions embarrassing for the country and irresponsible. The delay in cooperation is setting back plans for a coordinated rollout of a coronavirus vaccine, Biden said. Most of that rollout would fall to the Biden administration next year, but the Trump White House is not sharing details of its distribution plan. Trump falsely claims that he won the Nov. 3 election and is holding up the normal transition process for a new president. President-elect Joe Biden on Nov. 16 urged President Trump to work with the incoming administration on developing a coordinated response to the pandemic. (Video: The Washington Post)AdvertisementI interpret that as Trumpianism, Biden said. No change in his modus operandi.Federal help can ease the pain for workers and employers as the virus surges across the country, Biden said as he and Vice President-elect Kamala D. Harris expressed optimism that businesses and labor unions are ready to work together to reboot the economy. The holdup is Congress, Biden said, as he criticized Democrats along with Republicans for inaction this fall. Biden called on Congress to pass a large package approved by House Democrats earlier this year and said they cannot wait any longer to act. Refusal of Democrats, Republicans to cooperate with one another is not due to some mysterious force beyond our control. Its a conscious decision. Its a choice that we make. If we can decide not to cooperate, we could decide to cooperate.AdvertisementAs he has before, Biden warned of a dark winter ahead as the pandemic continues to spread. Things are going to get much tougher before they get easier, Biden said. He suggested that the economic relief needs to be approved during the lame-duck session of Congress while Trump is still in the White House. Now, he said. Not tomorrow. Now.Separately, Biden said he and his family, like many Americans, are rethinking their Thanksgiving plans because of the pandemic. He endorsed public health advice to limit gatherings to 10 people or fewer. The speech followed one last week on Bidens approach to tackling the virus, which has killed at least 246,000 Americans. The pandemic that took hold in March continues to widen, and its toll on Americans lives and livelihoods hangs over Biden as he plans to assume the presidency in January. AdvertisementRepairing the economy is entwined with an effective response to the pandemic, Harris said in brief remarks ahead of Bidens address. Now is when the real work begins, Harris said. The necessary work, the good work, of getting this virus under control, saving lives and beating this pandemic and opening the economy responsibly while rebuilding it, she said. Biden and Harris spoke following a virtual meeting with business and labor leaders that included AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, General Motors CEO Mary Barra, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and others. To state the obvious, we seem to be turning a pretty dark corner now, Biden told the gathering while reporters were present. As a candidate, Biden claimed that his economic plan would restore the jobs lost this year as businesses shut down or scaled back because of the pandemic and then create 5 million new jobs. AdvertisementBidens speech comes amid deepening worries about the national economy suffering from a nationwide surge in coronavirus cases and new restrictions on dining and other economic activities. When the United States was first hit with a wave of coronavirus cases, Congress quickly acted on a bipartisan basis to approve more than $2 trillion in emergency aid for laid-off workers, distressed businesses and other sectors of the economy. With most of that aid expired, Americans may be facing a new wave of lockdowns this time without federal assistance. Lawmakers had expressed hope that at least a partial coronavirus relief package could be coupled with an extension in funding for the federal government, which is necessary to avoid a Dec. 11 shutdown. But senior congressional officials have grown increasingly pessimistic that can be achieved in the lame-duck period, according to multiple congressional aides and outside economic advisers. AdvertisementHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) have not talked recently about covid negotiations, according to a spokesman for Pelosi. President-elect Biden has been emphatic about the urgency of enacting a relief package as soon as possible, including in the lame-duck, to meet the needs of working families, small businesses, state and local governments, and virus control, said Jared Bernstein, an outside economic adviser to Biden. Biden spoke to Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Friday about the need for a stimulus package, said Ron Klain, the incoming chief of staff for the president-elect. Biden has not spoken to McConnell, Klain said. We need action during the lame-duck. There are a lot of things that are going to have to wait until Joe Biden is president, Klain said Sunday on NBC Newss Meet the Press. This is not one of them.AdvertisementTrump had pushed aggressively for a deal before the election, but the White House is now expected to take a back seat in negotiations and not offer new stimulus proposals, according to one person who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal administration planning. The president campaigned on a promise to rebuild what he frequently calls the best economy the country had ever experienced, while blaming the China virus for ruining it earlier this year. He has pushed for an end to restrictions on businesses and travel and the reopening of schools, despite the surge, while promising that a vaccine and better treatment are imminent. STOCK MARKET GETTING VERY CLOSE TO 30,000 ON NEW VACCINE NEWS. 95% EFFECTIVE! Trump tweeted Monday. Biden has not yet pushed Pelosi to take the $500 billion spending plan put forth by McConnell, although Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell has warned that failure to approve more aid could threaten the economic recovery. Powell has not endorsed a specific congressional plan. AdvertisementCongressional staff seems to be very gloomy. As of today, spirits are dampened, said Bill Hoagland, senior vice president at the Bipartisan Policy Center and former Republican staff director for the Senate Budget Committee. There does not appear to be any movement on either side.Congress will face a series of deadlines that could deepen Americans economic pain if unaddressed. Unemployment benefits for millions are set to expire, as are protections for renters and student borrowers amid mounting signs Americans are struggling to pay their utility bills and rent. "It's a mess," said Doug Holtz-Eakin, former director of the Congressional Budget Office who served as an adviser to the late senator John McCain (R-Ariz.). "People will be evicted, people will not eat, people will have problems. Even if you don't get a double-dip recession, you have to worry about the 11 million people out of work since April." In July, Biden had unveiled a proposal to spend $700 billion on American products and research. The U.S.-focused plan partly mirrors Trumps America First agenda for prioritizing American jobs, manufacturing and intellectual capital. AdvertisementBidens plan would include $400 billion in federal spending over four years on materials and services made in the United States, as well as $300 billion on U.S.-based research and development involving electric cars, artificial intelligence and similar technologies. He also advocated a 100-day supply chain review that could require federal agencies to buy only medical supplies and other goods manufactured in the United States. And he urged an end to loopholes that let procurement officers and federal contractors get around existing Buy American clauses. Stein reported from Washington. GiftOutline Gift Article | 0 |
###CLAIM: forest, which had lost four times more trees in the prior year, lost one percent in the years leading up to the most recent migration.
###DOCS: Monarch butterflies provide a unique spectacle every fall as they migrate to Mexico to hibernate for the winter. But now, that migration is at risk, as logging and climate change have taken a toll on the areas where these butterflies rest. According to a new report by the World Wildlife Fund and Mexico's government, the monarch population present for hibernation in Mexico plunged by 26% in December compared to the same month in 2019. In 2019, the monarchs occupied 2.83 hectares, nearly 7 acres, in their hibernation forests in Mexico. After their latest migration in 2020, however, they occupied just 2.1 hectares, roughly 5.1 acres. Jorge Rickards, director general of WWF-Mexico, said the data shows that the migratory process of monarchs is at risk, and urged governments and scientists to work on addressing the issue. In the U.S., the monarch butterfly is approaching endangered status. In December, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said that listing the butterfly species as endangered or threatened is "warranted" under the Endangered Species Act, but that there were other species that were higher priority to be listed. The FWS said it will review the status of monarch butterflies annually. "Monarch butterflies show us how individual work, in this case, migration, can become an exceptional collaborative exercise, when all these migrants gather in the forests to hibernate together and buffer the climate," Rickards said in a statement. The decline is likely related to the decreasing forest area in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, where the majority of hibernation colonies are recorded. Friday's report found that in the year leading up to the most recent migration, the forest lost four times more trees than it did the year prior. "Clandestine" logging was the primary cause of this, the report said. Pest control activities, wind and drought also impacted the loss of trees. Climate change is also impacting monarchs during their time in the U.S. Changing environmental conditions were not favorable for milkweed, according to the report, which is essential for monarchs to breed. Monarchs lay their eggs in milkweed, and larvae feed exclusively on the plant. "This limited the reproduction of the Monarch population, with an impact on the migrant generation, reducing the population of this insect throughout North America and leading to a smaller population occupying the Mexican forests during its hibernation," the report says. Monarchs are the only butterflies known to take part in a two-way migration. According to WWF, they travel between 1,200 and 2,800 miles every year so that they can spend the winter months resting in the forests of central Mexico. | 0 |
###CLAIM: unfortunately this long layoff is nothing new to him, he only competes once a year but it is longer than anything he did in 2015-17.
###DOCS: Some might look at Rory MacDonalds most recent cage fights, all part of the 2019 Bellator Welterweight World Grand Prix, and think theres some passing familiarity with the structure of his new mixed martial arts home, Professional Fighters League. Not quite, says MacDonald (21-6, 14 finishes), who will make his debut with the organization on Thursday night as the ESPN2-aired headliner for the second event of this PFL season at Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, N.J., facing fellow UFC and Bellator veteran Curtis Millender. The former Bellator 170-pound champion said his experience with his former promotion and its tournament wasnt the greatest.For PFL, I get to know my schedule ahead of time, MacDonald told The Post over Zoom on Tuesday. With Bellator, I didnt. They kind of sprung it on me, and they pressured me into taking fights early and things like that. It was a lot different.With PFL, MacDonald says its so far, so good. And although Ray Cooper III also will compete Thursday as he looks to repeat as PFL welterweight champion he won the most recent season in 2019 its hard to consider anyone but MacDonald as the favorite. It seems to be, when I hear from the fighters, they all want a piece of me, said MacDonald matter-of-factly of the other nine welterweights in the field. So in my opinion, thats a good thing, its a compliment that Ive done well and they want to compete against me.Although just 31, MacDonald has been a pro for 16 years. He was 5-0 in MMA before turning 18. By 20, he scored his first UFC victory and went on to a 9-4 run with the promotion that included nearly becoming the champion, before succumbing via fifth-round TKO to champ Robbie Lawler in July 2015 in whats considered one of the sports most legendary wars of attrition. By 2017, MacDonald jumped to Bellator as a free agent, claiming their welterweight crown from Douglas Lima the following year. Following a failed bid to claim a second title at middleweight, he made his first title defense as part of the grand prix. That fight against Jon Fitch ended in a draw, followed by a decision win over Neiman Gracie at Madison Square Garden in the semifinals. But the final in October 2019 saw the Canadian drop a decision and his crown to Lima in their tournament final rematch, closing out his obligations to Bellator. PFL inked MacDonald to a contract definitely the best contract of my career which could lead to him earning the $1 million prize as the season champion with the intent of him competing in the planned 2020 season. The coronavirus pandemic postponed the season a year, meaning MacDonald will have been sidelined for 18 months when he faces Millender (18-6, six finishes), an alternate who replaced original opponent David Michaud when a career-ending heart ailment was discovered. MacDonald maintains the opponent switch, which happened earlier this month, doesnt faze him. I think hes a good kickboxer, but I think Im just as good as him at that, if not better, MacDonald said. And I think Im more skilled in the other departments of mixed martial arts too.Rory McDonald in his fight against Douglas Lima at Bellator 192 Getty ImagesMacDonald said long layoffs are unfortunately nothing new to him, although this one is notably longer than anything from 2015 through 2017, when he competed only once each year. Still, he used the time away from competition to work on some weaknesses in my training, in my lifestyle, in my mental approach to fighting.The mental aspect was especially key for MacDonald, who in the cage after his draw with Fitch candidly said, I dont have that killer inside. I dont know. Its really hard to explain, but I hesitate a little bit now.Thats one of the things I addressed in my time off last year is just understanding why Im doing this sport, MacDonald told The Post, refocusing, understanding why Im doing this, and I was able to do that. And I feel like Im back better than ever, mentally and physically. Just realizing that the Lord had blessed me in this skill set, in this sport, and that this was my destiny to go and claim that No. 1 spot as the top welterweight in the world, continued MacDonald, who often speaks of his Christian faith. I was a little confused at that point in my career with Jon, when I was fighting Neiman and Douglas for a second time; I was really passionate about this sport, but I think I was just confused with all the changes in my life and getting comfortable with the lifestyle I was living and losing kind of a passion for this sport.If indeed MacDonalds killer instinct in the cage has returned, perhaps the PFL field is right to keep him directly in their crosshairs. | 1 |
###CLAIM: in communications, for example, look for more people with experience in different industries such as advertising or sales to bring different lenses to the table.
###DOCS: Operating at the high-stakes intersection of business, media, and politics. Head of Comms & Public Affairs at Global Strategy Group. gettyA new trend is emerging in the pandemic-era workplace. People are rethinking their priorities and beginning to make new career moves. In fact, a recent Prudential survey indicates that 1 in 4 workers plan to look for a new job in a different company as the pandemic subsides. This massive shift will dramatically affect employers, the employees who stay in their current roles, and those who decide to move to new opportunities. Several factors seem to be playing into this reshuffling, including work-life balance concerns and the pursuit of passion projects that people were able to consider during the past year. Other people are focusing on their families, taking time off after a year of strenuous work, or starting their own companies. As The New York Times put it, Welcome to the YOLO Economy, where those who feel burnt out and have savings are taking a leap into new ventures. At Global Strategy Group, weve seen this trend emerge with our clients across all industries and in different organization sizes. Despite the disruption, many of them are using it as an opportunity to take stock of their goals, re-evaluate their teams, and recruit fresh thinking and energy. Heres what were advising leaders to do right now:1. Research the relevant trends for your industry and company. Preparation is the key for adaptation this year. Dont be caught off guard by the sudden workforce shifts that may come they are already on the way. In the communications industry, for instance, the job reshuffling doesnt appear to be the typical agency-to-agency hops that we usually see. Instead, workers are making big changes by starting their own business, moving from consulting to in-house work, or shifting from corporate communications to advocacy and non-profit organizations. According to a recent survey by Blind, an anonymous social network popular with workers in the technology industry, about 49% of respondents said they were planning to land a new position in 2021. This included workers at Amazon, Facebook, Google and Microsoft. Check the polls and data that are appropriate for your industry to understand the trends and expectations that will develop this year. 2. Look at new formats for hybrid work. After a year of working remotely, some people are ready to return to the office, and some are not. As Microsoft said recently, the hybrid work model is the next great disruption and will likely be critical for attracting and retaining new talent. In a survey of more than 30,000 people in 31 countries, the company found that 70% of workers want flexible work options to continue, yet 65% still want more in-person time with their colleagues. Companies will need to find new ways to enhance collaboration and well-being among their people this year. At Global Strategy Group, for instance, we surveyed our employees and have adopted a company policy of incorporating up to two days of remote work per week. We are also increasing overall flexibility for fully remote arrangements in new locations and creating policies to plan for a new in-person workplace. Companies will need to place a higher priority on collaboration among team members overall, no matter where they are located. 3. Consider an organizational assessment. During a major transition, your company may find it useful to conduct an assessment and re-align various aspects of the organization. This could include a focus on communications, customer service, sales, marketing, fulfillment or other areas. Your employees can contribute valuable insight to this process and help the company to adapt new practices for better operations. At Global Strategy Group, we often help companies to assess their communications infrastructure. This can cover both internal and external processes, ranging from an evaluation of staff responsibilities and capabilities to an audit of communications materials. After an assessment, we then can create a roadmap to make sure the communications structure aligns with the companys needs and overall business goals. Many times, weve found, departments grow in unplanned or disorganized ways over time. This moment provides a great opportunity to conduct assessment exercises and create adjustments. 4. Explore the positive changes. As much as this transition is going to be unsettling, its also an opportunity to highlight the benefits. During the hiring process, you can infuse new talent including non-traditional experience and diverse perspectives into your teams. Dont be afraid to draw from different pools than youre used to doing for recruitment. In communications, for instance, were looking for more people with experience in different industries, such as advertising or sales, who bring a different lens to the table. Instead of encouraging your new hires to fit into the typical mold and way of doing business, consider and embrace their different perspectives on how to make processes work better. Their previous experience is valuable, and you can meld both ways of being to arrive at more effective solutions. Teams with a diversity of thought and experience can create a new approach in the market to achieve a goal that you previously werent in the position to do. This shake-up may be exactly what you need. As these shifts begin to take place in your company, know that internal communications will become more important as well. This starts with inspirational leaders communicating core values and the mission of the company, as well as culture-building among team members. Use this time of reshuffling to shore up your communications infrastructure, brand values and company culture, and youll build the new team that will take you successfully into the years ahead. Forbes Communications Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. Do I qualify? | 0 |
###CLAIM: the lakeland grocer slammed the florida-based broadcast saying the report was `` absolutely false and offensive. ''
###DOCS: Major League Baseball plans to relocate the All-Star Game to Coors Field in Denver after pulling this year's Midsummer Classic from Atlanta over objections to sweeping changes to Georgia's voting laws, city and state officials announced on Tuesday. "We're ready and we're excited for this opportunity," Denver Mayor Michael Hancock said at a press conference on Tuesday. "We're honored to accept this opportunity on behalf of the Colorado Rockies and Major League Baseball and experience for all Coloradoans. This is a big deal and we should celebrate as such." ESPN was first to report the decision. Hancock and Colorado Governor Jared Polis, both Democrats, made the joint announcement Tuesday afternoon. They said they expected the game to bring over $100 million in revenue to Denver and the surrounding area. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred also confirmed the decision Tuesday afternoon. MLB said one of the reasons Colorado was chosen was because it was already bidding to host the 2024 All-Star Game. MLB pulled the July 13 game from Truist Park in Atlanta in response to Georgia voting rules that Republican Gov. Brian Kemp quickly signed into law March 25. Critics, including the CEOs of Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines and Coca-Cola, have condemned the changes as being too restrictive. The Georgia law includes new limits on voting by mail and greater legislative control over how elections are run, amid a push in Republican-led states to reduce voting options after former president Donald Trump made baseless claims of widespread fraud in last year's election. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred made the decision to move the All-Star events and the amateur draft from Atlanta after discussions with individual players and the Players Alliance, an organization of Black players formed after the death of George Floyd last year, the commissioner said in a statement. Presumably, the draft will also be relocated to Denver, says CBSSports.com's Dayn Perry. Kemp has vowed to defend the measure, and other Republicans have criticized MLB's move. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott backed out of throwing the first pitch at the Texas Rangers' home opener Monday and said the state wouldn't seek to host the All-Star Game or any other special MLB events. Coors Field last hosted the All-Star Game in 1998, the fourth season for the stadium and sixth for the Rockies franchise. It's uncertain what kind of seating capacity there might be due to COVID-19 restrictions. The Rockies had a seating capacity during their first homestand against the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers of 21,363 fans, which was 42.6% of usual capacity. The seating was in pods, and standing room areas weren't available for fans to gather. Polis said Tuesday that given the current pace of COVID-19 vaccinations, he hopes Coors Field will be at full capacity by July. Players also weren't allowed to sign autographs or toss baseballs into the stands, in accordance with MLB coronavirus protocols. | 0 |
###CLAIM: the great migration of blacks fleeing the south for factory and factory jobs in urban north and west was driven black political power back home which in turn reinforced white political power.
###DOCS: Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters. In the decades before the Civil War, one of the Souths largest slave enterprises held sway on the northern outskirts of Durham, North Carolina. At its peak, about 900 enslaved people were compelled to grow tobacco, corn, and other crops on the Stagville Plantation, 30,000 acres of rolling piedmont that had been taken from the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation. Today, the area has a transitional feel: Old farmhouses, open fields, and pine forests cede ground to subdivisions, as one of Americas hottest real estate markets sprawls outward. You can also listen to Tom Philpott's story read aloud:On a sunny winter afternoon, farmer and food-justice activist Tahz Walker greets me on a 48-acre patch of former Stagville property called the Earthseed Land Collective. Walker and a few friends pooled their resources and bought this parcel, he says, to experiment with collective living, and inspire people of color to reimagine their relationship to land. He leads me through the gate of the propertys Tierra Negra Farm, a 2-acre plot of vegetable rows, hoop houses, and a grassy patch teeming with busy hens. Its one of several enterprises housed within the land collective, which also features a commercial worm-compost operation, a capoeira studio, and homes for several members, including the 1930s farmhouse where Walker lives with his wife and co-farmer, Cristina Rivera-Chapman, and their two kids. Tierra Negra markets its produce through a subscription veggie-box service that goes to 20 nearby familiesincluding descendants of Stagvilles enslaved populationand supplies Communities in Partnership, a local nonprofit that brings affordable fresh food to historically Black, fast-gentrifying East Durham. My dad would always say, Everybodys trying to get off the farm. Why are you trying to get on the farm? 'As its January, most of the rows are fallow. Walker points to a patch of bare ground that grew sweet potatoes the previous season. Its a variety that was grown by a Black farmer in Virginia for like 40 years, he says. He stopped growing them, and I started growing them from slips, referring to the green shoots used to propagate sweet potatoes. Its a cool varietyinstead of running, it kind of bushes up, so its really great for cultivation with the tractor. And it still makes great pies and fries.Like many Black Americans born in the second half of the 20th century, Walker has ancestral ties to agriculture, but he grew up alienated from it. His father had spent summers working on his familys farm operation in rural Kentucky, where they sharecropped on land owned by white people. Walkers dad fled as soon as he could and ultimately set up an IT-services business in Atlanta, raising Walker and his sister in the citys then-semirural far northern suburbs. Stories about life in the Kentucky fields were scarce. To his father, farming represented trauma [that] gets passed down, something to escape. When Walker began to devote his life to agriculture as a young adult in the late 1990s, my dad would always say, Everybodys trying to get off the farm. Why are you trying to get on the farm?Walker is part of a growing movement of young Black Americans striving to reclaim the legacy of agrarianism. Acquiring land isnt easy, as he knows all too well: A century of land loss has been compounded by escalating real estate prices. Yet the quest to reclaim farmland is gaining momentum as part of the broader reparations movement, which seeks redress for the unpaid debts owed to many Black Americans. After a traumatic history marked by enslavement and then sharecropping, followed by a century of racist federal farm policy that largely stripped Black farmers of the ability to hold land, I never in my wildest dreams thought that there would be young people wanting to become farmers, says Karen Washington, a pioneering community gardener in the Bronx who now co-owns a farm in the Hudson Valley. While the wounds of the Black agricultural experience cant be forgotten, Washington says, a different narrative has started to surface: power behind owning land and controlling what you eat.In January 1865, Maj. General William Tecumseh Sherman met with a group of Black ministers in Savannah, Georgia, to discuss the path forward for 3.9 million recently freed Black people. The way we can best take care of ourselves is to have land and turn it and till it by our own labor, a Baptist minister and former slave named Garrison Frazier told Sherman. The general proposed to expropriate 400,000 acres owned by white plantation owners and grant it to freed slaves in allotments not to exceed 40 acres. The region would be politically autonomous, with the sole and exclusive management of affairs...left to the freed people themselves. Shermans Special Field Orders, No. 15, popularly known as 40 acres and a mule, were soon approved by President Abraham Lincoln, but died with him; his successor, the Southern white supremacist Andrew Johnson, hastily canceled the orders. As the land remained in the hands of white plantation owners, millions of Black people had little choice but to work as sharecropperstenants who rented a patch of farmland in exchange for an often-meager share of the harvest. This arrangement quickly morphed into a form of debt peonage. Sharecroppers had to rely on high-interest loans from their landlords and merchants to run their operations, leaving scant profit. The ruling white gentry, in turn, used credit as a tool to ramp up production, which forced sharecroppers to grow ever more cotton, the only crop that could always be made into money, Harvard historian Sven Beckert writes in his book Empire of Cotton: A Global History. As cotton output rose, prices fell, putting sharecroppers on a debt treadmill, enabling the Southern ruling class to continue extracting monumental wealth from the labor of Black people long after abolition. And yet, despite violent backlash from Southern planters, Black growers managed to gain a toehold. The key was collective action, University of Wisconsin sociologist Monica White explains in her book Freedom Farmers: Agricultural Resistance and the Black Freedom Movement, 18802010. Launched in 1886 to organize landless Black farmers and to pool money to buy land and tools, the Colored Farmers National Alliance and Cooperative Union boasted 1.2 million members at its peak. At the Tuskegee Institute, the Alabama land-grant college founded by Booker T. Washington and other formerly enslaved people, agricultural scientist George Washington Carver pushed crop diversification, composting, and other proto-organic methods to help sharecroppers make enough profit to purchase their land, feed their families, and achieve economic autonomy, White writes. Carver toured Alabama in an agricultural wagon, delivering lectures and demonstrations of his techniques. Black agrarian activists of the past are inspiring todays generation to create an oasis of self-reliance and self-determination.These efforts helped Black farmers acquire land against long odds at a time when ownership was the surest path to a measure of economic security within a highly stratified, racist society. By 1910, although sharecropping remained dominant, the US census reported, about 219,000 Black farmers owned land. Together, the Land Loss and Reparations Project found, they held an estimated 20 million acres. According to Thomas Mitchell, co-director of Texas A&Ms Real Estate and Community Development Law program and an expert on Black land tenure, as many as 80 percent of the Black middle or upper-middle class at that time were farm owners. Those Black landowners would soon come under severe attack. As historian Pete Daniel shows in his 2013 book, Dispossession: Discrimination Against African American Farmers in the Age of Civil Rights, the loss of Black farmland accelerated after the Great Depression, driven by two factors. One was the industrial revolution that had transformed farming: Farmers had to scramble to pay for expensive new fertilizers and machines, while the resulting boom in crop yields triggered a steady fall in prices. The total number of farms plunged from 6.8 million in 1935 to fewer than 3 million in 1974. The Department of Agriculture, Daniel shows, promoted the modernization push, plying rural areas with loans and aid to encourage the adoption of new technologies. While millions of farms failed even with a gusher of postWorld War II USDA support, few could survive without it. But all that government support flowed through the far-flung county offices of various Department of Agriculture agencies, which were often dominated by local white landholders. As the revolt against Jim Crow gained force, USDA programs were sharpened into weapons to punish civil rights activity, Daniel notes. Black farmers found themselves increasingly cut off from the aid they needed to survive, resulting in defaults, bankruptcies, and forced sales on a grand scale. To make matters worse, planters evicted tenants and sharecroppers who attempted to register to vote and replaced them with machines and chemicals, Daniel writes. Poverty and hunger within rural communities spiked, driving the Great Migration of Black people fleeing the agrarian South for factory jobs in the urban North and West, which in turn reinforced white political power back home. Some Black farmers who stayed responded once again by forming cooperatives. Fannie Lou Hamer, born in 1917, grew up picking cotton on her familys sharecropping operation in Mississippi. After being evicted from the plantation for her voting rights activism in 1962, Hamer quickly seized on land tenure as key to Black liberation. In 1969, she launched the Freedom Farm Cooperative in Sunflower County, Mississippi, one of the poorest, most agriculture-intensive regions in the country, using what we would now call crowdfunding, cobbling together fees from speaking tours with donations from a nationwide campaign led by Harry Belafonte. At its peak in 1972, the Freedom Farm Cooperative housed 70 families who grew commodity crops like cotton and wheat as well as fresh vegetables that fed another 1,600 families in the surrounding community. Then a series of floods and droughts struck, and Hamer became seriously ill. In 1976, the Freedom Farm Cooperative had to sell its land to pay back taxes. The dream of a self-sufficient agrarian community was over, recounts White. Yet today Hamers model is inspiring the next generation of Black agrarians to create an oasis of self-reliance and self-determination in a landscape of oppression maintained in part by deprivation, White adds. White farmers, too, felt the brunt of the postwar rise of industrial agriculture, which drove millions of them out of business. But when they sold out, their land was largely bought by other white people, meaning overall white land ownership held steady. Lost Black farmland, however, also largely accrued to white people. The result is that the number of Black farmers has dropped by 98 percent from its high in 1920, and the total amount of Black-owned farmland has withered to 10 percent of its peak. The total economic hit to Black wealth from land loss could be in excess of $300 billiona significant contributor to the persistent racial wealth gap that hangs over US society. This change amounted to an enormous transfer of wealth from Black to white people. When a family is forced to sell off its land at fire-sale prices, the loss cascades through generations. Land was wealthan asset that could be used to borrow money. You could use the land as collateral to get a loan to send your kids to college or university and improve their economic outcomes, Mitchell says. Along with Harvard scholar Nathan Rosenberg and journalist Bryce Stucki (who, with Kathryn Joyce, co-wrote an investigation accompanying this article), Mitchell is part of a research team called the Land Loss and Reparations Project, which is analyzing the economic impact of the great dispossession. According to its preliminary analysis, the total economic hit to Black wealth from land loss could be in excess of $300 billiona significant contributor to the persistent racial wealth gap that hangs over US society. Today the median white family is nearly 10 times wealthier than its Black counterpart. The consequences continue to reverberate. George Floyd, whose murder last year by now-convicted Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin sparked global protests, grew up in a public-housing project in a predominantly Black Houston neighborhood where white flight, underinvestment and mass incarceration fostered a crucible of inequality, reported the Washington Posts Toluse Olorunnipa and Griff Witte. One reason Floyds family lacked resources: His great-great-grandfather, Hillery Thomas Stewart Sr., had 500 acres of North Carolina farmland stolen from him in the late 19th century, the Post reports. Instead of inheriting property that would have ballooned in value over the 20th century, his children worked as sharecroppers. Agriculture, the backbone of the Black middle class just a century ago, has largely vanished as a force in Black American life. According to the latest US Census of Agriculture, only 1.7 percent of farms were run by Black people in 2017. Meanwhile, the value of farm real estate has exploded: During the 20th century, its price rose dramatically, and has continued its ascent since, representing both a devastating loss of Black wealth and a major obstacle for would-be farmers trying to break into agriculture. Despite these odds, there are signs of a resurgence of interest in farming among young Black people. In Virginias Northern Neck region near Chesapeake Bay, Chris Newman, the son of a Black mother and a Native American father, left a tech career in 2013 to launch Sylvanaqua Farms, where he raises chickens, cattle, and hogs on pasture along with vegetables. From his Instagram and Medium accounts, Newman has emerged as one of the most influential voices in the movement, laying out a vision of agriculture quite different from the Jeffersonian family-farmer model that, he argues, thrived on stolen land and labor and now functions as a bulwark for maintaining white dominance. The groups impact goes well beyond its efforts to deliver fresh food to low-income neighborhoods in Albany, near where Penniman once worked as a public school teacher. Its weeklong immersion courses have provided more than 100 aspiring growers of Black, Indigenous, and Latino heritage on-the-ground training to heal from inherited trauma rooted in oppression on land, and take steps toward [their] personal food sovereignty, as the groups website states. As children in the 1980s, Penniman and her siblings split time between rural Massachusetts, where they lived most of the year with their father in a trailer, and Boston, where they spent summers with their mother. Out in the country, she and her sister would go out into the woods and propitiate the trees and the soil and the rocks and bring offerings, she recalls. When we were very little, maybe were 6, 7 years old, we thought we invented this new religion called Mother Nature.Penniman almost gave up on agriculture: I was disillusioned by the fact that everybody was white at these conferences.Ironically, it was in the city where she experienced an agrarian awakening. In 1996, at the age of 16, she got a summer job at the Food Project, a Boston-based program that taught teenagers to grow food for soup kitchens at a community garden and a 40-acre farm in the suburbs. I just fell in love with that elegant simplicity of seed-to-harvest, she says. It was just undeniably good.The experience led her to seriously consider a career in farming: I went to all the conferences, I read all the books. But in college, she almost gave up on agriculture: I was disillusioned by the fact that everybody was white at these conferences.At the 2010 Northeast Organic Farming Association conference in Amherst, Massachusetts, Penniman had a fateful encounter with Karen Washington, the community-garden activist. She said to me, Dont give up, one day we will have our books, well have our conferences, well have our community, because this is our heritage.Not long after, Washington launched the inaugural Black Farmers & Urban Gardeners (BUGS) conference in Brooklyn. The annual conference has emerged as a space where Black agrarians of many kindsyoung, old, city, country, Southern, Northernmeet, compare notes, and collaborate on a future that centers food and land justice. Penniman says the urban-rural connections highlighted by BUGS are a driving force of the new Black agrarian movement. Almost everybody who comes to our trainings at Soul Fire and is interested in commercial farming or larger-scale farming started out in these [urban] community gardens, like the Garden of Happiness in the Bronx that Mama Karen started, she says. The folks whove held on to that little bit of earth, that little corner of soil are the folks who are going to be feeding us in the future.And collaboration remains key. Working with a network of new and aspiring farmers, Penniman helped launch the Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust in 2019. The trust came about through the realization among young farmers of color that land in the region is really hard to access, its expensive, it gets scooped up by wealthy investors, says Stephanie Morningstar, the groups director and a member of the Mohawk Nation. The group hopes to acquire at least 2,000 acres of farmland over the next five years, and to make it available to Black, Indigenous, and Latino farmers through long-term leases. The May 2020 murder of George Floyd and the subsequent wave of Black Lives Matter protests just broke open a dam, leading to tons of offers to donate parcels of land to the trust, she says. At the same time, the trust is taking it slow, acknowledging that the region is essentially the unceded territory of dozens of sovereign nations with whom it must build relations before it can accept and manage the land in good conscience. Currently, Morningstar says, were a land trust without land, because were building trust.For most young Black farmers, land is out of reach. To launch their operation, Walker and Rivera-Chapman did what a lot of aspiring farmers do: They rented. Their vision was to grow top-quality food for underserved communities within the RaleighDurhamChapel Hill Triangle, a region marked by rapid economic growth and massive racial and economic inequality. Open land within easy range of the Triangle is pricey. So for several years, Tierra Negra was an itinerant operation, hopping from rented patch to rented patch held by owners always on the lookout for more lucrative tenants. But that approach was in direct opposition to the organic agriculture Walker and Rivera-Chapman are devoted to. Growing food that doesnt rely on chemical pesticides and fertilizers requires years of patient investment in the soil. The last straw came in 2017, when the couple rented an acre-and-a-half plot in downtown Durham. The price was reasonablearound $500 per monthbut the landlord, a New York investor, could void the lease at any time with a 30-day notice. We saw the writing on the wall with the land there. Were just like, its a vacant lot in the middle of the cityits probably not gonna be there long, Walker says. Theres a high-rise there now.For years, Walker and Rivera-Chapman had been plotting to pool their resources with friends, including Courtney Woods, an assistant professor of environmental engineering at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and Justin Robinson, a musician and scholar of Southern foodways who was a fiddler for the Grammy-winning Black old-time group the Carolina Chocolate Drops. (In his own off-farm job, Walker works at RAFI-USA, a North Carolina-based rural-justice advocacy group, managing the Farmers of Color Network.) Together they formed the Earthseed Land Collective (the name pays homage to a series of books by the Afrofuturist novelist Octavia Butler) and bought the 12-acre property that houses Tierra Negra. More recently, with a community bank loan and support from a local land trust, they bought an additional 38 acres of adjoining land. Such prime real estate, Walker says, would not have been affordable if we werent able to work through a collective model.People pooling resources and buying land for multiple uses presents one of the most viable options for young farmers to access land right now, says Noah McDonald, a former Soul Fire apprentice who now works as a researcher at the Southeastern African American Farmers Organic Network. Sharing resources was functionally how our ancestors were able to acquire so much land in the Southeast in the first place, he says. Yet efforts like Earthseed take time, and high prices mean that its hard for anyone besides midcareer professionals like Walkers crew to break in. Sharing resources, McDonald says, was functionally how our ancestors were able to acquire so much land in the Southeast in the first place.A Senate bill introduced last year could shake things up dramatically. Introduced in November, the Justice for Black Farmers Act would reverse the destructive forces that were unleashed upon Black farmers over the past century, says Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), who sponsored the bill along with Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.). The legislation would devote $8 billion annually to buying farmland and granting it to Black farmers. The goal: 20,000 grants per year through 2030, with maximum allotments of 160 acres. The bill would also fund agriculture-focused historically Black colleges and universities, provide farmer training, and support the development of farmer cooperatives. The bill grew out of a letter that Black farmers and advocates had sent to Warren during her presidential campaign in 2019, urging her to directly address racism at the USDA and the loss of Black farmland. To be clear, any land that changes hands under the act would be bought by the federal government at market price from a willing seller. But Newmans critique still resonated with several Black farmer advocates I spoke with. In Black agrarianism, McDonald says, we grapple with that tension because we come from an Indigenous spiritual home in the deep past. Black Americans are also displaced indigenous people who should act in solidarity with Native Americans. Yet the bills greatest contribution, he adds, is that its ignited this conversation around Native land sovereignty, homesteading land reform, and land redistribution.Jessica A. Shoemaker, a professor at the University of Nebraska College of Law and a scholar of Native American land issues, offers a similar view. The bill is one step in a longer and desperately overdue reconciliation process in this country, and at least it is a start where there has been nothing for far too long, she says. Even having this conversation at the federal level seemed impossible until a few months ago.As the bill sat in limbo, another piece of legislation made its way into the $1.9 trillion covid relief bill after a push from senators including Booker and Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.): $4 billion in payments to help farmers of color pay off outstanding USDA farm loan debts and related taxes and another $1 billion to fund training and support for them, as well as to confront racism within the USDA. Standing under the winter sun, Tahz Walker contemplates the future of Tierra Negra Farm. Doing the math, it looks like we could grow out cool varieties, have food and eat it, and still sell it, he says. Hes still figuring out the details. Like the Black agrarian movement, Tierra Negra remains a work in progress, seeding a brighter future in the fertile soil of a complicated past. Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters. Once, Valee Taylor and Renee Stewarts family was among the largest Black landowners in North Carolinas Orange County, a rectangle of farm country running north from Chapel Hill. In the 1930s, after a life of sharecropping, the siblings grandfather, Berea Burrie Corbett, turned $40 worth of gold coins his parents had given him into a 1,300-acre tobacco farm in tiny Cedar Grove, becoming a pillar of the local Black bourgeoisie. He built a church and a school for the local Black community. Taylor and Stewart had helped run the farm during high school and college. After careers in law enforcement and pharmacy, respectively, they decided to return to the family business. In 2009, aided by a loan from the US Department of Agriculture, they launched a high-tech aquaculture operation in a 10,000-square-foot building that stood where their grandfather once grew tobacco. Taylor Fish Farms organic tilapia soon turned up in grocery stores around the South and was the first Black-owned farm to supply food to the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. You can also listen to this story read aloud:The siblings enjoyed rapid success until a series of natural disasters forced them to take production offline and the USDA delayed their request to defer loan payments. Stewart lost the 80-acre tobacco farm shed posted as collateral and developed a heart condition from the stress; her doctor, she recalls, worried I was going to take my life. Taylor had a nervous breakdown that landed him in the hospital. Black farmers have lost more than 90 percent of their land since 1910. Its easy to think of this as a one-off story of personal calamity. But what happened to Taylor and Stewart is distressingly common among Black farmers, who have lost more than 90 percent of their land since 191016 million acres, a landmass roughly the size of West Virginiain part due to widespread discrimination by USDA bureaucrats who refused them loans, acreage allotments, and other forms of support that white farmers in similar situations easily obtained. Black ownership of farmland peaked in the early 20th century. And while you might assume the New Deal, the civil rights movement, and President Lyndon Johnsons Great Society programs helped Black families build on that land base, it was the opposite, says Pete Daniel, a historian and the author of Dispossession: Discrimination Against African American Farmers in the Age of Civil Rights. A lot of the reason for that was in the Department of Agriculture and how its programs were racist. The people who carried them out were trying to get rid of Black farmers, Daniel says. The people in charge at the USDAs headquarters in Washington never took action against any of the bureaucrats who were racist and abusive, so they were complicit with this behavior.In 1965, the agencys first civil rights director was appointed to try to clean up its entrenched discrimination. President Richard Nixon later established an entire office dedicated to the task. But in the years since, the departments civil rights office has been ineffective at best and actively biased at worst, according to our analysis of thousands of pages of documents and interviews with 29 current and former department employees. Far from safeguarding farmers and even its own employees rights, the civil rights office has instead often buried or ignored their complaints. Agency officials who attempt to change that pattern have found themselves sidelined. Doing right when it comes to USDA civil rights enforcement, one employee tells us, is a lonely, lonely, lonely business.The Trump administration intensified the civil rights offices dysfunction, putting officials in charge of the office and its legal counterpart whod cut their teeth seeking to undo civil rights protections in other realms. Although President Joe Biden has voiced support for civil rights enforcement at the agency, USDA staff and food justice advocates for victims of discrimination say his plan just dusts off promises that were broken during the Obama years. Its just a gargantuan power structure thats pretty unshakable, Daniel says. But that doesnt mean we cant try to fight.With about 85,000 employees working across 17 subagencies, the USDA is one of the largest federal departments. It oversees the Forest Service and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (what used to be called food stamps), loans for rural businesses and infrastructure, farm credit, and even some low-income housing. The modern USDA took shape under the New Deal, as Southern Democrats used their enormous influence to ensure that all those new federal programs wouldnt challenge segregation. As documented in political scientist Ira Katznelsons 2005 book, When Affirmative Action Was White, they made sure that federal resources would be distributed under local control. Through the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933, which was designed to pay farmers to curtail production, the government established county committees that helped determine and distribute farm subsidies. Plantation owners and other Southern elites controlled these committees and the many other farm programs initiated by the New Dealalways ensuring that most of the money ended up in the hands of powerful white men. The USDAs central role in this pattern of discrimination would earn it the nickname The Last Plantation among Black farmers. By the mid-1960s, civil rights activists had trained their sights on this Jim Crow farm system, running Black candidates for spots on USDA county committees that distributed enormous amounts of farm aid. In 1965, the US Commission on Civil Rights released a scathing report that documented ongoing entrenched discriminatory practices throughout the USDAs Southern offices. The same year, Agriculture Secretary Orville Freeman responded by appointing the departments first civil rights director, William Seabron. It was mostly symbolic: Seabron drew up an aggressive reform plan, which included integrating the local committees, but department officials by and large ignored his recommendations. Many of the USDA bureaucrats were under the sway of deep-seated Southern interests, personified by Rep. Jamie Whitten, a segregationist landowner from the Mississippi Delta who cultivated allies and spies within the department. As a powerful member of the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, he killed department reports on Black farmers and farmworkers and statistical agencies that studied poverty. When Congress debated expanding food stamps in Whittens deeply impoverished home state, he said if hunger is not a problem, nigras wont work. He assured a Mississippi administrator in the county committee system that he could ignore integration orders from Washington and entered a passage in a congressional report arguing that Freeman couldnt enforce civil rights laws. Lacking the appetite to challenge the lawmaker known as the permanent secretary of agriculture, Freeman told reporters that he had two bosses: One is President Johnson. The other is Jamie Whitten. With no mandate or power, the office would later descend into mismanagement and chaos. President Nixon pushed for moderate civil rights reforms in part to drive a wedge between labor and civil rights groups. As part of that effort, he created the USDA Office of Civil Rights. But this merely gave an official name to a body with no real power. Only a few years later, when Earl Butz was secretary, 80 percent of its staff was moved to unrelated workan overt signal of the administrations abandonment of civil rights. This established a pattern at the department. As Daniel puts it, since its inception, the office has been told not to do anything and has the personnel within it that can ensure that nothing will be done.The USDA, Stewart says, takes minority farmers [who] put up everything they have. They set you up for failure, and then they take your property.This legacy of deliberate inaction persists. Local USDA offices originally established to defend white supremacy still garner hundreds of discrimination complaints against themselves every year, advocates and farmers say, and the department almost never resolves them in favor of the complainant or punishes employees for wrongdoing. The systemic attack on Black farmers is partly why 98 percent of commercial farms are now owned by white people, and the agencys loan programs mostly enrich large, white-owned farms. The USDA even named its Washington headquarters after Whittenin 1995. According to Lloyd Wright, who headed the civil rights office under President Bill Clinton, It doesnt matter whos running the damn plantation because it doesnt change very much.Wright at least tried to change it, supporting what would become the largest civil rights settlement in US history. It resulted from a landmark class-action lawsuit, Pigford v. Glickman, filed on behalf of Black farmers who experienced discrimination from department employees between 1981 and 1996, when the civil rights office had effectively stopped investigating discrimination complaints. For decades, wrote the judge, who ruled in their favor in 1999, the Department of Agriculture and the county commissioners discriminated against African American farmers when they denied, delayed or otherwise frustrated the applications of those farmers for farm loans and other credit and benefit programs. The $1 billion settlement, he continued, was a first step of immeasurable value.Valee Taylor was one of more than 33,000 claimants in the ultimate settlement. In the early 1980s, hed applied for a $325,000 Farm Service Agency (FSA) loan administered by the USDA. But the agency denied Taylor on the grounds that he had no farming experience, even though five generations of his family had been farmers, and hed worked on the family farm in high school. Though they won the legal battle, individual farmers received little from Pigford; a typical payout was about $50,000, which neither relieved most plaintiffs debts nor helped them regain their land. And the case sparked substantial resentment among some conservatives, white neighbors, and local USDA staff who thought Black farmers had been paid off by the Democratic Party or given a backdoor form of reparations. When the Obama administration settled with a new class of Pigford claimants in 2010, right-wing commentator Andrew Breitbart covered the case obsessively, describing the settlement as a Democratic vote-buying scheme. In March 2010, Breitbart published selectively edited video clips that made it seem like Shirley Sherrod, the head of the USDAs Rural Development office in Georgia, had admitted to discriminating against a white farmer. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack immediately fired Sherrod. When the rest of the video emerged, making clear Sherrod had done no such thing, Vilsack offered her another post within the USDA which she declined. (She sued Breitbart for defamation and settled out of court.) Pigford also highlighted internal divisions in the department. We had a small group of people who supported Pigford and all of the class actions we settled, agrees Joe Leonard, the USDAs civil rights director under Obama, and a large amount of people who did not. In 2002, three years after the first Pigford settlement, Congress reorganized the civil rights office, renaming it the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (OASCR, often pronounced Oscar within the division). But while Vilsack would say the case helped close a painful chapter in our collective history, the resentments linger. According to one former civil rights office employee, The USDA employees who were around [during Pigford] still have the same anger that Black farmers got something they didnt deserve.Taylor and Stewarts parents had met in 1952, when their father, Jerry, was attending North Carolina Agricultural and Tech State University, and their mother, Scnobia, was at school nearby. Jerry became one of the Armys first postwar Black pilots. In 1968, he went to Vietnam and the rest of the family moved to Cedar Grove. Life in the 3,000-person town was a profound culture shock for Taylor and Stewart after a childhood spent in integrated military schools. Their mother became involved in local civil rights organizing, and together with their cousins, the siblings were at the forefront of Orange Countys long-delayed school integration. Their white neighbors burned crosses in their yard, shot at them when they collected mail, and hung their German shepherd from a tree. One morning, when Taylor was 12, the school bus driver pulled over to allow Klansmen to drag him outside for refusing to sit where Black students were expected to sit. They were looking for that uppity [n-word] that wouldnt sit on the back of the bus, Taylor recalled. They were trying to kill me. When the bus arrived at school, Taylor was suspended for fighting back. The next day, his mother made him return to school, and a caravan of Taylor and Stewarts aunts and uncles followed the school bus, shotgun barrels sticking conspicuously out of their truck windows, in case the Klan was tempted to try again. The violence he endured as a child left Taylor diagnosed with PTSD later in life. Their white neighbors burned crosses in their yard, shot at them when they collected mail, and hung their German shepherd from a tree. In 2007, after having worked for 20 years as a parole officer, Taylor was itching to return to his familys roots. North Carolina was moving away from tobacco farming, and he and Stewart, then working as a pharmacist, wanted to build something lasting, a farm their children could own 50 years down the road. They applied for a series of FSA loans totaling $600,000 to get things off the ground. Their idea was unique: raising tilapia in a sustainable, recirculating system theyd developed with two aquaculture experts at nearby North Carolina State University. Tobacco was going out and we thought it would be a good transition, Stewart says. We thought it would flourish. Taylor spent several months learning how to raise fish indoors and maintain the elaborate filtration and oxygenation systems they require. Yet from their first meetings with the FSA, things seemed off. After two years and what seemed like interrogations from nearly every FSA loan officer in the state, Taylor and Stewart got their loanbut hardly on optimal terms. They were forbidden from applying as a limited liability company, which left them with significantly higher debts if their business failed. For collateral, they had to post Stewarts house as well as the 80-acre farm she owned. When they went to Raleigh to sign paperwork, a white FSA employee asked Stewart whether she was using a marijuana farm as collateral, leaving her in tears. Nevertheless, the business began to take off, attracting news coverage and gaining a large share of Whole Foods Southern and mid-Atlantic tilapia sales by 2014. North Carolina State University brought farmers from overseas to tour Taylor Fish Farm as a model they could copy back home. But disaster struck in 2014, when an ice storm hit Orange County, followed by a hurricane, knocking production offline for months. While insurance eventually covered the losses, it took a year for the payments to arrive. Meanwhile, their annual $100,000 FSA loan payment was coming due. In October 2015, according to USDA documents pertaining to a later investigation, after months of requesting disaster assistance from the FSA, Taylor and Stewart emailed their loan officer at the time, saying they couldnt make their February 2016 installment and asking to defer payment by one year. It shouldnt have been hard. In response to the 1980s farm crisis, Congress passed legislation requiring the USDA to offer struggling farmers an opportunity to restructure their debt. But FSA fulfills this policy with little oversight, and in practice, Black farmers arent given the same accommodation white farmers receive. While Taylor and Stewart were hurting for cash, Taylor says, the FSA wrote off $1 million in debt for a white friend of his. The siblings loan officer even told them how one of his clients successfully postponed repayments by restructuring 16 times. Taylor asked the FSA for a reasonable disability accommodation for memory loss caused by his PTSD. He requested the loan officer communicate with him by email rather than by phone, copy Stewart on their correspondence, and meet in person for any necessary paperworksomething, Taylor says, the loan officer did not consistently do. In early January 2016, the siblings met with the loan officer, who they say told them their application was complete. (Later, when asked about this by USDA investigators, the officer denied having said it.) Under FSA policy, loan officers are required to send applicants a 30-day notice if theyre missing any application materials. No such notice was ever sent, but in late January, the officer called Taylor to request more information. When Stewart quickly sent it, the officer said he couldnt promise to review their application before their payment was due in February. The due date came and went, meaning that going forward, any restructuring would now include liens on all of Taylor and Stewarts assets. Over the next several months, the loan officer wrote the siblings roughly once a month, requesting more informationabout their finances; a fish-processing outbuilding they were erecting; the grant supporting that expansion; forms that became outdated during the wait and now had to be filled out again; and how theyd managed to stay current on another loan if the farm had run at a loss. This story is part of our Black Land Matters issue, in which we examine the history of the government stealing farmland from people of color, investigate discrimination within the USDA, and profile a new generation of Black farmers fighting to get back to the land. Finally, in June, the officer declared their application complete. But now that their loan was over 90 days delinquent, the FSA would only restructure it if Taylor and Stewart provided additional collateral worth $850,000. The siblings refused the deal. They filed a complaint with OASCR, alleging that the FSA had intentionally delayed processing their loan restructuring, which constituted discrimination due to race, sex, disability, and their status as Pigford complainantssomething Taylor and Stewart had made clear from their first communications. That July, a bank loan theyd applied for was approved for $670,000enough to get back on their feet and even expand. But according to Taylor and Stewart, the FSA said its loan had to take priority, effectively blocking the new loan. Simultaneously, Taylor was diagnosed with prostate cancer. His doctor told him his body couldnt handle the stress of fighting both cancer and the FSA. So the siblings let it go. In 2019, Taylor Fish Farm closed for good. It seemed like the history of what had happened to so many other Black farmers had repeated itself. They take minority farmers [who] put up everything they have, Stewart says. They set you up for failure, and then they take your property.Taylor and Stewart didnt hear back from OASCR until May 2017, 11 months after theyd filed their complaint. After submitting more information to an investigator, they didnt hear anything until September 2018, when they were emailed a short list of follow-up questions and given about a week to respond. They wouldnt receive a verdict until September 2019, more than three years after theyd filed their complaint. In OASCRs final decision, the agencys adjudicator took the loan officers word on virtually every point and dismissed the majority of their complaint. The entire process struck the siblings as absurd. According to an internal memo we obtained, at least one OASCR official thought so, too. In a 12-page document from November 2018, Queen Kavanaugh, a senior equal opportunity specialist at OASCRs Center for Civil Rights Enforcement who wrote final agency decisions, identified numerous violations of USDA protocol in the Taylor Fish Farm case. She noted that OASCRs investigator had contacted Taylor directly instead of his lawyer. While Taylor had made seven claims of discriminationincluding the FSA refusing to accept his loan payments, reneging on promised debt relief due to natural disaster, and failing to accommodate his disabilityOASCR deemed only one worthy of investigation. What is a USDA employee supposed to do when there is a stark conflict between the USDA mission statement...and the way program discrimination complaints are processed? Kavanaugh wrote in an email to an OASCR official accompanying the memo. When we spoke, Kavanaugh confirmed she wrote the memo, with the hopes of showing higher-ups how cases were being mishandled. A Baltimore native, she had joined the USDA when she was 49, after an earlier career working in a personal injury law practice as well as a brief stint as a Baltimore police officer in 1973part of the first class of female patrol officers in the citys history. That experience, as well as childhood memories of attending a civil rights march with her grandmother, where a white woman spat in her face, had left her with the conviction that challenging authority was an obligation. When she started at the USDA in 1998, Kavanaugh served as an agriculture complaints examiner, traveling state to state to investigate farmers claims. Informed by her experience conducting investigations, she was shocked by how the Washington office handled them. She says she watched OASCR managers artificially inflate the number of complaints coming in by accepting cases that should have been addressed at the local level so they could automatically dismiss them, creating the appearance of progress and garnering managers promotions and bonuses. Meanwhile, the process for investigating legitimate complaints was so shallow that it was nearly impossible for complainants to prevail. In a statement, a USDA spokesperson disputed claims of data manipulation and assertions of discrimination at the agency, and said that OASCR processes all complaints of discrimination according to its regulations. Heres how the investigations are done, Kavanaugh explains. Im a farmer. I apply for a loan, never get it, get jerked around, so I file a complaint. I use the complaint form, but I dont understand it. I put in information that I think will be helpful, and I think that when they get my complaint in Washington, Ill have a chance to explain more fully what happened to me. Instead, she says, when investigators get around to reviewing complaints, they typically send complainants written questionnaires, which may not cover pertinent information, but which, after complainants sign them, become their main testimony in the investigation. Those affidavits, Kavanaugh says, are then sent to the USDA employees accused of discriminationemployees who typically control the files documenting the case and can ensure it supports their version of events. Investigators, according to Kavanaugh, dont do much more probing because its too time-consuming. When Kavanaugh did ask additional questions as an investigator, she says a supervisor chastised her, calling her reports late because she spent too much time always being critical of what was going on in the state offices. That is, Kavanaugh was digging for evidence of discrimination instead of moving the cases along. Nobody is checking the law or trying to come to an understanding to see if this [employee] is telling the truth, she says. Nobody is trying to understand what happened. So based on the way we do investigations, by sending out these questions, its guaranteed to be a finding of non-discrimination. That might be a problem if OASCR actually saw its mission as determining whether discrimination occurred. But the purpose of our job isnt that, Kavanaugh says. Its to shuffle complaints through in 30 days or less so the numbers go down. (The USDA spokesperson stated that this characterization of the complaints process was incorrect.)Civil rights enforcement during the past few administrations boiled down to a fixation on numbers. Kavanaughs description echoes a common complaint among OASCR employees we interviewed: Civil rights enforcement during the past few administrations boiled down to a fixation on numbers. During the Bush administration, OASCR made just one finding of discrimination among more than 14,000 USDA complaints from the public. Between 1999 and 2009, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released at least 10 reports chronicling the USDAs failure to address complaints, as well as low morale within OASCR, which, witnesses told Congress, was rife with mismanagement and discrimination problems of its own. When President Barack Obama took office, Vilsack vowed to overhaul the complaints process. The new ag secretary and his OASCR head, Joe Leonard, declared that a new era for civil rights had come to the agency. By the time he departed in 2017, Vilsack claimed success, citing record-low customer and employee complaints, including a 70 percent drop in complaints about FSAs lending programs. But interviews with 19 current and former OASCR employees, and a trove of USDA data, show that those claims were untethered from reality. One former high-level employee described his high hopes when Obama took office: Finally, you know, maybe you had an administration that would come in and really clean up these civil rights issuesmake it fair, do the right thing. And it was almost the opposite. While Vilsack boasted that his department had cleared out the massive backlog of 14,000 complaints that had amassed during the Bush administration, in reality, almost all were closed without restitution for the complainants. Former civil rights chief Lloyd Wright, who worked briefly under Vilsack before leaving in frustration, described OASCR as functioning like a closing machine, ferreting out every little nick and corner they could find as a reason to close a complaint, or not accept them to begin with. Rather than investigate and assess the substance of complaints, upper management disqualified them for technical reasons, like being turned in late or incomplete. In Vilsack and Leonards OASCR, numerous rank-and-file employees say that top managers became obsessed with reporting numbers that made the department look good. As one longtime employee remarked of how complainants cases were handled, Theyre not cattle, you know. Theyre real people.Two former high-level OASCR officials say Leonard personally pressured them and other supervisors to fudge the numbers. Lets say if I gave him the numbers and there were 350 cases, says a career civil service administrator who held a number of high-level appointed positions in federal government before working for Leonard, he would get upset. He would say thats not accurate. And he would go [to one of my colleagues] to say it was 100 cases. That sort of pressure, another official says, meant OASCRs statistics were manipulated at every stage of the complaint process. In an emailed statement, Leonard said claims that he or any of his staff altered the number of civil rights complaints are an absolute falsehood.After I refused to hide those numbers, I was blackballed, the first administrator adds, echoing grievances made by a number of other OASCR employees who say they were sidelined for speaking out. In its 2016 report to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, USDA staff acknowledged their records about complaint numbers were not reliable, writing, USDA has struggled maintaining data integrity.Much of the problem, according to nearly every employee we interviewedincluding Leonardstems from the improper entanglement of the Office of General Counsel (OGC) with OASCRs work. By definition, the OGC is the USDAs legal defense arm, meant to protect the agency against lawsuits and complaints, including civil rights grievances. That puts its role in direct conflict with OASCRs, and its why federal law mandates a firewall between the two divisions. But multiple employees we spoke with claim that the OGC has involved itself in adjudicating discrimination complaints since at least the late 2000s, when two GAO reports documented such line-crossing. Under the OGCs pressure, says one OASCR employee, complaints are frequently weakened to the point that complainants dont stand a chance of winning. They want people to take a complaint and dilute it, so if it has six issues, reduce it to two, one of our sources says. If the employee finds discrimination, Theyll tell you, This is not discrimination. Go and rewrite it.I question how the Office of Civil Rights can address systemic and institutional issues of discrimination when they are not capable of managing their internal personnel problems and violations of civil rights.Other employees say managers send complaints to the OGC to get them thrown out. The problems extend to the employee civil rights complaint process as wellfrom the Forest Service to Rural Development to OASCR headquarters itself. A 2015 investigation by the federal Office of Special Counsel found OASCR has an unusually high number of complaints filed against its own leadership and almost half of these complaints were not acted on in a timely manner.When one OASCR employee who says he was sexually harassed by a high-level manager went to submit a complaint, he tells us, the woman he filed it with said he was making a mistake. She was just like, Yeah, baby, I wouldnt do that. I would just leave that alone. He filed it anyway and lost his job within months. When you see cases where people are being hurt, but the people whose job it is to do something about it wont, thats something I just cant shut up about, Kavanaugh says. Especially when a lot of people being hurt were in the struggle to get the Civil Rights Act in the first place.She tried to alert her supervisors to problems, at first assuming they simply lacked experience in how investigations should be done. She made a PowerPoint presentation for one supervisor, laying out the legal implications of two federal appeals court decisions involving complaints that originally went through OASCR. Both times, Kavanaugh says, the federal court of appeals examined our procedures and made a determination that what we have is not a proper administrative procedure, but some sort of executive fiat. But when she pointed this out to more senior staff, she says, this was all ignored.So she went higher. Between 2015 and 2019, she reached out to numerous federal authorities. She emailed information to the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, citing a Harvard study that found a general sense of hopelessness for change among OASCR employees, and distrust of OASCR by other USDA agencies. She helped draft a letter for the federal employees union, offering a side-by-side comparison of claims Joe Leonard had made about civil rights accomplishments and her reasons why they werent true. She wrote the Senate agriculture committee, requesting that they condition their recommendation about any new USDA secretary on the nominees willingness to address OASCR mismanagement. She wrote both Vilsack and his successor, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, describing how investigations were intentionally stacked against complainants. And when she wrote her memo on Taylor and Stewarts case, she didnt think she could change the outcome. Instead, she hoped the record might work its way up the departmental ranks, since shed lost all faith that OASCR could reform itself. It had become clear, she says, that they dont really want to investigate these complaints at all.Instead of any intervention, she says the case was taken away from her. Ever since shed begun speaking out, shed been sidelined, reassigned to busywork while her old responsibilities were distributed to contractors. In 2019, she was put on disciplinary probation after emailing colleagues a sharply worded critique of an outgoing manager, who she said had distorted program complaint figures and blackballed OASCR employees who refused to play along. In an official letter of reprimand about this incident, Kavanaughs direct supervisor said shed humiliated OASCR and distracted from mission critical responsibilities, and if she did so again, she could be fired. (A USDA spokesperson declined to comment.) In January 2020, Kavanaugh retired early, convinced nothing she did would change the civil rights office she once believed in. I was so fed up, she says. It was obvious to me that there was nothing I could do.Under president Donald Trump, Shawn McGruder, whod worked for five years in the OGC and reached a top management position, was named executive director of OASCRs civil rights enforcement, solidifying the convergence of the two offices. Under her watch, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission rejected OASCR decisions on employee discrimination complaints by the dozens. By 2018, the USDAs reversal rate was over 50 percent higher than the average across all federal agencies. And although USDA employees filed 522 complaints in 2018, OASCRs office of adjudication made only one finding of discrimination. The same year, a new problem emerged. An email account established in 2015 to receive incoming program complaints had been left unmonitored by OASCR staff, meaning people who claimed they were discriminated against in applying for things like food stamps were sending their complaints into a void. It also meant many people lost their legal rights to press a civil rights grievance, one employee explains, because their cases werent processed in time. McGruder would tell staff that a glitch had caused the office to lose or fail to respond to some 20,000 emails, two employees tell us. But we unearthed documents that appear to indicate that by the end of the 2017 fiscal year, the email account had actually received about 63,000 emails, only 22,000 of which had been opened. When staff became aware of the problem during the next fiscal year, 111,000 emails were opened in what seemed a frantic effort to catch up. I am an elderly disabled woman, read one email sent to the account. My snap benefit is my only source of providing food and nutrition. I just need an appointment asap, read another, from a complainant whod recently lost a foot to gangrene. (McGruder wrote in an email that the mailbox was established before her tenure, and that, except for during a government shutdown, at no time during my tenure did any mail go unattended.)The continued dysfunction in OASCR has taken a toll on its staff. Many of us loved what we didwe loved our work, says one high-level employee. But when you try to do the rightwhen you do the right thing and then you are trapped, discriminated [against]its like a career death walk. A 2019 survey of federal employees by the Partnership for Public Service ranked OASCR the third-worst federal agency to work at out of 420. The only two agencies to rank worse had recently seen mass firings and deep budget cuts. In the early days of 2020, some OASCR employees and outside civil rights advocates saw signs of hope in the Democratic presidential primary field. Sen. Elizabeth Warren released a wide-ranging plan to address discrimination at the USDA that included a vow to radically restructure the office that handles civil rights by creating an independent oversight board and a civil rights ombudsman, and ordering the Department of Justice to investigate the civil rights office. The plan also detailed reforms for the complaint process and ending OGC interference. (The Warren campaign had solicited input on its plan from two of this articles authors, Nathan Rosenberg and Bryce Stucki, who are both analysts for the Land Loss and Reparations Project.) The plan Biden floated, by contrast, downplayed past problems and heralded the historic progress on civil rights and inequality accomplished by the Obama-Biden administration. The plan didnt include policies to address specific wrongs perpetrated against Black farmers, but rather offered general policies to help nonwhite farmers. And then Biden announced he had selected Vilsack for a second term as secretary of agriculture. Black farmers and civil rights organizations were outraged. Lawrence Lucas, president emeritus of the USDA Coalition of Minority Employees, told the nonprofit food news website the Counter that Vilsack has inflicted enough suffering...This brings tears to my eyes. In a letter to Biden the same week, former USDA Civil Rights Director Lloyd Wright wrote: Mr. Vilsack had 8 years to address Black farmer and Black employee issues and he failed. Nothing is going to change until you get an administration that will wipe out this existing way [of handling complaints] and do something different Kavanaugh says. The agricultural industry and organizations representing large-scale farmers, such as the American Farm Bureau Federation, were largely pleased with Vilsacks nomination. His supporters have defended his civil rights record in several newspaper interviews, pointing to, among other things, his creation of the departments Advisory Committee on Minority Farmers. Some also claimed he was undergoing what amounted to a political awakening. Mr. Vilsack is changing along with the conversation, wrote Art Cullen in a New York Times op-ed. But others see little reason to believe Vilsack has changed. I dont see why all of a sudden hes going to fall in love with civil rights, says Kavanaugh. While Vilsack has promised to expand outreach to Black farmers and address inherent legacy barrierspromises he also made during the Obama administrationhe hasnt said anything specifically about the USDAs civil rights complaint process. And unless the civil rights office is completely overhauled, advocates say, the discrimination will continue. Nothing is going to change, says Kavanaugh, until you get an administration that will wipe out this existing way [of handling complaints] and do something different.What Lucas and others want is clear: an end to blatant and widespread discrimination; accountability for the malfeasance that has harmed thousands of farmers, employees, and customers; and financial and legal restitution for those whove been harmed. Along those lines, the stimulus bill that passed in March included $4 billion in debt relief for farmers of color. A recent Senate bill co-sponsored by Warren, Cory Booker, and Kirsten Gillibrand would create an independent review board to provide oversight of the civil rights process at the USDA. For Taylor and Stewart, whod once hoped to grow old on their farm and pass it on to their children, whats at stake is the future of families like theirs. When Taylor speaks to young Black farmersall bright-eyed and ready to conquer the world, like I washe finds himself dismayed by the obstacles theyll face. You know in the back of your mind, unless we straighten out the USDA, theyre not going to have a chance, he says. The USDA just seems like a machine that eats up Black farmland.Its a wonder we were able to succeed as long as we did, adds Stewart. I never would do it again.This story was reported in partnership with Type Investigations. | 2 |
###CLAIM: aggressive approaches to staff members who fled in tears after being molested at a party after the 2015 brit awards ceremony.
###DOCS: The music world has been rocked by claims of bullying and abusive conduct towards women by powerful men at some of Britain's top record labels. Several women, including female artists and staff working in the multi-million-pound industry, have come forward with allegations of harrowing abuse by top executives. One well-respected senior female figure in the business even suggested last week that inappropriate behaviour by men in senior positions in the music business was 'endemic'. Insiders close to one of the UK's most influential music figures say crisis talks have already taken place to discuss how to handle the impact of a potential 'MeToo' scandal erupting within the industry. The Mail on Sunday can reveal that Rebecca Ferguson (above), who found fame on the X Factor in 2010, went to the Metropolitan Police earlier this month to report allegations of harassment and coercive control against a senior male industry figureWe can also reveal that Lily Allen (pictured) will use her forthcoming album to turn the tables on those she says have abused her. The title of each track will be the first name of a man within the music industry who she claims mistreated herThe Mail on Sunday can reveal that Rebecca Ferguson, who found fame on the X Factor in 2010, went to the Metropolitan Police earlier this month to report allegations of harassment and coercive control against a senior male industry figure. Ms Ferguson, 34, claims she was targeted while working to build her career after coming runner-up on the ITV show. The singer, who has agreed the MoS can reveal the complaint she made to police, has also met Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden to discuss problems within the industry. We can also reveal that Lily Allen will use her forthcoming album to turn the tables on those she says have abused her. The title of each track will be the first name of a man within the music industry who she claims mistreated her. Friends say that the move by Ms Allen, 36, who wrote about an alleged sexual assault by an industry figure during a work trip to the Caribbean in 2016, is a way of dealing with her trauma and is designed to send a message to the men about their behaviour. Meanwhile, multiple sources have cited an incident involving a married executive who is alleged to have aggressively approached and molested a junior member of his staff at a party after the Brit Awards ceremony in 2015, forcing her to flee in tears. A senior female executive also claims that she was sacked after years of being bullied, undermined and manipulated by her powerful line manager, who then made her sign a non-disclosure agreement preventing her from speaking out. Following scandals within the TV and film industries, the music industry is now braced for its MeToo reckoning. 'This is a ticking timebomb,' said a source. 'The things that have been going on for years are quite unbelievable. It is all showbiz glamour to the general public but the way that powerful men are treating women is abhorrent, and that is not an understatement. 'There are men who are very afraid of this coming out. It really is only a matter of time now.' The claims come three years after the MeToo and Time's Up movements exposed abuses in America, with film producer Harvey Weinstein revealed as a sexual predator and rapist. Yet the abuse continues with non-disclosure agreements often used to silence women. The claims come three years after the MeToo and Time's Up movements exposed abuses in America, with film producer Harvey Weinstein (above) revealed as a sexual predator and rapistOne insider said: 'This is very, very scary stuff. Someone I know talks about a very violent male rapist who is in the industry and working around women. Some of the stories are absolutely shocking.' In the 2015 Brit Awards incident, witnesses were left feeling 'extremely uncomfortable' as they watched a man employed by one of the world's most successful record labels 'get far too close' to a junior member of staff. She was distressed but fearful of losing her job. Another allegation centred on a Christmas party thrown by a well-known music company where the female victim of an abusive incident went home in tears. Another senior industry figure is said to have become so concerned by the behaviour of one of his employees that he had to intervene on behalf of women who were being bullied and harassed by him at work. Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Front Row programme last month, Naimi Pohl, Assistant General Secretary of the Musicians' Union, was asked why the industry was yet to have its MeToo moment. 'I think we've only scratched the surface to be honest,' she said. 'We've had about a hundred reports to our Safe Space service at the Musicians' Union. Reports have ranged from sexism to sexual assault.' | 1 |
###CLAIM: meghan responded : "a lot of people think this is very present because it's like experiencing being out of the body.
###DOCS: AdvertisementBritish viewers watching Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's interview with Oprah Winfrey for the first time tonight jokingly urged ITV to bring back Jeremy Kyle to hold a lie detector test for the Sussexes and the Royal Family. ITV's hotly-anticipated broadcast saw people in the UK get their first chance to see the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's conversation with Oprah in full, nearly 24 hours after it was first aired in the US on CBS. And some social media users joked that Kyle, who hosted The Jeremy Kyle Show on ITV from 2005 to 2019, should be called in to resolve the disputes between the royals and get them to take one of his famous lie detector tests. One said: 'If this isn't the perfect time for the Jeremy Kyle to stage a comeback then I don't know what is! #TheLieDetectorTestsAreIn.' Another tweeted: 'Hear me out but I think this interview would be a whole lot better with the Jeremy Kyle lie detector test.' A third said: 'Only one person can sort this family out. Bring back Jeremy Kyle for a royal special!' Meanwhile ITV Hub appeared to be wilting under the strain of huge demand as viewers in homes across Britain took to social media to complain that the online service was continuously buffering or not working at all. Commenting on the programme which first aired overnight at 1am UK time on CBS, one viewer said: 'Treacherous! Actually allowing a woman to appear on primetime TV just to slag off the Royal Family!' Another added: 'So Meghan is expecting the world to believe that she didn't look into Harry's life at all? She knew nothing of the royal family? What an actress she is! She's fooling no one in this little innocent victim act entering into a world she hadn't a clue about.' But a third tweeted: 'Wasn't going to watch, but I am, it's very American, very Oprah, obviously, and I really like Meghan already to be honest.' A family gather around the TV in Liverpool to watch Prince Harry and his wife Meghan's explosive interview on ITV tonightA family gather around the television in Liverpool to watch Prince Harry and his wife Meghan's interview on ITV tonightFollowing the interview being shown in the US, the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, both bore grim expressions as they were seen driving through London this afternoon. The pair have been caught up in the wave of claims aired by the Sussexes, with Meghan earlier this month blaming them for leaking stories about her to the press while she was a senior royal. Meghan has also accused Kate of making her 'cry' during a row over bridesmaids dresses. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have made no formal response to the interview, instead the only two posts on their official Instagram page today have recognised International Women's Day, and Commonwealth Day. Prince Harry today claimed racism drove him and Meghan out of Britain and the Queen was too busy to meet him as he piled on new insults to his family in a series of unseen clips from his bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview. The Duke of Sussex accused the Queen of snubbing him after she was allegedly overruled by royal aides when she tried to invite him and Meghan on a trip to Sandringham after the couple announced they were stepping down. Meanwhile, Prince Philip was cleared of making a racist remark about how 'dark' Archie's skin would be, with Oprah saying Harry had confirmed the comment was not made by the Duke of Edinburgh or the Queen. Asked about the alleged comment at his Covid press conference today, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: 'The best thing I can say is that I've always had the highest admiration for the Queen and the unifying role she plays. 'Never underestimate the Queen's ability to disconnect ITV Hub!' Viewers are left frustrated as stream buffers during interview Britons have jokingly accused the Queen of taking down ITV Hub after eager viewers were plagued with technical issues ahead of the UK airing of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's bombshell interview. Some viewers were tonight left frustrated ahead of the broadcast of the explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey, which is currently being aired on ITV. And some took to social media to joke that the Queen was behind the technical issues ahead of the airing of the interview - which contains a number of damaging allegations about the Royal Family. One Twitter user joked: 'Never underestimate the Queen's ability to disconnect ITV Hub in times of need.' Another added: 'The Queen just disconnected ITV hub by the looks of it.' Other Britons also complained about technical issues ahead of the UK airing of the interview, which was broadcast on America's CBS on Sunday night. One Twitter user said: 'When will ITV Hub sort this out on the Chromecast??? Another said: 'Anyone else's STV Player and ITV Hub not working?' 'Oh my god ITV Hub is already crashing,' one Twitter user said. Another added: 'I'm having to watch the interview on my phone because my stupid ITV on my Xbox won't let me play live things.' Advertisement'And as for all other matters to do with the royal family I've spent a long time now not commenting on royal family matters and I don't intend to today.' Harry refused to reveal the person's identity on Sunday night as did Meghan and claimed they wanted to protect whoever it was - leaving the rest of the family open to suspicion. In one of the previously unseen clips released today, Harry said the Queen told him she wanted to see him and Meghan in Sandringham 'the moment' they returned from a trip to Canada in January 2020, but he then received a message from a royal aide saying the trip was off. Harry claimed he then rang the Queen from Frogmore Cottage and she said: 'Yes, there's something in my diary that I didn't know that I had.' The prince said the exchange showed that even the Queen could be overruled by aides, who he accused of giving her 'very bad' advice. Meanwhile, the prince reignited his war with the press, claiming that racism 'was a large part' of his and Meghan's decision to leave Britain. He said he was told by an unidentified person at a charity event: 'You need to understand that the UK is very bigoted,' to which he replied: 'The UK is not bigoted, the UK press is bigoted, specifically the tabloids.' He added: 'But unfortunately if the source of info is inherently corrupt or racist or biased then that filters out to the rest of society.' Meghan also discussed her own family with Oprah for the first time, claiming that she 'didn't have a relationship' with her sister, Samantha, and that she only changed her surname back to Markle when she started dating Harry. She said she 'found it hard to reconcile' with her father, Thomas Markle, who will be appearing on Good Morning Britain tomorrow morning, Piers Morgan announced earlier today. It came as Tory MPs today led the backlash against Prince Harry and Meghan's 'appalling' accusations of racism against the Royal Family as they accused the couple of 'detonating a nuclear weapon' with the allegations. Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton bore a grim expression as she was seen driving herself through London this afternoonCamilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, also looked disheartened in London today. She and the Duchess of Cambridge have been caught up in the wave of claims aired by the Sussexes, with Meghan earlier this month blaming them for leaking stories about her to the press while she was a senior royalThe Duke and Duchess of Sussex have insisted their interview with Oprah Winfrey would be the 'last word' on them quitting as senior royalsUS breakfast show CBS This Morning aired unseen footage from Oprah Winfrey's bombshell interview with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex this morning. Among the claims aired in the new clips -'It was a large part of it': Harry claims he and Meghan left Britain 'because of racism'Asked by Oprah if the couple left the UK because of racism, Harry replied: 'It was a large part of it.' Recalling a conversation he had at a Sentebale fundraiser, he said he was urged by someone who is 'friends with a lot of the editors': 'Please don't do this with the media, they will destroy your life.' However, he did not identify who the person was. Harry said: 'One of the people at that dinner said to me, ''please don't please don't do this with the media, they will destroy your life''. This person is friends with a lot of the editors. I said, so I just elaborate, what do you mean? 'He said ''you need to understand that the UK is very bigoted. I stopped and said, ''the UK is not bigoted, the press is bigoted, the tabloids. Is that what you mean?'' Harry claimed the person replied, 'No, the UK is bigoted'. He continued: 'I said I disagree. If the source of information is corrupt or racist or biased, then that filters out to the rest of society.' Reacting to the claims, the Society of Editors said it is 'not acceptable' for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to claim sections of the UK press is bigoted. More than 17million Americans tune into soap opera More than 17 million Americans watched Oprah Winfrey's television bombshell interview with Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, according to preliminary data cited by Variety and the Hollywood Reporter on Monday. The numbers are expected to rise when broadcaster CBS releases final official data later on Monday. Sunday's two-hour interview was the first given by the couple since they stepped back from the British royal family a year ago. Meghan spoke of feeling suicidal, and accused the royal family of racism, while Harry said his father, Prince Charles, had let him down. While a ratings success for CBS, the preliminary 17.1 million audience was well below that of last year's Oscars telecast at 23.6 million - one of the biggest celebrity events on U.S. television. Meghan and Harry's tell-all interview with Winfrey dominated the conversation on social media, morning television shows and newspaper front pages on Monday in Britain and abroad. AdvertisementThe charity said: 'The UK media is not bigoted and will not be swayed from its vital role holding the rich and powerful to account following the attack on the press by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Executive director Ian Murray added: 'It is not acceptable for the Duke and Duchess to make such claims without providing any supporting evidence. 'If it is simply the case the Sussexes feel that the press by questioning their actions and commenting on their roles when working as royals funded by the taxpayer were being racist then they are mistaken. 'In the case of Meghan Markle and her engagement and marriage to Prince Harry there was universal supporting coverage in the UK media which reflected the warmth shown to the couple by the British people. 'But that warmth could not and should not mean the press should be expected to refuse to report, investigate and comment on the couple's lifestyle and actions. ;Harry says the Queen snubbed him by uninviting him to a trip to Sandringham after being overruled by an aideIn another exclusive clip, Harry said he had been suddenly told he was no longer invited to spend time with the Queen at Sandringham in January 2020. Harry claimed the conversation with the Queen happened after he and Meghan announced on January 8 that they were going to step down as senior royals. He said: 'My grandmother had said 'the moment you land, come up to Sandringham, we'd love to have a chat, come for tea, why don't you stay for dinner because it's going to be a long drive and you're going to be exhausted?'' 'Then the moment we landed in the UK, I got a message from my private secretary at the time.' Explaining the terminology, Meghan said: 'A private secretary is sort of like a CEO role in the institution.' Harry continued: 'The private secretary had cut and pasted a message from the queen's secretary saying, ''please passes on to the duke and duchess of Sussex that he cannot come to Norfolk. The queen is busy, she's busy all week''.' Oprah asked: 'After she just invited you?' Harry continued: 'Yeah... so I rang her, and that night I said I was thinking about coming, but I hear you're busy. She said, ''Yes, there's something in my diary that I didn't know I had''. 'I said, ''Well, what about the rest of the week?' She says, 'That's busy now, as well'. Okay. I didn't want to push because I knew what was going on.' Oprah asked: 'Doesn't the Queen get to do what the queen wants to do?' The prince replied: 'No, when you're head of the firm, there is people around you that give you advice. 'And what has made me sad is some of that advice has been really bad.' Oprah concluded: 'That was tough. It's the type of thing when someone says, I'm busy, I'm busy all week, that's a big sign. 'When it's your mother, your grandmother. That's tough.' 'I have tried to help them see': Harry says Prince Charles has made peace with being 'trapped' as part of the royal family and says 'My brother can't leave the system but I have'Oprah asked if anyone in the family had said they were sorry the couple felt they had to make the move out of royal life because they felt unsupported. Harry said: 'No. Sadly not. The feeling is that this was our decision, therefore the consequences are on us. And despite three years of asking for help and seeing or visualising how this might end, it was, I don't know... it's been really hard because I'm trying, I am part of the system with them. I always have been. 'I'm very aware that my brother can't leave that system, but I have.' Oprah asked: 'Does your brother want to leave the system?' Harry said: 'I don't know. I can't speak for him. But with that relationship and that control and the fear by the UK tabloids, it's a really toxic environment. But I will always be there for him. I will always be there for my family. And as I said, I've tried to help them to see what has happened.' Oprah asked: 'Do they think it's a toxic environment or do you all think it's a toxic environment because you're out of it?' Harry said: 'I think he's had to make peace with it.' Oprah said: 'Why couldn't you make peace with it? I'll ask that of both of you?' 'Because that is different. You know,' said Meghan. 'Different because of the race?' said Oprah. 'And social media,' said Meghan. 'And social media. Oh, yes, different time. Different time,' said Oprah. 'That didn't exist,' Meghan said. 'And so it was like the wild, wild west. It was spread like wildfire. Plus, my being American, it translate in a different way across the pond. So you had a noise level that was very different, but if they can't see that it's different.' 'You felt bullied on an international level,' Oprah said. Meghan said: 'Look, I think the volume of what was coming in and the interest was greater because of social media, because of the fact that I was not just British.' Dignified Kate Middleton, 39, carried on with royal duties in the fall-out from Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's interview with Oprah Winfrey as she marked International Women's Day'Rude and racist are not the same': Meghan claims abuse of her was worse than Kate because of the colour of her skinMeghan Markle claimed she experienced more negativity towards her than the Duchess of Cambridge because of the colour of her skin. The Duchess of Sussex told the chat show queen she believed she had been singled out because she was 'not just British'. Meghan said she thought social media had amplified the interest in her but said Royals had shrugged it off, claiming they said 'This is what's happened to all of us'. And she went on to say the Duchess of Cambridge's cruel one-time nickname of Kate Middleton - Waity Katie - was not the same as racism she said she experienced. Meghan went on to say a Royal Family member had said they had all had to deal with rudeness, but the American said she did not think it was the same as racist abuse. She said: 'I think the volume of what was coming in and the interest was greater because of social media, because of the fact that I was not just British. 'That unfortunately if members of his family say, well, this is what's happened to all of us. 'If they can compare what the experience that I went through was similar to what has been shared with us, Kate was called Waity Katie, waiting to marry William. 'While I imagine that was hard, and I do, I can't picture what that felt like, this is not the same. 'And if a member of this family will comfortably say we've all had to deal with things that are rude, rude and racist are not the same. And equally, you've also had a press team that goes on the record to defend you, especially when they know something's not true. And that didn't happen for us.' The new comments were revealed in a clip released to CBS This Morning at lunchtime. They came after the Oprah Winfrey interview earlier today saw Meghan say Kate had made her cry before she married Prince Harry. But the Duchess of Sussex also insisted that she has now forgiven her and said she bought her flowers to apologise about the incident. The Duchess of Cambridge and the Duchess of Sussex in the Royal Box on Centre Court at Wimbledon in July 2019The infamous row with Prince William's wife made headlines around the world after a supposed falling out over dresses for the flower girls. Reports of the clash between the duchesses first emerged in November 2018, when sources claimed Meghan had been left displeased with the 'stressful' fitting. Accounts differ as to whether the cause of the row was a disagreement on whether the bridesmaids should wear tights - Meghan reportedly believed they should not - or whether it stemmed from Princess Charlotte's dress not fitting. A source said at the time: 'Kate had only just given birth to her third child, Prince Louis, and was feeling quite emotional.' Meghan was also asked about a memorable joint-outing to Wimbledon in July 2019, where the pair put on a united front and were pictured laughing together. During the interview she appeared to cast doubt on the authenticity of that seemingly affable appearance, saying: 'Nothing is what it looks like'. Oprah asked Meghan: 'Was there a situation where she (Kate) might have cried? Or she could have cried?' But the Duchess of Sussex replied: 'No, no. The reverse happened. 'And I don't say that to be disparaging to anyone, because it was a really hard week of the wedding. 'And she was upset about something, but she owned it, and she apologised. 'And she brought me flowers and a note, apologising. And she did what I would do if I knew that I hurt someone, right, to just take accountability for it.' Meghan added that it was 'shocking' that the 'reverse of that would be out in the world'. She continued: 'A few days before the wedding, she was upset about something pertaining - yes, the issue was correct - about flower girl dresses, and it made me cry, and it really hurt my feelings. 'And I thought, in the context of everything else that was going on in those days leading to the wedding, that it didn't make sense to not be just doing whatever everyone else was doing, which was trying to be supportive, knowing what was going on with my dad and whatnot.' Meghan also said: 'It wasn't a confrontation, and I actually think it's... I don't think it's fair to her to get into the details of that, because she apologised. 'What was hard to get over was being blamed for something that not only I didn't do but that happened to me. 'And the people who were part of our wedding were going to our comms team and saying: 'I know this didn't happen. I don't have to tell them what actually happened'.' Meghan also said reports she had reduced the Duchess of Cambridge to tears were a 'turning point. The Duchess said 'everyone in the institution knew that wasn't true' and she hoped Kate 'would have wanted that to be corrected', adding 'she is a good person'. Meghan was also asked whether a trip to watch tennis at Wimbledon with the Duchess of Cambridge was 'what it looked like ... helping you adjust'. But the Duchess replied: 'My understanding of the past four years is it's nothing like what it looks like.' Oprah then attempted to further probe into their relationship. Referring to a day the pair spent together at Wimbledon at 2019, she asked: 'Did you feel welcomed by everyone? It seemed like you and Kate at the Wimbledon game where you were going to watch a friend play tennis?' 'Was it what it looked like? You are two sisters-in-law out there in the world, getting to know each other. Was she helping you, embracing you into the family, helping you?' However Meghan appeared to dodge the question, saying: 'My understanding and my experience of the past four years is it's nothing like what it looks like. 'It's nothing like what it looks like. And I remember so often people within the firm would say, 'Well, you can't do this because it'll look like that. You can't' so, even, 'Can I go and have lunch with my friends?'. No, no, no. You're oversaturated. You're everywhere. It would be best for you to not go out to lunch with your friends.' 'I can't imagine doing anything to intentionally cause pain to my child': Meghan hits out at father and claims her sister only changed adopted Markle surname when she started dating HarryThe Duchess of Sussex has said she cannot fathom hurting Archie the way her own father 'betrayed' her before the royal wedding. In newly released footage from the Oprah interview, Meghan said she has 'found it hard to reconcile' with Thomas Markle for insisting he had not been speaking to the media. The main bombshells from the Oprah interview - Harry and Meghan 'left UK because of racism' Asked by Winfrey if the couple left the UK because of racism, Harry replied: 'It was a large part of it.' Recalling a conversation at a Sentebale fundraiser, he said he was urged by someone who is 'friends with a lot of the editors': 'Please don't do this with the media, they will destroy your life.' He said he was told: 'You need to understand that the UK is very bigoted,' to which he replied: 'The UK is not bigoted, the UK press is bigoted, specifically the tabloids.' He added: 'But unfortunately if the source of info is inherently corrupt or racist or biased then that filters out to the rest of society.' Harry did not identify the person who allegedly made the comments. - 'Uninvited' to Sandringham trip In another exclusive clip, Harry said he had been suddenly told he was no longer invited to spend time with the Queen at Sandringham in January 2020. Harry said the Queen had told him to come and see her there after he and Meghan arrived back in the UK from Canada. He said: 'My grandmother had said 'the moment you land, come up to Sandringham, we'd love to have a chat, come for tea, why don't you stay for dinner because it's going to be a long drive and you're going to be exhausted?'' He said 'the moment we landed in the UK' he got a message from his private secretary at the time, passing on a message from the Queen's private secretary. He said it was 'basically saying 'please pass on to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex that he cannot come to Norfolk. The Queen is busy, she's busy all week'.' Oprah said: 'After she'd just invited to you?' Harry replied: 'She'd just invited me. 'The Queen is busy, she's busy all week, do not come up here'.' - Press 'rude not racist' to Kate Meghan said she and Kate's experiences dealing with the press were different, saying 'rude and racist are not the same'. She said: 'Kate was called 'Waity Katie' waiting to marry William. While I imagine that was really hard - and I do, I can't picture what that felt like - this is not the same. 'And if a member of his family would comfortably say 'we've all had to deal with things that are rude', rude and racist are not the same. 'And equally you've also had a press team that goes on the record to defend you, especially when they know something's not true, and that didn't happen for us.' - Sister 'changed surname to Markle' after Meghan started dating Harry In one of the new clips, Meghan spoke about her family for the first time, claiming that she 'didn't have a relationship' with her sister, Samantha, and that she only changed her surname to Markle after she married Harry. - Meghan 'couldn't imagine hurting Archie' like her father hurt her Meghan said there was an 'obsession' with anything in her world including tracking down her parents. Asked if it felt like 'betrayal' when she found out her father Thomas Markle was 'working with the tabloids', Meghan said: 'I'm just trying to decide if I'm comfortable even talking about that.' She later added: 'I look at Archie, I think about this child, and I genuinely can't imagine doing anything to intentionally cause pain to my child. I can't imagine it, so it's hard for me to reconcile that.' - Meghan's mental health The Duchess of Sussex revealed she had suicidal thoughts and said: 'I just didn't want to be alive any more.' She said she begged for help, and asked to go somewhere to get help, and approached one of the most senior people in the institution, but was told it would not look good. The duchess said: 'I said that I needed to go somewhere to get help. I said that I've never felt this way before and I need to go somewhere. And I was told that I couldn't, that it wouldn't be good for the institution.' - Baby Sussex is a girl Harry and Meghan revealed they are expecting a baby girl. The duke joined his wife in the second half of the interview, and told the chat show host: 'It's a girl.' He said his first thought was 'amazing' when he discovered they were having a girl, adding: 'Just grateful. To have any child, any one or any two, would have been amazing. 'But to have a boy and then a girl, I mean what more can you ask for? Now we've got our family, we got the four of us and our two dogs.' Asked if they were 'done' with two children, Harry said 'done' and Meghan said: 'Two is it.' She also confirmed the baby is due in the 'summertime'. - Royal family accused of racism Meghan said, when she was pregnant with Archie, an unnamed member of the royal family raised 'concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born'. Asked whether there were concerns that her child would be 'too brown' and that would be a problem, Meghan said: 'If that is the assumption you are making, that is a pretty safe one.' Pushed by Winfrey on who had those conversations, Meghan refused to say, adding: 'I think that would be very damaging to them.' She added: 'That was relayed to me from Harry, those were conversations the family had with him, and I think it was really hard to be able to see those as compartmentalised conversations.' Today, Prince Philip was cleared of making a remark about how 'dark' Archie's skin would be, with Oprah saying Harry had confirmed the comment was not made by the Duke of Edinburgh or the Queen. - Archie's title Meghan suggested she and Harry wanted Archie to be a prince so he would have security and be protected. The duchess expressed her shock at 'the idea of our son not being safe', and the idea of the first member of colour in this family, not being titled in the same way as other grandchildren. Archie, who is seventh in line to the throne, is not entitled to be an HRH or a prince due to rules set out more than 100 years ago by King George V. He will be entitled to be an HRH or a prince when the Prince of Wales accedes to the throne. As the first born son of a duke, Archie could have become Earl of Dumbarton - one of Harry's subsidiary titles - or have been Lord Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, instead at the time of his birth, a royal source said Harry and Meghan had decided he should a regular Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor. - The Prince of Wales The Duke of Sussex said his father the Prince of Wales stopped taking his calls while Harry and Meghan were in Canada 'because I took matters into my own hands. I needed to do this for my family'. He said Charles wanted him to put his plans in writing. - The Queen Harry denied that he had 'blindsided' his grandmother Queen with the bombshell statement about stepping down as senior royal. The duke said he believed the report probably could have come from 'within the institution'. - The Duchess of Cambridge Meghan said Kate made her cry ahead of her wedding. Reports circulated ahead of the Sussexes' nuptials that Meghan left Kate in tears at Princess Charlotte's bridesmaid dress fitting. But Meghan told Winfrey the 'reverse happened'. Meghan said she was not sharing the information to be 'disparaging', but added it was 'really important for people to understand the truth'. 'She's a good person,' the duchess added AdvertisementShe said: 'I look at Archie, I think about this child, and I genuinely can't imagine doing anything to intentionally cause pain to my child.' Meghan drew a contrast with her mother Doria Ragland, who she praised for remaining 'in silent dignity for four years'. The clip also saw Meghan distance herself from her half-sister Samantha, who has released a 'tell-all' book about their relationship. The Duchess retorted: 'I think it would be very hard to tell all when you don't know me.' She said she grew up 'an only child' and even claimed Samantha only changed her surname back to Markle after Meghan struck up a romance with Harry. The tension between the Markles was addressed in unaired sections of the Sussexes CBS sit-down with Oprah, who probed about her relationship with Thomas. Thomas was supposed to walk Meghan down the aisle in May 2018 but pulled out of the ceremony following health problems. The two were also engaged in a row about him speaking to the press. Oprah asked: 'Did it feel like betrayal when you found that your father was working with the tabloids?' After weighing up if she was 'comfortable' delving into the issue, Meghan said her father had assured he had 'absolutely not' spoken to the press. She said: 'If we're going to use the word betrayal it's because when I asked him, when we were told by the comms team this was a story that was going to be coming out which, by the way, the tabloids had apparently known for a month or so and decided to hold until the Sunday before our wedding because they wanted to create drama, which is also a key point in all this, they don't report the news, they create the news. 'We called my dad, and I asked him, and he said no, absolutely not. I said, you know, the institution has never intervened for anything for us, but they can try to go in and kill this story. But if they do this once, we're not going to be able to use that same leverage to protect our kids one day. She added: 'I said we won't be able to protect our own kids one day, and I said, I just need you to tell me. If you tell me the truth, we can'And he wasn't able to do that. And that for me has really resonated, especially now as a mother.' Meghan went on: 'And also me saying just full stop, if we use this to protect you, we won't be able to protect our own children one day, I'm talking about your grandchildren. 'I look at Archie, I think about this child, and I go I genuinely can't imagine doing anything to intentionally cause pain to my child. I can't imagine it. So it's hard for me to reconcile that.' Meghan also said that despite her sister Samantha releasing a book about her, she 'doesn't know her' and they've never been close. Samantha's autobiography, titled 'The Diary of Princess Pushy's Sister: A Memoir, Part One, goes into detail about their childhood. But the duchess said: 'I don't feel comfortable talking about people that I really don't know. But I grew up as an only child, which everybody who grew up around me knows.' She added she wished she had had siblings and was pleased Archie was going to have a younger sister. Meghan said she last saw Samantha almost 20 years ago and added: 'She changed her last name back to Markle... only when I started dating Harry. So I think that says enough.' Prince Philip was not the royal who allegedly concerns over Archie's 'dark' skin toneOprah revealed this morning that behind the scenes, Prince Harry told her it was neither The Queen nor Prince Philip who had concerns over Archie's skin colour before he was born, but he would not reveal the identity of who it did. Harry and Meghan revealed on Sunday night in their bombshell interview with Oprah that there was a 'conversation', before Archie's birth, about his skin and how 'dark' it would be. It was a stunning claim that prompted Oprah and the 17million Americans watching to ask who it was who had said it. Harry refused to reveal that person's identity on Sunday night as did Meghan. They said they wanted to protect whoever it was. On Monday morning, Oprah said on CBS This Morning that when the cameras were down, Harry made it clear to her it was neither of 'his grandparents.' 'He did not share the identity with me but he wanted to make sure that I knew and if I had an opportunity to share it, that it was not his grandmother nor his grandfather that were a part of those conversations. 'Neither his grandmother nor grandfather were a part of those conversations. 'He did not tell me who were a part of those conversations, as you can see I tried to get that answer. On camera and off. ' Speaking later today, Oprah said she was 'surprised' the Sussexes revealed details of an alleged conversation with a member of the royal family who expressed 'concern' before he was born about how dark their son Archie's skin tone might be. The talk show host also said she was taken aback by Meghan's disclosures about her mental health, and about Harry's revelation at feeling 'trapped', during their explosive interview. Asked if she was surprised that the conversation about skin tone happened or that they were revealing it, Oprah replied: 'I was surprised they were telling me about it. 'Even on the tape you can hear me go 'Whoa, I cannot believe you are saying this right now'.' Asked how the couple is feeling today, Winfrey said: 'I haven't really spoken to them since the interview because we are in different time zones. Oprah reveals Meghan told her in 2018 that she was 'advised' to be 'half herself' after joining the Royal FamilyOprah Winfrey today revealed that in 2018 Meghan was 'advised' to be 'half herself' shortly after she joined the Royal Family - as the talk show host admitted to being 'surprised' by the couple's racism claims during their CBS interview. Oprah said Meghan approached her and confided that she had been told to be '50% less' - in an apparent reference to the need for the duchess to adopt a lower profile to fit into the royal pecking order. The talk show host said she was left 'disheartened' by the exchange, although she did not reveal who gave Meghan the advice or its precise meaning. Today, Oprah gave her reaction to the bombshell interview, including the claim that a royal had raised concerns that Archie could be 'too brown'. Oprah replied: 'I was surprised they were telling me about it. Even on the tape you can hear me go ''Whoa, I cannot believe you are saying this right now''.' Oprah appeared on US breakfast show CBS This Morning to discuss her bombshell interview with Meghan and the Duke of Sussex and recalled a conversation she had with Meghan. She told the programme: 'She had just joined the royal family and she shared a conversation with me then that made me feel somewhat disheartened. 'She said she had been told, been given advice, that it would be best if she could be 50% less than she was. That was the quote, if she could be 50% less. 'I remember hearing that in 2018 and I said to her, 'I don't know how you're going to survive, being half of yourself'.' Meghan has previously complained about feeling constrained by royal protocol and having to run comments by palace officials before speaking in public. Winfrey was a guest at the couple's 2018 wedding and given a prime seat at the ceremony. She had reportedly been courting Meghan for an interview for a number of years before the couple stepped back from royal life. She has also been photographed with Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland. The couple's home in California is close to Winfrey's in the affluent neighbourhood of Montecito and Winfrey's best friend Gayle King, an anchor on CBS This Morning, was a guest at Meghan's baby shower. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry shared candid footage of Archie playing on a beach during their bombshell interview with Oprah WinfreyToday, Tory MPs led the backlash against Prince Harry and Meghan's 'appalling' accusations of racism against the Royal Family as they accused the couple of 'detonating a nuclear weapon' with the allegations. The Duchess of Sussex said 'concerns' were raised about 'how dark' Archie's skin would be before he was born because she is mixed-race and Harry is white, but refused to say who made the alleged comments. How Meghan and Harry's royal racism claims differed: Meghan said 'concerns over how dark baby's skin might be' were raised while she was pregnant but Harry said comments were before their marriage Meghan Markle and Prince Harry gave differing accounts of when a mystery member of the Royal Family raised concerns about how dark their baby's son skin might be. The Duchess of Sussex said 'concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born' happened 'in those months when [I] was pregnant' with Archie. But later when Prince Harry was asked about the exchange he appeared to suggest he heard the alleged slur from a royal figure earlier, before he and Meghan got married. He said: 'That was right at the beginning, when she wasn't going to get security, when members of my family were suggesting that she carries on acting, because there was not enough money to pay for her, and all this sort of stuff. 'Like, there was some real obvious signs before we even got married that this was going to be really hard.' Today he doubled down on accusations of racism and said there was a lot of it in the UK in a clip aired on CBS. The couple married on May 19, 2018, while Meghan revealed the news of her first pregnancy on October 15, 2018. Meghan refused to say which royal had the conversation with Harry about Archie's skin colour, claiming it would be 'damaging' to the person in her husband's family who raised it. She told Miss Winfrey that it was 'a pretty safe' assumption to suggest that the royal family member was 'concerned' that Archie being 'too brown' was 'a problem'. When asked if it was 'important' for Meghan that Archie be called a prince, she said she doesn't have any attachment to the 'grandeur' of official titles. But she said it was about 'the idea of our son not being safe, and also the idea of the first member of colour in this family not being titled in the same way that other grandchildren would be.' Prince Harry - who later joined his wife and Miss Winfrey for the last part of the interview - described the conversation as 'awkward', saying it left him 'shocked'. But he declined to reveal anything more about what was said, saying: 'That conversation I'm never going to share.' AdvertisementOne Tory MP, who did not want to be named, suggested that the couple appeared to be 'telling the Royal Family I've got this nuclear weapon and I'm going to detonate it'. Conservative MP Andrea Jenkins tweeted: 'Today's Commonwealth Day gives us all another reminder of Her Majesty's long life of service and duty, continuing to work for us all despite her husband being in hospital. Britain stands with our Queen.' Meanwhile, Fellow MP Michael Fabricant said: 'Every family is dysfunctional one way or another. The holder of every high position will have personal little secrets they want hidden. We are all human. Only HM Queen seems to float selflessly above it all.' In the first interview last night, The Duchess of Sussex told Oprah she 'couldn't be left alone' and told her husband she 'didn't want to be alive anymore' before claiming the Buckingham Palace HR department ignored her plea for help because she wasn't a 'paid employee'. In the first broadcast, the Duchess of Sussex said 'concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born' happened 'in those months when [I] was pregnant' with Archie. However, when Prince Harry was asked about the exchange later he appeared to suggest he heard the alleged slur from a royal figure earlier, before he and Meghan got married. He said: 'That was right at the beginning, when she wasn't going to get security, when members of my family were suggesting that she carries on acting, because there was not enough money to pay for her, and all this sort of stuff. 'Like, there was some real obvious signs before we even got married that this was going to be really hard.' Meanwhile, Meghan told Oprah she 'couldn't be left alone' and told her husband she 'didn't want to be alive anymore' before claiming the Buckingham Palace HR department ignored her plea for help because she wasn't a 'paid employee'. Describing how she considered ending her life believing it 'was better for everyone', Meghan said: 'I knew that if I didn't say it, that I would do it. I just didn't want to be alive anymore. And that was a very clear and real and frightening constant thought. I remember how he just cradled me. I said that I needed to go somewhere to get help. I said that 'I've never felt this way before, and I need to go somewhere'. And I was told that I couldn't, that it wouldn't be good for the institution'. She said that after confiding in her husband, she was forced to go to the Royal Albert Hall for a charity event in January 2019, claiming photos from that night 'haunt me'. She told Oprah she later reached out to one of the best friends of Diana, Princess of Wales, because she felt unsupported by the palace. She said: 'When I joined that family, that was the last time I saw my passport, my driving licence, my keys - all of that gets turned over'. Meghan said Harry had 'saved my life' by agreeing to move to Los Angeles. Meghan also sensationally claimed that a relative of Harry asked him 'how dark' their unborn child would be with the Duchess claiming Archie being mixed-race was a 'problem' for the royals after Oprah asked her if they were worried their son would be 'too brown'. The former Suits star said she would not name the person because it would be 'too damaging' for them. But she confirmed that the duke was asked the question 'how dark his skin might be when he's born' 'by family'. She then said Archie may have been denied the title of prince because he is mixed-race, but has never been told. Harry was also asked to identify the culprit but said he didn't feel 'comfortable' discussing it. In the most extraordinary royal interview since Diana spoke to the BBC's Martin Bashir in 1995, Meghan said her sister-in-law Kate made her cry in a row over dresses for the flowergirls, including Princess Charlotte, before her Windsor wedding. She said: 'She (Kate) was upset about something, but she owned it, and she apologised. And she brought me flowers'. Harry also laid into his own family, claiming their 'lack of support and understanding', the couple's mental health problems and fears 'history repeating itself' with Meghan like his mother Diana, who died in 1997. Harry also said he felt 'very let down' by his father Prince Charles, accusing him of refusing to take his calls and and then 'cut him off' financially when they emigrated. He said: 'My father and brother. They're both trapped' and added that his mother Diana would be 'angry and sad' that he felt he had to leave the royal family, but 'she saw it coming'. Harry said: 'All she'd ever want for us is to be happy', adding that his wife had 'saved me', declaring: 'I myself was trapped, as well. I didn't see a way out'. The prince said he had to sign multi-million dollar deals with Netflix and Spotify because he was spending his inheritance from Princess Diana and claimed the palace suggested that Meghan should go back into acting to pay the bills. Asked about his relationship with Prince Charles, Harry said they were now speaking again, adding: 'There's a lot to work through there, you know? I feel really let down, because he's been through something similar. He knows what pain feels like, and Archie's his grandson. I will always love him, but there's a lot of hurt that's happened. And I will continue to make it one of my priorities to try and heal that relationship'. When asked about if he remains close to William he replied: 'I love William to bits. He's my brother. We've been through hell together. I mean, we have a shared experience. But we're on different paths'. Oprah says Harry told her behind-the-scenes that it was NOT The Queen or Prince Philip who 'banned Archie from being a Prince because of concerns over how DARK he would be' - but would not reveal who DID say it Oprah revealed on Monday morning that behind the scenes, Prince Harry told her it was neither The Queen nor Prince Philip who had concerns over Archie's skin colour before he was born, but he would not reveal the identity of who it did. Harry and Meghan revealed on Sunday night in their bombshell interview with Oprah that there was a 'conversation', before Archie's birth, about his skin and how 'dark' it would be. It was a stunning claim that prompted Oprah and the 17million Americans watching to ask who it was who had said it. Harry refused to reveal that person's identity on Sunday night as did Meghan. They said they wanted to protect whoever it was. On Monday morning, Oprah said on CBS This Morning that when the cameras were down, Harry made it clear to her it was neither of 'his grandparents.' 'He did not share the identity with me but he wanted to make sure that I knew and if I had an opportunity to share it, that it was not his grandmother nor his grandfather that were a part of those conversations. 'Neither his grandmother nor grandfather were a part of those conversations. He did not tell me who were a part of those conversations, as you can see I tried to get that answer. On camera and off. ' AdvertisementMeghan claimed she had been completely 'naive' about what royal life was like, claiming she didn't know about needing to curtsy for the Queen and being taught by Fergie minutes before meeting Her Majesty for the first time in 2017. The Duke and Duchess said they speak to her regularly on Zoom - but hinted at little contact with the other royals. The Sussexes also revealed they were already planning 'Megxit' just six months after they married in May 2018 and Meghan compared life in Kensington Palace to lockdown in the Covid world today because she was 'banned' from going to lunch with friends. But said their new life was a 'happy ending' for after a journey 'greater than any fairytale you've ever read. The Duchess was greeted by Oprah as a friend when the show began and admired her growing baby bump, before the host said that while they knew each other none of the questions had been shared in advance. The Duchess of Sussex sat alone as she claimed she entered the Royal Family 'naively' and didn't do any research about her husband or the institution before entering it. Describing meeting the Queen for the first time at Windsor and that she was shocked when she was told by Harry would need to curtsy to Her Majesty, and was taught by her husband's aunt Fergie. Describing her initial experiences of becoming part of the royal family, Meghan said: 'I will say I went into it naively, because I didn't grow up knowing much about the royal family. 'It wasn't something that was part of conversation at home, it wasn't something that we followed.' Meghan said she did not research Harry or the family beforehand, and had little expectation of what becoming a working royal would involve. She said: 'I didn't fully understand what the job was, what does it mean to be a working royal, what do you do? 'I didn't romanticise any element of it, but I think as Americans especially - what you know about the royals is what you read in fairy tales. 'It's easy to have an image of it that's so far from reality and that's what was really tricky over those past few years, when the perception and reality are different things and you're being judged on the perception but you are living the reality of it, there's a complete misalignment and there's no way to explain that to people.' A tearful duchess also told interviewer Oprah Winfrey that the stress of her role became so bad that she felt suicidal as a result of the pressure she was under. I didn't want to be alive any more -this was a very real and frightening constant thought,' she said. She said she didn't want to tell Harry at first because of the loss he had suffered as a result of his mother's death, but she did and he 'cradled me'. Meghan said she begged a senior member of the royal to assist her get help for mental health issue but she was left to suffer alone. Meghan then denied making Kate cry before her wedding in 2018 and said the opposite had happened. Oprah asked the Duchess: 'Was there a situation where she (Kate) might have cried? Or she could have cried?' But the Duchess of Sussex replied: 'No, no. The reverse happened. And I don't say that to be disparaging to anyone, because it was a really hard week of the wedding. And she was upset about something, but she owned it, and she apologised. 'And she brought me flowers and a note, apologising. And she did what I would do if I knew that I hurt someone, right, to just take accountability for it.' Meghan added that it was 'shocking' that the 'reverse of that would be out in the world'. She continued: 'A few days before the wedding, she was upset about something pertaining - yes, the issue was correct - about flower girl dresses, and it made me cry, and it really hurt my feelings. 'And I thought, in the context of everything else that was going on in those days leading to the wedding, that it didn't make sense to not be just doing whatever-- what everyone else was doing, which was trying to be supportive, knowing what was going on with my dad and whatnot.' Meghan also said: 'It wasn't a confrontation, and I actually think it's... I don't think it's fair to her to get into the details of that, because she apologised. 'What was hard to get over was being blamed for something that not only I didn't do but that happened to me. And the people who were part of our wedding were going to our comms team and saying: 'I know this didn't happen. I don't have to tell them what actually happened'.' But the Duchess of Sussex also insisted that she has now forgiven Kate Middleton and said she bought her flowers to apologise about the incident. It then got even more uncomfortable for the royals when Meghan Markle accused the Royal Family of having 'concerns' about 'how dark' Archie's skin would be before he was born because she is mixed-race and Harry is white. Harry said he loved his brother William but they were now on different paths and said their mother would be 'angry and sad' that he felt he had to leave the royal family, but 'saw it coming' herselfThe Duchess of Sussex also described her 'pain' that officials had denied Archie the title of prince and accused Buckingham Palace of failing to protect him by denying him 24/7 security. Meghan refused to say which royal had the conversation with Harry about Archie's skin colour, claiming it would be 'damaging' to the person in her husband's family who raised it. She told Miss Winfrey that it was 'a pretty safe' assumption to suggest that the royal family member was 'concerned' that Archie being 'too brown' was 'a problem'. Harry and Meghan did NOT secretly marry three days before the royal wedding as vicar questions 'if rest of claims are BS' Meghan Markle did not secretly marry Prince Harry three days before their spectacular Windsor wedding, despite claims in their bombshell Oprah interview. It had been said the couple and just the Archbishop of Canterbury had been present in a low-key union before the televised ceremony. But a marriage has to have two witnesses and be solemnised by a member of the clergy in a church or licenced place. It means the pair exchanging vows in a space outside Kensington Palace was not legally binding and they became man and wife in Windsor days later. Doubts had already been expressed over whether such a ceremony would have even been legal with one clergyman insisting the Archbishop of Canterbury who Meghan said had conducted the wedding should explain. A spokesman for the Archbishop today said he would not comment on personal or pastoral matters. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in the States overnight mentioned a secret earlier marriage for the first time. Meghan told Winfrey: 'You know, three days before our wedding, we got married. No one knows that', before Harry later insisted it had been just them and Justin Welby present. But Reverend David Green, Vicar of St Mary's, West Malling and the Rector of St Michael's, Offham, said it was impossible to have had two weddings, adding: 'I think the Archbishop needs to clarify what did or did not happen three days before.' AdvertisementWhen asked if it was 'important' for Meghan that Archie be called a prince, she said she doesn't have any attachment to the 'grandeur' of official titles. But she said it was about 'the idea of our son not being safe, and also the idea of the first member of colour in this family not being titled in the same way that other grandchildren would be.' Prince Harry described the conversation as 'awkward', saying it left him 'shocked'. But he declined to reveal anything more about what was said, saying: 'That conversation I'm never going to share.' After Meghan spoke to Oprah alone, she was joined by Harry where they celebrated on screen as they announced to the 17million Americans watching that they were having a baby daughter. Harry then said the couple left because of the media in Britain and because of a 'lack of support and lack of understanding' from his family, and revealed that his father refused to speak to him after they left for Vancouver. And in a sign that his relationship with his brother William is strained, claiming he 'didn't have anyone to turn to' and was 'ashamed' to admit his wife struggling. He said: 'I love William to bits. He's my brother. We've been through hell together. I mean, we have a shared experience. But we're on different paths'. Harry added: 'My family literally cut me off financially. Members of my family were suggesting that she [Meghan] carries on acting, because there was not enough money to pay for her. There was some real obvious signs before we even got married that this was going to be really hard'. He also claimed that he was asked by his father, Prince Charles, to put his request in writing 'before he stopped taking my calls'. Asked by Oprah Winfrey during their televised interview about why they left, Harry blamed a 'lack of support and lack of understanding'. The chat show queen said she wanted 'clarity' and asked Harry: 'Was the move about getting away from the UK press...because the press is, you know, is everywhere, or was the move because you weren't getting enough support from the firm?' He replied: 'It was both.' Winfrey asked 'did you blindside the Queen?' with the announcement they were leaving the family, and Harry replied: 'No, I would never blindside my grandmother, I have too much respect for her.' Asked where that story came from, Harry said: 'I hazard a guess that it probably could have come from within the institution.' As Oprah wrapped up the interview the couple insisted that they had had a 'happy ending' by moving to LA, with Harry saying he had 'no regrets'. But his wife added: 'My regret is believing them [the Royal Family] when they said I'd be protected.' Meghan then called their journey 'greater than any fairytale you've ever read' and said Harry had saved her life. Harry replied: 'Without question, she [Meghan] saved me.' The Duchess of Sussex, who brokered the interview, has already accused 'The Firm' of 'perpetuating falsehoods' about her and Harry and said they refused to be 'silenced' any more. The Sussexes have been branded 'selfish' and 'disrespectful' to go ahead with the shown when Harry's 99-year-old grandfather Prince Philip is in hospital recovering from heart surgery. The interview, expected to be viewed by 17million people in the US and millions more around the globe, is considered the most important piece of royal TV since Harry's mother spoke to the BBC's Martin Bashir in 1995 after she separated from Prince Charles. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have today insisted that their Oprah interview would be the 'last word' on their rift with the Royal Family. The couple, who will have their second child later this year, said they felt they 'needed to have their say' but now want to 'move on'. 'It's a GIRL!' Harry and Meghan reveal sex of their second child as they confirm their family but say 'two is it'Meghan Markle and Prince Harry today revealed their second child is a girl and is due to be born this summer, during their bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who now live in Montecito, California, said they are preparing to welcome a sister for their 22-month-old son Archie later this year. Harry, 36, joined his 39-year-old wife for the second half of the bombshell interview on CBS with Oprah, and excitedly told the chat show host: 'It's a girl.' He said his first thought was 'amazing' when he learned they were having a girl, adding: 'Just grateful. To have any child, any one or any two, would have been amazing. 'But to have a boy and then a girl, I mean what more can you ask for? Now we've got our family, we got the four of us and our two dogs.' Meghan Markle and Prince Harry revealed their second child is a girl during their interviewAsked if they were 'done' with two children, Harry said 'done' and Meghan said: 'Two is it.' She also confirmed the baby is due in the 'summertime'. 'For me as a black woman, it made me feel sick to my core': Alexandra Burke responds to Meghan Markle's 'heartbreaking' racism claims about the Royal family Alexandra Burke felt 'sick to her core' after hearing Meghan Markle's claims that a member of the Royal family expressed concerns over the colour of son Archie's skin. The X Factor winner, 32, was speaking during an appearance on Monday's Lorraine when talk soon turned to Prince Harry and Meghan's explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey, which aired in the US overnight. Alexandra told how as a black woman she felt 'sick' at hearing Meghan's 'heartbreaking' racism claims, stating her shock that 'we're in 2021 and still having these conversations'. Meghan, 39, used her bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview to accuse the Royal Family of having 'concerns' about 'how dark' Archie's skin would be before he was born because she is mixed-race and Harry is white. AdvertisementThe girl will not be entitled, at this stage, to be an HRH nor a princess due to rules set out more than 100 years ago by George V - but this is the same as what would have happened pre-Megxit. The baby is entitled to be a Lady, but Harry and Meghan will again opt to style their second-born a plain Miss, with the surname Mountbatten-Windsor. The couple announced on Valentine's Day last month that they are expecting a second child, saying they were 'overjoyed' at their pregnancy. If born in the US, the baby will be entitled to US citizenship as an automatic right. To celebrate the news last month, the couple released a black and white photograph which showed them beaming with delight. Meghan lay with her head in her husband's lap, her hand resting on her visible baby bump. Barefoot Harry cradled her head in his hand as the couple relaxed together under a tree on a sprawling sunlit lawn. The picture was shot by photographer Misan Harriman, a friend of the duke and duchess. It was believed to have been taken in Montecito, California, where the pair now live after deciding to leave Britain and step down from their roles in the Royal Family. A spokesman for the couple said at the time: 'We can confirm that Archie is going to be a big brother. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are overjoyed to be expecting their second child.' The announcement comes after Meghan, 39, suffered a heartbreaking miscarriage last year. Harry, 36, is expected to return to the UK this summer to see his family for the first time since 'Megxit'. Meghan was already said to be unlikely to join him for 'personal and practical' reasons, according to sources. Mr Harriman said last month that being asked to take the photograph felt especially poignant after the duchess's miscarriage. He said: 'To be asked to help share this absolute joy after such an unimaginable loss and heartache is a marker of true friendship. 'Meg reminded me that had I not introduced her to a mutual friend then she wouldn't have met Harry. I'm grateful for whatever small part I played.' It came almost exactly 37 years after Princess Diana was confirmed to be pregnant with her second child - Prince Harry. Buckingham Palace made that announcement on February 13, 1984. Harry and Meghan chose to put out a statement themselves on Valentine's Day, in keeping with their decision to move away from their traditional roles within the Royal Family. In what appeared to be a hastily prepared response, Buckingham Palace said at the time that Her Majesty, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales and 'the entire family' were 'delighted'. Kate made ME cry: Meghan Markle says Duchess of Cambridge made HER cry in bust up over flower girls before she married Prince Harry and later bought her flowers to say sorryMeghan Markle today claimed in her interview with Oprah Winfrey that the Duchess of Cambridge made her cry before she married Prince Harry. But the Duchess of Sussex also insisted that she has now forgiven Kate Middleton and said she bought her flowers to apologise about the incident. Meghan, 39, was asked about a row with Prince William's wife that made headlines around the world after a falling out over dresses for the flowergirls. Meghan then denied making Kate, also 39, cry before her wedding, which took place at Windsor Castle in May 2018, and said the opposite had happened. The Duchess of Cambridge with Princess Charlotte and other bridesmaids arriving at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle for the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan in May 2018Oprah asked Meghan: 'Was there a situation where she (Kate) might have cried? Or she could have cried?' But the Duchess of Sussex replied: 'No, no. The reverse happened. And I don't say that to be disparaging to anyone, because it was a really hard week of the wedding. And she was upset about something, but she owned it, and she apologised. 'And she brought me flowers and a note, apologising. And she did what I would do if I knew that I hurt someone, right, to just take accountability for it.' Meghan added that it was 'shocking' that the 'reverse of that would be out in the world'. She continued: 'A few days before the wedding, she was upset about something pertaining - yes, the issue was correct - about flower girl dresses, and it made me cry, and it really hurt my feelings. 'And I thought, in the context of everything else that was going on in those days leading to the wedding, that it didn't make sense to not be just doing whatever everyone else was doing, which was trying to be supportive, knowing what was going on with my dad and whatnot.' Meghan also said: 'It wasn't a confrontation, and I actually think it's... I don't think it's fair to her to get into the details of that, because she apologised. 'What was hard to get over was being blamed for something that not only I didn't do but that happened to me. 'And the people who were part of our wedding were going to our comms team and saying: 'I know this didn't happen. I don't have to tell them what actually happened'.' Meghan also said reports she had reduced the Duchess of Cambridge to tears were a 'turning point'. The Duchess said 'everyone in the institution knew that wasn't true' and she hoped Kate 'would have wanted that to be corrected', adding 'she is a good person'. Meghan was also asked whether a trip to watch tennis at Wimbledon with the Duchess of Cambridge was 'what it looked like ... helping you adjust'. But the Duchess replied: 'My understanding of the past four years is it's nothing like what it looks like.' Royal experts blast 'self-indulgent and selfish' Harry and Meghan as they say Queen will be 'absolutely devastated' by their 'astonishing' Oprah interview Royal experts today blasted the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as 'self-indulgent and selfish' and said the Queen would be 'absolutely devastated' by their interview. Commentators have been giving their views following the bombshell two-hour chat Prince Harry and Meghan Markle gave to Oprah Winfrey, shown on CBS. The interview saw Meghan make of a series of astonishing claims, including that conversations were held about how dark the skin colour of their son might be. The Duchess also confessed she had suicidal thoughts at the height of her crisis in the monarchy and asked the palace to seek professional help for her. During their televised chat, which will also air on ITV tonight, Meghan also claimed that the Duchess of Cambridge made her cry ahead of her wedding. Among those giving their views were Angela Levin, author of Harry: Conversations with the Prince, Robert Jobson, who wrote Diana: Closely Guarded Secret. Russell Myers, Daily Mirror royal editor and a commentator on ITV's Lorraine editor, also gave his views on a Facebook live event hosted by True Royalty TV. This is the verdict of the three royal experts: ROBERT JOBSON This was a performance from beginning to the end. Self-indulgent and selfish. They have disrespected to our country. They have both made some very serious allegations and know they Monarchy can't fight back. The entire interview did not respect the Queen. They have attacking the institution of the monarchy. It is not showbiz. This is a gross insult to the British people. They have thrown a big hand grenade into the Royal Family and the monarchy. They have accused the Royal Family of being racist, but they have not said who. That is cowardice. You cannot make that slur. They are saying the British Press are racist. Where is the evidence? It is just appalling that they have been allowed to say those things without singling out who it was. They should never have raised this. So much of what she said is astonishing and I am not sure I believe it. They have said duty does not mean anything and that they were not able to leave and if they had the option to leave, they would. The Queen has been devoted to service. It is just outrageous. He is saying they are trapped and basically saying Prince Charles does not want to be King. That is just wrong. You cannot say that. They have become slightly deluded. The only winner here is Oprah Winfrey. RUSSELL MYERS That was the most extraordinary piece of television I have ever watched. The number of bombshells were extraordinary. They will come a cropper, but there are elements of what they said that need to be taken seriously. Meghan was a young, vulnerable woman and what she said she went through is distressing and there are questions that need to be answered. On the backdrop of a global pandemic their lack of awareness is breath-taking. They have just bought a 10million home. There is no correlations to their experience of most normal people who were watching. They will be absolutely staggered. When the Queen wakes up reads what has been said she will be absolutely devastated. They have slammed almost every single member of the Royal Family. They have said duty does not mean anything and that they were not able to leave and if they had the option to leave, they would. The Queen has been devoted to service. It is just outrageous. ANGELA LEVIN I was just so absorbed by all the attacks. It was quite astonishing. Meghan made it sound as if she was in prison. That was her narrative. She said there was no one there for her, but Harry was by her side. One of the Queen's most trusted assistants was given to her. It is hard to say there was no one. People care about the Queen and the Royal Family and to her someone come in and smash the lot of them, and they are so forceful in their comments, that it made me feel very easy. She says they were furious about losing their security, but they were out of the country. It is distressing to hear her say she was suicidal and traumatic that she asked for help. Prince Harry sought help after his mother died. I can hardly believe that Harry did not help. That is a catastrophic thing to say. I am sure in a few years' time Harry will very much regret doing this interview. They have no emotional intelligence. The Palace will say the minimum. It is too much to take on. Other commentators gave their views elsewhere. KJ MATTHEWS Entertainment journalist based in Los Angeles, speaking on BBC Breakfast. I'm still processing all that I heard. I expected to hear some revelations, but i never imagined I would hear that many revelations. KJ Matthews I mean there were so many bombshells, I don't know which one to focus on. Surprising, shocking, it really didn't go over well here in terms of the monarchy and the image that we had of them. It really made us look somewhat differently at the monarchy, but when it comes to Prince Harry and Meghan, we feel much more sympathetic to them now. I think we have a better understanding of just why they felt they had to cut ties with the British Royal Family. And I think some people here really feel sorry for her, especially the issue about her feeling suicidal. The fact that she brought up the possibility that they were talking about the skin colour of her unborn son. I think that in a million years we would have never thought she was experiencing that, and so it will be hard, I think, for us to change now from what we've heard and see the monarchy in a positive light. I think that from the moment that she was engaged to Prince Harry, we all thought very flattering things about the British monarchy, we were happy to see her introduced and welcomed into the family. But now with all these allegations and these bombshells, it's just hard to see them in the same way. I do believe their image has been tarnished and from what I'm even seeing on social media, especially here in America, I haven't seen one sympathetic viewpoint siding with the Royal Family. 'I'm hearing now Oprah will appear live on the CBS Morning Show to reveal and show clips of the interview that we have not seen, so there's even more. There could be more bombshells that we see. It's just the gift that keeps on giving, and it's quite shocking. So I will be surprised to see what else she can drop on us.' Chris Ship CHRIS SHIP ITV's royal correspondent spoke on Good Morning Britain about Meghan Markle's claim that someone in the Royal Family had 'concerns' about 'how dark' Archie's skin would be before he was born because she is mixed-race and Harry is white. Mr Ship said: I should be clear here. Now I have been told it is not Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, or the Queen. We are left with two family members. You are left with either his father Prince Charles, or his brother Prince William, or their wives. They have protected the Queen throughout this. They have Zoom calls with the Queen, but equally, they are being very critical of the organisation of which she is the head of. Therefore you ARE criticising the Queen. PENNY JUNOR I do not know why they've done this. This is Harry's family, his flesh and blood, and this seems to have lobbed a hand grenade into the family home. I worry that there will be no coming back from that. It is a very serious attack on an age-old institution that has served this country extremely well for centuries - and why? Why damage it?' I think we have just to wait and see what the ultimate fallout of this interview is. It may that it's today's sensational news but that by next week, next month, it has faded. I think overall the monarchy is strong enough to withstand it. On the Palace's response: I think we have just to wait and see what the ultimate fallout of this interview is. It may that it's today's sensational news but that by next week, next month, it has faded. I think overall the monarchy is strong enough to withstand it. If they say anything my guess is they would express sorrow rather than anger. Traditionally they have kept their mouths closed and kept a dignified silence. I'm sure they are having discussions about how they do respond, but a dignified silence is maybe the best route. INGRID SEWARD It's a real downer on everyone in the royal family apart from the Queen. It's probably the most damning condemnation of the royal family and how they operate that I've ever heard. It struck me that he (Harry) wasn't completely comfortable with what he was saying. I think the monarchy is definitely strong enough to withstand it. They have withstood so many scandals and so many difficulties over the years. This will - I know it doesn't seem like it now - but this will pass over. The majority of British people do not like to see the institution of the monarchy attacked in this way. In a series of astonishing claims, Harry revealed the Prince of Wales cut off contact with him in the wake of his decision to step away from the royal family. He told how, during his time in Canada, his father refused to answer his calls as tensions within the family rose and their relationship soured. In the extraordinary interview watched by tens of millions of people around the world, Harry told Oprah he would always love Charles but said, 'there's a lot of hurt that's happened.' The two-hour interview was the biggest royal tell-all since Harry's mother princess Diana detailed her crumbling marriage to Prince Charles in 1995. Harry, 36, revealed the deep divisions within his family, saying he felt 'really let down' by how his father had handled the situation. But he also said Charles and Harry's older brother William were 'trapped' by the conventions of the monarchy. 'They don't get to leave. And I have huge compassion for that,' he said. Harry also alluded to an alleged rift with his older brother, but signalled his aim to repair their relationship. 'The relationship is space at the moment,' he said, 'and time heals all things, hopefully.' He added: 'I love William to bits, he's my brother, we've been through hell together, we have a shared experience, but we were on different paths.' Prince Harry with his brother Prince William, father Prince Charles and Sir David Attenborough in 2019In 2019, the rift in the royal family was laid bare when Harry said in an ITV documentary that he and William were on 'different paths' and had good and bad days in their relationship. The Duke of Sussex also described himself, the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge as being 'trapped' within the system. Harry claimed he was 'trapped' before he met Meghan but, asked if he would have left or ever stepped back were it not for his now-wife, Harry replied, 'No.' In the candid sit-down, Harry added: 'I wouldn't have been able to, because I myself was trapped, as well. I didn't see a way out. You know, I was trapped, but I didn't know I was trapped. 'But the moment that I met meg, and then our worlds sort of collided in the most amazing of ways. [I was] Trapped within the system, like the rest of my family are. 'My father and my brother, they are trapped. They don't get to leave. And I have huge compassion for that.' In the most extraordinary royal interview since his mother spoke to the BBC's Martin Bashir in 1995, Harry also laid into his own family claiming Prince Charles had stopped stopped taking his calls and 'cut him off' financially when they emigrated. The prince said he had to sign multi-million dollar deals with Netflix and Spotify because he was spending his inheritance from Princess Diana and the palace wanted Meghan to go back into acting to pay the bills. Harry added: 'My family literally cut me off financially. 'Members of my family were suggesting that she [Meghan] carries on acting, because there was not enough money to pay for her. There was some real obvious signs before we even got married that this was going to be really hard'. He added that his mother Diana would be 'angry and sad' that he felt he had to leave the royal family, but 'she saw it coming'. Harry said: 'All she'd ever want for us is to be happy', adding that his wife had 'saved me', declaring: 'I myself was trapped, as well. I didn't see a way out'. Asked about his relationship with Prince Charles, Harry said they were now speaking again, adding: 'There's a lot to work through there, you know? 'I feel really let down, because he's been through something similar. 'He knows what pain feels like, and Archie's his grandson. I will always love him, but there's a lot of hurt that's happened. 'And I will continue to make it one of my priorities to try and heal that relationship'. In the most extraordinary royal interview since his mother spoke to the BBC's Martin Bashir in 1995, Harry also laid into his own family claiming Prince Charles had stopped stopped taking his calls and 'cut him off' financially when they emigrated. Pictured, the family in 2019Asked by Winfrey why they stepped back from the royal family to forge their own family life, Harry blamed a 'lack of support and lack of understanding'. Winfrey asked 'did you blindside the Queen?' with the announcement they were leaving the family. Harry replied: 'No, I would never blindside my grandmother, I have too much respect for her.' Asked where that story came from, Harry said he could 'hazard a guess' that it may have come 'from within the institution'. Harry said while in Canada he had 'three conversations with my grandmother and two conversations with my father, before he stopped taking my calls'. He also revealed Charles had asked for him to put his plan 'in writing'. Harry said he had to act for the wellbeing of himself, Meghan and Archie, adding: 'He asked me to put it in writing, and I put all the specifics in there, even the fact that we were planning on putting the announcement out on the 7th of January.' Oprah asked: 'So, you just said that your dad stopped taking your calls. Why did he stop taking your calls?' Harry replied: 'Because... by that point, I took matters into my own hands. It was like, I need to do this for my family. This is not a surprise to anybody. 'It's really sad that it's gotten to this point, but I've got to do something for my own mental health, my wife's, and for Archie's, as well, because I could see where this was headed.' He added: 'I feel really let down because he's been through something similar, he knows what pain feels like, (and) Archie's his grandson. 'But at the same time - I will always love him - but there's a lot of hurt that's happened and I will continue to make it one of my priorities to try and heal that relationship. 'But they only know what they know, or what they're told.' 'I was trapped until I met Meg': Harry says he was desperate to quit royal life before Megxit and he has 'compassion' for Charles and William who CANNOT escape, but reveals his father stopped taking his calls during MegxitThe Duke of Sussex has described himself, the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge as being 'trapped' within the system of the monarchy. In his bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, Harry sensationally revealed his family 'literally cut me off financially' and said he was only able to step away from royal life thanks to money left to him by his late mother Princess Diana. He claimed he was 'trapped' before he met Meghan as he revealed his father Charles 'stopped taking my calls' during the build-up to the announcement that he and Meghan were leaving the royal family. Asked if he would have left or ever stepped back were it not for Meghan, Harry replied, 'No.' In the candid sit-down, Harry added: 'I wouldn't have been able to, because I myself was trapped, as well. I didn't see a way out. You know, I was trapped, but I didn't know I was trapped. 'But the moment that I met meg, and then our worlds sort of collided in the most amazing of ways. [I was] Trapped within the system, like the rest of my family are. 'My father and my brother, they are trapped. They don't get to leave. And I have huge compassion for that.' Discussing his fractured relationship with Prince Charles, Harry also revealed he and his father Charles were not on speaking terms after his father stopped taking his calls. He added: 'There's a lot to work through there. I feel really let down.' Discussing his fractured relationship with Prince Charles, Harry said his father stopped taking his calls, adding, 'There's a lot to work through there. I feel really let down.' Asked by Winfrey why they stepped back from the royal family to forge their own family life, Harry blamed a 'lack of support and lack of understanding'. Winfrey asked 'did you blindside the Queen?' with the announcement they were leaving the family. Harry replied: 'No, I would never blindside my grandmother, I have too much respect for her.' Asked where that story came from, Harry said he could 'hazard a guess' that it may have come 'from within the institution'. Harry said while in Canada he had 'three conversations with my grandmother and two conversations with my father, before he stopped taking my calls'. He also revealed Charles had asked for him to put his plan 'in writing'. Harry said he had to act for the wellbeing of himself, Meghan and Archie, adding: 'He asked me to put it in writing, and I put all the specifics in there, even the fact that we were planning on putting the announcement out on the 7th of January.' Oprah asked: 'So, you just said that your dad stopped taking your calls. Why did he stop taking your calls?' Harry replied: 'Because... by that point, I took matters into my own hands. It was like, I need to do this for my family. This is not a surprise to anybody. 'It's really sad that it's gotten to this point, but I've got to do something for my own mental health, my wife's, and for Archie's, as well, because I could see where this was headed.' He added: 'I feel really let down because he's been through something similar, he knows what pain feels like, (and) Archie's his grandson. 'But at the same time - I will always love him - but there's a lot of hurt that's happened and I will continue to make it one of my priorities to try and heal that relationship. 'But they only know what they know, or what they're told.' Meghan Markle reveals FERGIE taught her how to curtsy before she met the Queen and claims she was so naive she never even Googled HarryMeghan Markle had no idea she had to curtsy to the Queen and was taught by Sarah Ferguson outside Royal Lodge moments before meeting Her Majesty for the first time. Fergie - as Meghan referred to the Duchess of York - is renowned for her trademark deep curtsies to Her Majesty (pictured with Princess Beatrice at Ascot)The Duchess claimed she 'never looked up her husband online' when they first started dating and knew little about the British Royal Family growing up. She told how she first met Prince Harry's grandmother in a very informal manner at Royal Lodge, the Yorks' home in Windsor, but was stunned when her husband revealed during the car journey there that she was expected to curtsy. Meghan said that was the moment 'the penny dropped' that her perception about the Firm was 'very different' to the reality, and she had to learn how to perform the royal custom 'very quickly'. 'Right in front of the house we practised and ran in. Fergie ran out and said, 'Do you know how to curtsy?' she recalled. 'Apparently I did a very deep curtsy, I don't remember it, and then we sat there and we chatted. I grew up in LA, I see celebrities all the time. it's not the same. This is a completely different ball game.' She added: 'Thank God I didn't know about the family, thank god I didn't research, I would have been so in my head about it.' Fergie - as Meghan referred to the Duchess of York - is renowned for her trademark deep curtsies to Her Majesty. Meghan makes sensational claim that Royals banned Archie from being a Prince because of concerns over how 'DARK' he would be and told her he would get no police protection but Harry refuses to reveal who made racist remarkMeghan Markle accused the Royal Family of having 'concerns' about 'how dark' Archie's skin would be before he was born because she is mixed-race and Harry is white. The Duchess also described her 'pain' that officials had denied him the title of prince and accused Buckingham Palace of failing to protect their son Archie by denying him 24/7 security. Meghan Markle today used her bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview to accuse the Royal Family of having 'concerns' about 'how dark' Archie's skin would be before he was born because she is mixed-race and Harry is white. Pictured: Archie with his parents in South Africa in 2019Meghan refused to say which royal had the conversation with Harry about Archie's skin colour, claiming it would be 'damaging' to the person in her husband's family who raised it. She said it was 'a pretty safe' assumption to suggest that the royal family member was 'concerned' that Archie being 'too brown' was 'a problem'. When Oprah asked if she was denied the title because of he is mixed-race, Oprah asked if the palace had concerns Archie would be 'too brown', Meghan said: 'In those months when I was pregnant, all around this same time, we have in tandem, the conversation of 'He won't be given security, he's not going to be given a title,' and also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born'. Oprah then interrupted and said: 'Hold on. Hold up. Stop right now. There's a conversation... about how dark your baby is going to be?' Meghan replied: 'Potentially, and what that would mean or look like'. 'And you're not going to tell me who had the conversation? ', Oprah asked. Meghan replied: 'I think that would be very damaging to them. That was relayed to me from Harry. Those were conversations that family had with him'. Oprah asked if ? Are you saying that? Meghan replied: 'I wasn't able to follow up with why, but if that's the assumption you're making, I think that feels like a pretty safe one, which was really hard to understand, right?' Harry and Meghan claim they secretly got married three days BEFORE their royal wedding - exchanging vows in a private backyard ceremony with Archbishop of Canterbury and NO guests (but was it just their rehearsal?) Prince Harry and Meghan Markle claimed they were secretly married three days before they tied the knot in front of the world. In their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey on Sunday night, Meghan, 39, and Harry, 36, revealed they held a private 'union' in their backyard with the Archbishop of Canterbury and no other guests. Meghan said 'no one knew' about the secret ceremony, in which the pair shared personal vows for 'just the two of us'. The couple say the private union took place three days before their much publicized royal wedding on May 19, which Meghan described as a 'spectacle for the world'. However rules on Church of England weddings are strict. They require at least two witnesses. And, according to the church's own rulebook, the public must have 'unrestricted access' to the building during any marriage ceremony to allow for 'valid objections against the marriage'. It is not clear if the Archbishop of Canterbury - the head of the Church of England - can override the rules. Speaking about the secret union, Meghan said: 'You know, three days before our wedding, we got married. No one knows that.' Secret: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have revealed that they were married in secret three days before their royal wedding on May 19, 2018Could Harry and Meghan have wed in private? Here's what the rules say: Though the act of marriage is a moment of love and devotion, there are still ground rules within Church of England weddings that must be followed. In an official rule book for clergymen, it states that it is their responsibility to ensure that the legal requirements of marriages are solemnized in accordance with the rites and ceremonies of the church. There are bans on marrying anyone under 16, as well as in cases of polygamy and close family relations. But Church of England marriages also require at least two witnesses. The public must also have unrestricted access to the building during any marriage ceremony to allow for valid objections against the marriage. There are other particular rules, such as a permanent type of black ink should be used when registering marriages, preparing quarterly certified copies and issuing certificates. It is not clear if the Archbishop of Canterbury, who Meghan and Harry said had privately wed the pair, has the power to override the rules. AdvertisementMeghan went on to reveal that she and Harry phoned the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby - who performed the ceremony at their official wedding - and asked him to marry them in private days before the event that was watched by millions around the world. 'We called the Archbishop and we just said, 'Look, this thing, this spectacle is for the world but we want our union between us,' she said. The couple revealed that they exchanged personal vows during their private backyard ceremony, which they now have framed in the bedroom of their $14.5million Montecito mansion. 'So, like, the vows that we have framed in our room are just the two of us in our backyard with the Archbishop of Canterbury,' she continued. Harry then jokingly interjected by singing: 'Just the three of us, just the three of us.' The couple had no guests or spectators at their private wedding - and it is unclear whether anyone in the royal family knew that the secret ceremony had taken place. At the time, Harry and Meghan were living in a private home in the grounds of Kensington Palace, Nottingham Cottage, which is where they got engaged. Speaking about the royal wedding, Meghan said that she felt as though the star-studded event - which was attended by dozens of high-profile figures, including Oprah, 67, herself - 'wasn't our day'. However, the Duchess insisted that she was not particularly nervous before the big event, revealing that she slept through the night before her wedding day, and then marked the occasion by listening to Chapel of Love by The Dixie Cups before heading to St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. During the wedding, the couple exchanged traditional vows, which were viewed by millions of people around the world - as well as 600 guests, including several of Meghan's former Suits co-stars, and celebrities like James Corden and George and Amal Clooney. Asking about the wedding, Oprah said: 'I remember sitting in the chapel, thanks for inviting me by the way. I recall this sense of magic I'd never experienced anything like it. It seemed like you were floating down the aisle.' Meghan responded: 'I thought about this a lot because it was like having an out of body experience I was very present for. 'And that's the only way I can describe it because the night before I slept through the night entirely, which in and of itself is a bit of a miracle. 'And then I woke up and started listening to that song Going To The Chapel, and just tried to make it fun and light and remind ourselves that this was our day - but I think we were both really aware, even in advance, that this wasn't our day. 'This was the day that was planned for the world'. 'Back to basics' at their $14.5million mansion: Harry and Meghan show Archie enjoying the beach and reveal his Chick Inn hens they rescued from a factory farm as Meghan says they want to 'live authentically'Meghan Markle and Prince Harry gushed about their new life in Los Angeles as they shared candid footage of son Archie playing on a beach and showed off the hens they rescued from a factory farm during their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey. Meghan told the talk show host how their move to California was 'greater than any fairytale you've ever read' after she was left feeling suicidal while living as senior Royals in the UK. The couple's son, who turns two in May, made a cameo appearance at the end of the tell-all interview as they told the chat show host he loves the LA lifestyle and is always 'chatting', with his latest words being 'hydrate' and 'drive safe'. Meghan claimed she and Harry want to 'live authentically' and get back 'down to basics' as they offered a rare glimpse into life in their $14.5 million mansion by showing Oprah around Archie's chicken coop. This came as the couple, who announced they are expecting a girl in the summer, accused the Royal Family of raising 'concerns' about 'how dark' Archie's skin would be before he was born and said the boy was denied 24/7 security and the title of being a prince by Buckingham Palace. The couple showed off the hens they rescued from a factory farm as the duchess said the couple want to 'live authentically' and get back 'down to basics' at their $14.5 million mansionIn the artful black and white footage, Archie is seen running along the beach in the direction of the camera followed closely behind by his mom. The little boy then runs beneath the legs of his dad who is filming the cute encounter. Meghan revealed their son has already developed an impressive vocabulary and is 'on a roll' learning new words, with his latest penchant being to tell people to 'drive safe' when they leave home and to stay hydrated. 'In the past couple weeks, it has been 'Hydrate', which is just hysterical,' she said. Harry added that his son tells everyone to 'drive safe' whenever they leave the house, to which Meghan proudly added: 'Drive safe. He's not even two yet!' Harry described the last year as 'crazy' as he spoke of his favorite times being able to spend time with his son and go on bike rides with him - something he said he was 'never able to do' when he was young. 'This year has been crazy for everybody, but to have outdoor space where I can go for walks with Archie, and we can go for walks as a family and with the dogs, and we can go on hikes,' he said. 'We'll go down to the beach, which is so close - all of these things are just - I guess, the highlight for me is sticking him on the back of the bicycle in his little baby seat and take him on these bike rides, which is something I was never able to do when I was young. 'I can see him on the back, and he's got his arms out. And he's like 'whoo,' chatting, chatting, chatting, going, 'palm tree, house,' and all this sort of stuff.' Meghan and Harry also took the talk show host around the grounds of their lavish home in Montecito and introduced her to their rescued birds which live in Archie's chicken coop. A plaque on the side of the hut reads 'Archie's Chick In. Established 2021'. In the footage, the trio are uncharacteristically dressed down with Harry sport a pair of wellies and jeans and t-shirt as he fed one of the rescue birds. Meanwhile, Oprah and Meghan, who were both dressed casually in jeans, appeared to be deep in conversation. A plaque on the side of the hut reads 'Archie's Chick In. Established 2021'Viewers reacted on social media to the moment with some saying they were 'obsessed' with the revelation. 'I LOVE the fact that Meghan and Harry's chicken hut is called 'Archie's Chick Inn',' one person tweeted. 'Obsessed with the fact that Meghan and Harry own chickens that they rescued from a factory,' added another. One person shared a picture of SpongeBob SquarePants smiling with the comment: 'Meghan and Harry's chickens have a tiny picnic table in their coop!' Others cited Harry's absence from the interview so far - but for his outing to the chicken coop. 'So far, all Harry's done in this interview is feed a chicken,' they tweeted. 'I love that Oprah and Meghan are having this deep discussion in Meghan's chicken coop and Harry is in the background clucking like a chicken. I love them,' added another. Later in the show, the three are seen again standing in the coop as Meghan likens herself to the Disney character The Little Mermaid. 'I was sitting in Nottingham cottage and The Little Mermaid came on,' Meghan said. 'And who as an adult really watches The Little Mermaid but it came on and I was like, 'Well I'm here all the time I might as well watch this.' 'And I went, 'Oh my God she falls in love with the prince and because of that she loses her voice.' 'The footage of the chicken coop and family time on the beach came as Meghan told Oprah the couple are embracing a more 'authentic' life since they quit the Royal Family as senior working Royals last year. 'I think just being able to live authentically [has been the most important thing],' she said Meghan. 'This kind of stuff is so basic, but it's really fulfilling and about getting back to basics.' This 'back to basics' lifestyle comes after they | 0 |
###CLAIM: wall street banks were said to have been forced by congressional failure to pass additional fiscal stimulus to downgrade their growth forecasts for the us economy in april.
###DOCS: New York (CNN Business) Small businesses are disappearing. Unemployment claims remain unbelievably high. And state and local budgets are imploding. Yet Congress is likely to skip town this month without providing additional emergency aid to the economy, according to Goldman Sachs. "At this point, a major stimulus package before the election looks like a long shot," Goldman Sachs economists wrote in a note Friday. Goldman Sachs now expects Congress to depart Washington at the end of September without extending any stimulus, such as enhanced unemployment insurance payments, direct stimulus checks to households, aid to state and local governments or additional Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans to small businesses. That means economists, who had assumed Uncle Sam would provide another $1 trillion-plus in relief, may be overly optimistic on the economy. 'Running out of steam'Goldman Sachs said that Congressional failure to pass additional fiscal stimulus will force the Wall Street bank to downgrade its US economic growth forecast for the fourth quarter. By contrast, adoption of stimulus packages similar to the ones backed by President Donald Trump or House Speaker Nancy Pelosi would cause the bank to boost its economic outlook. "The economy seems to be running out of steam in the last few weeks," Greg Valliere, chief US policy strategist at AGF Investments, wrote in a note to clients Friday. "Recent data have reinforced an overwhelming view among experts including Fed Chairman Jerome Powell that more stimulus is urgently needed from Congress." For instance, retail sales growth slowed in August. And another 860,000 Americans filed for first-time unemployment benefits last week on a seasonally adjusted basis. Meanwhile, bankruptcy filings are mounting, with Brooks Brothers, California Pizza Kitchen and SoulCycle competitor Flywheel all filing in recent months. Large company bankruptcies spiked 244% in July and August from the same period in 2019, according to research from investment bank Jefferies. After bottoming out at 59% in April, the CNN Business Back-to-Normal Index steadily improved this summer to nearly 80% in early September. However, the index, which was created with Moody's Analytics and measures dozens of national and state indictors, has since retreated back to 76%. "Without a stimulus package, more small businesses will close, state and local governments will lay off thousands of workers, and evictions will increase," Valliere wrote. Powell presses for aidFor all those reasons, Powell, the chairman of the Fed, has pressed lawmakers to act. "The initial response from fiscal authorities was rapid. It was forceful and pretty effective," Powell said during a press conference this week. "my sense is that more fiscal support is likely to be needed." The Fed chief noted that there are still about 11 million Americans out of work because of the pandemic -- and many worked in industries that are likely to struggle. "Those people may need additional support as they try to find their way through what will be a difficult time for them," Powell said. Recently, Goldman Sachs has been more bullish than other big banks on the economy. The Wall Street firm has been predicting US GDP will increase at an annualized rate of 35% during the third quarter, marking a sharp rebound from the 31.7% collapse in the second quarter. Growth is expected to decelerate in the final three months of the year, especially now that stimulus odds have faded, Goldman Sachs said. The bank previously projected fourth-quarter GDP growth of 6%. It did not detail how much it will downgrade growth projections. Blame politicsSo why isn't Congress acting? Not surprisingly, many are blaming pre-election partisan bickering. "The election outlook might be influencing positions in the negotiation," Goldman Sachs economists wrote. The Wall Street bank noted that prediction markets, polls and external election models imply that a Democratic sweep of Congress and the White House is the "most likely outcome." If Congressional Democrats believe that a Blue Wave is coming, "they may prefer to wait to enact a larger fiscal relief measure in early 2021 rather than a smaller package this month that might drain momentum for a larger bill next year," Goldman Sachs wrote. The good news is that Congress could very well take action on the economy next year. Even if one party controls Congress and the other the White House, Goldman Sachs said that a moderate stimulus package is likely to get enacted early next year. If Democrats sweep in November, Congress will probably enact a stimulus package similar to the $2.2 trillion one that Pelosi has endorsed, Goldman Sachs said. That's on top of the aggressive fiscal package that Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential nominee, has proposed. In other words, more help is probably coming -- it's just a question of when and how large. "This might explain why financial markets have not responded more negatively to the worsening outlook for stimulus this year," Goldman Sachs economists wrote. | 1 |
###CLAIM: victim, witnesses said, as a young woman riding a bicycle fell 30 metres and suffered life-threatening injuries.
###DOCS: A theme park customer said she has been left traumatised after witnessing a young woman fall 30 metres from a ride and suffer life-threatening injuries. A 25-year-old woman fell from 'The Hangover' at the Cairns ShowFest in the city's Parramatta Park at 5:30pm on Saturday. The ride swings people through the air on pendulum arms that rotate a full 360 degrees. Paramedics and Queensland Fire and Emergency Services attended to the woman quickly but she had already suffered 'significant head and spinal injuries'. Witness Bonnie Thistle said she hasn't been able to get the horrific scenes out of her mind. 'All I could hear from a distance, even over the speakers and everything, was a lady yell, 'I'm falling out',' she said. The 25-year-old woman fell from The Hangover ride at the Cairns ShowFest in the city's Parramatta Park at 5:30pm on Saturday before becoming 'entrapped''As I've looked over, she's slowly coming out of her seat. She was basically sliding out like a banana, kind of thing. Just coming out. Ms Thistle said she turned away for a second before looking back and noticing the woman had landed on the ground. 'I rushed over to see what was going on, to see if she was okay. The way that she landed - I was pretty traumatised. I didn't even know what to think,' she said. Witness Bonnie Thistle said she hasn't been able to get the horrific scenes out of her mind'There were just ambulances, police, everything, just rushing in. We got told to stand out of the way. 'It was very horrific.' Acting Inspector Brett Jenkins said on Sunday the woman was in a stable condition and being 'closely monitored' in Cairns Hospital. Police are reportedly investigating claims the woman was not strapped in correctly, according to 7 News. Event promoter Lance Collyer said organisers and authorities were still figuring out how the incident occurred. 'As organisers we are saddened by what has happened at ShowFest last night,' Mr Collyer told the Cairns Post. 'We are still working with Cairns police to find out exactly what has happened.' The moment the woman fell was captured on video and posted to Facebook but removed out of respect for her distraught family. A Queensland Ambulance spokeswoman said multiple paramedic crews attended the 'workplace incident'. 'The woman was freed and treated for significant head and spinal injuries. She was transported in a critical condition with a critical care paramedic and flight doctor to Cairns Hospital,' she said. Father Kurt Wanless took his two children and a neighbour's child to the Cairns Show Fest on Saturday and witnessed the woman falling from the ride. 'I was getting a Dagwood Dog and I saw her mid-flight in the last few metres before she hit the ground. My daughter saw her land,' Mr Wanless told Daily Mail Australia. 'There was a young bloke and a girl, about 18, who looked pretty shaken up. They were crying. They might have been her friends or family. A crowd gathered around the ride when the woman became trapped. Witness Kurt Wanless said parents were taking their children to see the woman trapped in the ride after she fellMr Wanless recorded a video (pictured) that showed 'gawking' people gathering around the ride to see what was happening while music continued to blareParamedics and police cordoned off The Hangover ride when the woman became trapped'People were taking their kids up to see, which is pretty disgusting. I don't want my kids to have that in their heads. 'I grabbed my kids when they put their sheet across because I thought she might have died. When we left, more police were coming in. 'I thought they would shut down the whole show. When something like that happens, you should call it quits. Get the people out so emergency services can cordon off the area. But they kept it going.' Video taken by Mr Wanless shows 'gawking' people gathering around the ride to see what was happening while music continued to blare. 'My kids went on that ride (The Hangover) on the ride before. They were in the middle and I wanted them to sit in the front where the woman came out,' he said. Cairns ShowFest is run by ShowFest Australia, which also runs events at Mackay, Rockhampton, Townsville, Mt Isa, Bundaberg and Emerald Showgrounds. Daily Mail Australia has contacted ShowFest Australia promoter Bryan Loft for comment but has not yet received a response. | 0 |
###CLAIM: weiner announced the new work-of-art line in an promotional email featuring a showcase of icestones, which contains freckles on orange and blue glass.
###DOCS: Disgraced former Congressman and convicted sex offender Anthony Weiner appears to be picking up the pieces of his shattered life after landing a new job as the head of a company that makes countertops out of broken glass. The 56-year-old Democrat, who spent 18 months in a New York prison for sexting a 15-year-old girl, was recently unveiled as the CEO of Brooklyn-based IceStone having been officially appointed in May, according to a NY Post report. Weiner announced his new line of work in a promotional email showcasing IceStones products, one of which contained flecks of orange and blue glass. One of the amazing things about IceStone countertops, is that since people throw away all kinds of glass, there is almost an unlimited array of different colors we can use in our recycled glass creations, he wrote, according to the outlet. So that when I joined the company as CEO I asked what I thought was an obvious question Can we make a countertop in the colors of my favorite New York teams? So while not everyone is a fan of the Islanders (fingers crossed), Mets (ugh) or Knicks (dont ask), if you are interested in a little color in your life, give IceStone a call, he added. The 56-year-old Democrat, who spent 18 months in a New York prison for sexting a 15-year-old girl, was recently unveiled as the CEO of Brooklyn-based IceStoneThe move was also made official on his LinkedIn page, having been officially appointed to the role in MayAccording to its website, IceStone champions itself as an employer committed to giving second chances beyond its factory and products. The company says it hires the homeless, refugees and even helps to train the formerly incarcerated, while ensuring everyone gets paid a living wage and has access to subsidized health insurance and a voice in the company.Weiner stepped down from his seat in New York's 9th congressional district in 2011, after the then-married Democrat accidentally tweeted a crotch-shot of himself in his underwear to the public, on his official page. IceStone owner Del LaManga (above) told the Post he has known Weiner for a long time, having met him a number of years ago after an launching his own unsuccessful Congressional bid. He said he also visited Weiner a number of times while he was in prison. He attempted to revive his political career two years later in a 2013 run for New York mayor. He surged to first place in the polls before his campaign suffered a spectacular blow when a second sexting scandal surfaced. Weiner, still married to Hillary Clinton's aide Huma Abedin at the time, was found to be exchanging lewd messages online under the alias Carlos Danger. But the successive scandals were eclipsed four years later in 2017, when Weiner admitted to sexting with a 15-year-old girl, following a DailyMail.com investigation. For months, Weiner and the minor exchanged sexually graphic text messages, spoke over several social media platforms and he sent her photographs of himself in various states of undress, sometimes posing with his son. After DailyMail.com exposed Weiner, he admitted to knowing that the victim, from North Carolina, was underage at the time of their exchanges. Weiner was arrested by FBI agents in May that year. He admitted one count of transmission of obscene material later that month, weeping in court as he entered his guilty plea. 'I have a sickness but I do not have an excuse,' he said, after the judge told him that he would have to register as a sex offender. He was then sentenced to 21 months in prison that September, but was let out three months early on good behavior. He said he also visited Weiner a number of times while he was in prison. I knew him from the political world. He talked me out of running for mayor, which was good, and we developed a relationship, he said. And then he got sucked into that whole thing. I wanted to help him any way I could. He served his time and coming out is tough. And so I said, Can you work for Ice Stone? because he knows everybody in the city and the company is in Brooklyn.The 74-year-old said the company has never been successful and he hired Weiner around five months ago in an effort to turn its fortunes around. According to its website, IceStone champions itself as an employer committed to giving second chances beyond its factory and products (a promotional shot of a product is seen above)LaManga, who made his fortune as the founder of the Tweezerman brand of beauty tools, was originally an investor in the company but later took control and when the owner ran into financial difficulties. Earlier this year he decided to replace himself. Citing Weiners experience from Congress, he said there was no better man for the job. And LaMangas faith has reportedly been repaid, as he says Anthony is a better CEO than I was.Hes just methodically going through and reinventing every aspect. The first thing he did was rebuild the website so it works better...He took over supervising the factory, so he shows up there and hes a fanatically organized person, and hes cleaned all that up.LaManga declined to disclose to the post what salary Weiner is on. He did however voice confidence that hes completely moved on from his troubled past. Hes doing extremely well ... Hes very bright. I like him, my wife likes him. | 0 |
###CLAIM: oregon took advantage of the opportunity, beating usc 31-24 despite a 91-yard passing game by tyler and shough that made anyone forget about justin and herbert.
###DOCS: Want even more betting news? Sign up for VSiNs free daily newsletter. Listen Live to VSiNs sports betting shows. LAS VEGAS Little is said or written about running back Breece Hall, yet that will probably change Saturday if he carries favored Iowa State to a win in the Fiesta Bowl. Hall, who entered the postseason as the nations leading rusher with 1,436 yards, is a big reason the Cyclones passed the eye test and landed a spot in a New Years Six bowl. The best offenses are a balancing act, and Iowa State is in good hands with Hall and quarterback Brock Purdy. The Cyclones (8-3) traveled a long, winding road to reach the Arizona desert, an 11-game journey that started with a stunning loss to Louisiana-Lafayette, but also included upset victories over Oklahoma and Texas on the way to the Big 12 title game. Iowa States opponent, Oregon, took a shortcut and is lucky to be here. The Ducks (4-2) played an abbreviated Pac-12 schedule, lost to California and Oregon State, and backed into the conference title game as the last-minute replacement for a Washington team that was forced to bail because of COVID-19 issues. Oregon took advantage of the opportunity and beat USC 31-24 despite a 91-yard passing game by Tyler Shough, whos not making anyone forget his predecessor, Justin Herbert. Purdy might not follow Herberts path as a first-round pick in the NFL draft, but hes a solid pro prospect. Hall looks like a future star at the next level, and the sophomore should be able to work over a Ducks defense that allows 159 yards per game on the ground. Iowa State has two advantages aside from Hall and Purdy its run defense ranks 10th in the nation, and Matt Campbell is a much sharper game-management coach than Oregons Mario Cristobal, who often appears clueless when it counts. The Big 12s image took a beating early in the season, but impressive bowl wins by Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas indicate the Cyclones could outclass the Ducks. The pick: Iowa State -4.5. Sam Howell APNorth Carolina (+8) over Texas A&M (Orange Bowl): This initially set up as an ideal situational spot for the Tar Heels, who figured to be motivated dogs facing an emotionally flat favorite. Aggies coach Jimbo Fisher lobbied hard for a playoff spot, so theres no doubt this bowl is a letdown and his players had bigger things in mind. His quarterback, Kellen Mond, called the playoff exclusion a joke.Mond might not find it funny that hes definitely the second-best quarterback in this matchup. Sophomore star Sam Howell has completed 69 percent of his passes with 27 touchdowns to lead a North Carolina offense scoring 43 points per game. This, however, will not be the same offense. The Tar Heels are stuck with several key defections. Leading rushers Michael Carter and Javonte Williams, leading receiver Dyami Brown and top linebacker Chazz Surratt have opted out to prepare for the NFL. The line has moved only a half-point for a reason. Howell should be good enough to keep his team in the game, especially if the Aggies show a lack of focus. Last Week: 3-1. Liberty (W), Colorado (L), Oklahoma (W), Cincinnati (W)Season: 30-23-1. | 0 |
###CLAIM: another outfit included a bardot maxi dress in navy, which drew tight attention to jacqueline 's frame.
###DOCS: She has recently embarked on a weight-loss journey and shed half a stone. And Jacqueline Jossa flaunted her stunning physique as she modelled a series of looks from her new In The Style spring fashion range. The former EastEnders star, 28, appeared in great spirits as she took to Instagram to showcase a series of floral pieces on Tuesday. Spring is in the air! Jacqueline Jossa flaunted her stunning physique as she modelled a blue tea dress from her new In The Style spring fashion range on Instagram on TuesdayJacqueline posed in a blue ditsy print tea dress which featured a plunging neckline and showed off her trim waist. She beamed for the camera as she complemented the look with some nude barely there heeled sandals and a pair of silver hoops. Jacqueline left her long brunette locks to fall in loose curls around her face and styled it in a centre parting. Beauty: The former EastEnders star, 28, appeared in great spirits as she sported a yellow floral blouse which featured flattering ruffles down both sidesGorgeous: Another outfit included a navy bardot maxi dress which drew attention to Jacqueline's taut frameIn a different shot, the star showed off her slender physique in a yellow floral blouse which featured flattering ruffles down both sides. The mother-of-two opted for a glamorous palette of make-up and tied her hair back in a chic up-do in the snap. Another outfit included a navy bardot maxi dress which drew attention to Jacqueline's taut frame. In another snap, she fixed the camera with a huge smile as she donned a off-the-shoulder pink floral smock dress and accessorised with a woven circle bag. The star also modelled a series of floral tops, including a white T-shirt with pink flowers on the front and a pink patterned blouse, and paired the both with jeans. Pretty: In another snap, she fixed the camera with a huge smile as she donned a off-the-shoulder pink floral smock dress and accessorised with a woven circle bag'Girls just wanna have sun': She shared the snap with her 3.6million followers to celebrate the second part of her Spring Back The Good Times capsuleClearly enjoying the sunshine in another snap, she pulled at the hem of her orange smock dress while she grinned for the camera, sporting some tortoise shell sunglasses. She shared the snap with her 3.6million followers to celebrate the second part of her Spring Back The Good Times capsule. The I'm A Celeb star penned: Girls just wanna have sun. Not long now guys, 6pm today my Spring back the good times.... part 2 drops on the @inthestyle app!! 'Trust me you guys are going to love it, weve taken on all your feedback of styles you love and this collection has a-bit of everything. 'Sizes 4-28, literally something for everyone and the perfect time as we can start to do more! Florals: The star also modelled a series of floral tops, including a pink patterned blouse, and paired it with jeans for a casual look'You know the score guys, 6pm on the app! @inthestyle have also just launched their ireland app so you guys can get involved too! 6pm... be there or be circle x'. Jacqueline recently admitted she is set to move into her 'forever home' with husband Dan Osborne and their children. However she 'felt a bit lost' as she prepared to say goodbye to her old house. The star sold her 1 million Essex mansion, which she shared with former TOWIE star Dan, 29, and their two children Ella, five, and Mia, two, as well as Teddy, seven, Dan's son from a previous relationship. Jacqueline has been keeping fans updated with the moving preparations on social media, but revealed she has 'mixed emotions' and although she is looking forward to moving homes with her family, she will also miss their former place together. Lovely: The mother-of-two opted for a glamorous palette of make-up and opted to tie her hair back in a chic up-do in the snapAll smiles: Clearly enjoying the sunshine in another snap, she pulled at the hem of her orange smock dress while she grinned for the camera, sporting some tortoise shell sunglassesShe also said there's been 'so much stress' with things 'that we weren't prepared for'. Taking to Instagram Stories on Sunday, Jacqueline shared a snap of her looking sombre, as she wrote: 'I'm actually really going to miss this house though, I'm excited and can't wait to move into the new [house emoji] but.... I will miss this place. 'Having a bath tonight I felt a bit lost. I don't want to leave but I also am excited to get moving. Mixed emotions. 'So much stress and work, lots of things creeping up that we weren't prepared for. Proud of us really @danosborneofficial.' She went on: 'I'm really happy Ella has moves so smoothly into her new school, she's made such a big group of new friends. Even I have met some lovely mums. 'Feel the fear and do it anyway x. (sic)' | 1 |
###CLAIM: the binge eating trend originated in south and korea but spread quickly through asia and the rest of the world to millions of viewers on various chinese social media sites such as youtube, facebook and wechat.
###DOCS: Chinas mukbang stars are gluttons for punishment. The nations lawmakers have proposed legislation to ban the viral videos, in which vloggers gorge on huge quantities of food for an international audience in the double-digit millions. The video trend has become something of a fetish, with beautiful women finding success as they eat their way through giant lobsters, heaping bowls of noodles, burgers stacked upon burgers and more. The law would impose a fine of up to 100,000 yuan (about $15,290) on any content creator, entertainer or business engaging in gross food waste, including television shows and even catering services, the China News Service reported Tuesday, according to English-language Chinese news site SixthTone.com. The binge-eating trend originated in South Korea and quickly spread throughout Asia and the rest of the world, with millions of viewers across YouTube, Facebook and various Chinese social-media sites such as WeChat and Weibo. Livestreamers have since reportedly made lucrative careers out of such videos. The legal draft is composed of 32 articles elaborating on Chinas principles of responsible consumption, regulatory and disciplinary measures, and defining just how much is too much. President Xi Jinping has recently campaigned on a fight against food waste as food shortages loom globally. His promise follows criticism from state-run media agency China Central Television, which slammed big stomach stars for encouraging gluttony and waste. Later, industry group China Association of Performing Arts, which oversees online entertainment, said they plan to censor fake eating, induced vomiting, promotional overeating, and other behaviors that involve waste, according to Sixth Tone. The state has aimed to change the discourse around food waste, starting with Chinese youth. In October, child protection laws were updated to encourage anti-waste and cherish[ing] food.The states Clean Plate Campaign began in August, when the Wuhan Catering Industry Association introduced new limits on how any dishes may be served during group buffets. Proposition N-1, as its called, refers to the imposed restriction, wherein parties are permitted to order an amount of dishes equal to the number of diners in the group, minus one. We will promote the N-1 model. If there are 10 people, they are only allowed to order nine portions of food, they said in an open letter in Chinese newspaper, the Paper. If thats not enough, they can add more dishes later.Apart from the dissipative nature of such stunts, mukbang can also lead performers into dangerous situations, such as one Chinese vlogger who nearly had her eyeball suctioned-out of its socket while attempting to eat a live octopus. Despite declaring her face disfigured by the cephalopod, she also promised viewers, Ill eat it in the next video. China has drafted a new anti-food-waste law to allow restaurants to fine diners who can't finish their meals. Stores would be able to demand extra payment from customers who 'generate obvious waste', according to Chinese state media. The proposed legislation is part of the 'operation empty plate', a campaign promoted by President Xi to curb food waste and help citizens form the habit of living thriftily. China has waged a war on food waste with a drafted law to ban it. Pictured, a sign encouraging people not to waste food is seen at a restaurant in Handan, northern China's Hebei provinceChinese restaurant-goers wasted an estimated 17 to 18million tonnes of food in 2015 - enough to feed 30 to 50million people for an entire year, as a 2018 study showed. Since the nationwide anti-waste movement started this summer, the country's 1.4billion citizens have been urged to order fewer dishes and smaller portions while eating out or ordering takeaways. The draft gives restaurants the right to claim 'leftover cleaning fees' from diners who leave food on their table. But it remains unclear how much the fine would be. It also bans waiters from 'luring' and 'misleading' diners into ordering too much food. Offending restaurants could be issued a penalty ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 yuan (114-1,140). Anti-food-waste slogans must be shown in 'eye-catching' places in restaurants and relayed by waiters to their customers orally, the bill stipulates. Apart from restaurants, video bloggers and producers would face financial penalties for making and streaming clips that promote overeating. Chinese restaurant-goers wasted an estimated 17 to 18million tonnes of food in 2015 - enough to feed 30 to 50million people for an entire year. Now the country wants to stop the trendChinese lawmakers began deliberating the proposed law on Tuesday at the ongoing session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress which will finish on Saturday, reported Xinhua News Agency. '[The draft is] to restrict business dining and regulate the business conduct of dining service providers and takeaway platforms,' announced Xu Anbiao, deputy director of the Legal Work Committee of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress. It also aims to promote a 'scientific' and 'healthy' way of living for individuals and families and guide them to make the best possible use of everything, Mr Xu added. China's state news agency has called the proposal 'a good law' that can lead 'a new dining trend'. Pictured, diners are seen enjoying Malatang, food cooked in a spicy broth, in BeijingA Xinhua column has called the proposal 'a good law' that can lead 'a new dining trend'. 'We must fully exercise the regulation and warning functions of laws to crack down on the trend of wasting food and guide people to establish the correct food-consumption concept,' said the commentary published on Wednesday. '[We must] form a beneficial atmosphere of "feeling shameful of waste and proud of saving", let the habit of being thrifty blend into everyone's life and let the traditional virtues be passed from generation to generation,' the article hailed. | 2 |
###CLAIM: zalatoris promised after saturday 's round : `` i 'm enjoying it and trying to chase down matsuyama.
###DOCS: AUGUSTA, Ga. Tony Romo was nervous. It was two hours before Will Zalatoris not only playing in his first Masters at age 24, but in the final pairing of Saturdays third round at Augusta National was about to tee off alongside 36-hole leader Justin Rose. By days end, Zalatoris, who shot a 1-under-par 71, was tied for second place at 7-under, four shots behind leader Hideki Matsuyama entering Sundays final round. Ive been wanting to do this my entire career, and I put myself in a pretty good spot, Zalatoris said after his round. Obviously, Im four shots back, so Ive got a good chance. Ive wanted to put on a green jacket my entire career, and Ive got a good opportunity to do it. So, lets go do it.So, youre saying theres a chance? Wills like a little brother to me, Romo told The Post by phone Saturday. Im obviously a little nervous rooting for him this weekend, so Im really excited.Zalatoris and Romo became friends a few years ago while playing at the same club in Texas and they play a good deal of golf together. Romo said he was touting Zalatoris when he had a world ranking north of 2,000, telling people the kids going to be a star. Will Zalatoris and Tony Romo UPI; API told people two years ago when he didnt even have status on the Korn Ferry Tour, I think hes a top-20 player in the world right now, Romo said. Everyone laughed at me, but I said, Its just a matter of time. And youre seeing it play out pretty quickly in front of the world stage this weekend.Romo knows from what he sees. The former Cowboys star quarterback and current CBS lead NFL analyst has the unique perspective of having excelled at two different careers, not to mention the fact that hes an accomplished enough golfer to have played in a handful of PGA Tour events on special invitation. Romo knows an athlete who possesses an it factor when he sees it. And he sees it in Zalatoris, who has spent this week putting himself in contention and making it look like hes been there and done this. Zalatoris who grew up in San Francisco, got his start in golf as a youth at the California Golf Club, went to college at Wake Forest and now makes his home in Texas combines the perfect blend of confidence without being cocky. Hes humble and respectful of both the hallowed grounds on which hes been walking at Augusta and the star players against whom hes competing, but hes not intimidated any of it. Sure, hes embracing the moment, but hes playing like a natural-born killer. I promise you he believes he can win, Romo said. Hell tell you in a very humble way thats hes excited to be there, but hes ready. Will has a very strong belief in what he can do this weekend and going forward.Will Zalatoris ReutersRomo said he had a conversation with Zalatoris before the Masters and told him to be prepared for your life to change over the course of four days, telling him its the normal progression and to embrace it.Zalatoris promised, after his round Saturday, that hes going to enjoy it trying to chase down Matsuyama. Hes as genuine, nice, humble, down-to-earth as youll meet for what I think is someone whos going to be a superstar, Romo said. He knows his game. He doesnt take a back seat to anybody in the world in ball striking.Zalatoris fire is fueled by the fact that it hasnt come easily for him. He had crisis in confidence in college that left him wondering if golf for him as a professional. Once he turned pro, he toiled for a while, playing Monday qualifiers to try getting into tournaments. In the past 18 months, his career has taken off and it landed at the Masters, for which he didnt even qualify until the last minute as he sneaked into the top 50 in the world rankings just in time for the tournament deadline. I wanted to be here my entire life, Zalatoris said. Some people shy away from that, but Im excited to be here. Ive wanted to be here forever. Theres no reason to feel intimidated now. I made it to here. Obviously, the job is not done by any means, but I think standing on the first tee and hearing your name called, thats something that every kid dreams of. The first tee shot, of course I was pretty nervous, but the fact that I wanted to be here my entire life actually almost frees me up. | 0 |
###CLAIM: sumner, a professor of behaviour ecology at the university of college london, noted that their behavior contributed to the thriving ecosystem by dispersing seeds and the possibility of stripping birds clean of meat within a few hours.
###DOCS: Among the vegetable worlds most incorrigible villains, the whitefly ranks high. Pale, squishy, and smaller than a sesame seed, these sap-sucking bugs terrorize more than 600 plant species, infecting them with deadly viruses and smearing their leaves with sweet, sticky liquids that encourage the growth of molds. Whiteflies resist pesticides. They dupe plants into mounting the wrong defenses. They can overtake greenhouses by the millions and sicken entire fields of crops; their dastardly deeds grace the pages of many an agricultural guide, and perhaps a horticulturists burn book or two. Against such an enemy, plants deploy poisons powerful enough to stunt insect growth or bring about the bugs untimely demise. But whiteflies (which arent flies, but cousins of aphids) have found a work-around for this obstacle, too, through thievery. To protect themselves against toxins called phenolic glycosides, a common botanical defense, whiteflies imported a stolen good: a gene that encodes a kind of antidote, likely pilfered from an ancient poisonous plant, according to a study published today in Cell. The plant had probably created the chemical cure to protect its own tissues. In doing so, it revealed a vulnerability for the sticky-fingered whitefly to exploit. Its so clever, says Naomi Pierce, an entomologist and evolutionary biologist at Harvard who wasnt involved in the study. Its taking advantage of a defense that has been carefully honed by plants ... Im just contemplating how incredible it is.Genetic theft is very difficult to prove, and by all accounts, it appears to be somewhat rare. The evidence is generally circumstantial, and by the time scientists clue in, millions of years may have passed. Theres really no way to knownone of us were there, says Seemay Chou, a biochemist at UC San Francisco, who led the discovery of a similar phenomenon in ticks but wasnt involved in the new study. Read: The wild experiment that showed evolution in real timeWhen grand genetic heists do occur, they can create evolutionary shortcuts, and blur the boundaries between organisms. The tree of life is often presented as full of discrete branches, spaced farther and farther apart. Every so often, however, two organisms come close enough to intersect, and leave relics of their intimacy in their genetic codes. In abducting its enemys antidote, the whitefly may have rapidly armed itself with a new weapon, skipping over the chore of creating the gene itself, and becoming a touch plantier in the process. The studys authors think the insect may have even carried out its felony with an accomplice: a microbial smuggler ferrying bits of genetic material between multicellular hosts. Typically, genes can be traced back in time, because ancestors tend to pass them down like heirlooms to the generations that follow. But the new studys researchers, led by Youjun Zhang, a plant biologist at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, noticed that this one didnt follow the usual pattern. They found the gene that protects these bugs from poison in the genomes of only one close-knit group of species on the whitefly family tree, as if it had appeared out of nowhere. Curious about the genes origins, the researchers searched its sequence in a massive database. They found that no other insect genomes encode the gene, or anything that even vaguely resembles it. But a version of the gene appears to be a fixture of many plant speciesa hint that it might have hopped from one organism into an entirely different one. These genome-jumping events are known as horizontal gene transfers. Theyre common among bacteria, which swap genetic material willy-nilly, often as a sort of primitive pantomime of sex. Among eukaryotes such as plants and animals, though, theyre relatively rare. For another organisms genes to integrate, foreign DNA must make its way through a creatures complex body, and into a cell. It must breach the barriers of the nucleus, where genetic material is cloistered. It must assimilate itself into a new molecular context in a usable form, without diminishing the integrity of the genome thats already there. It must accomplish all of this without being nuked or jettisoned by the hosts many defenses against unfamiliar matter. After all that, the stolen genes must then find their way into an egg or a sperm cell, perhaps carrying some sort of benefit that will make offspring more fit. Read: This is a truly lousy experiment about evolutionThe chances of all those pieces falling into place are low, to say the least. But in recent years, as genetic-sequencing technologies have become more advanced, scientists have discovered more and more examples of gene hopping. Microbes, they found, can punt genes not just to one another, but to more complex creatures as well. Bacterial genomes are gold mines: Theyre where ticks got the genes to manufacture defensive antimicrobial compounds, and where beetles acquired the ability to destroy coffee plants. Parasitic wasps have weaponized the genes of viruses. Tiny freshwater creatures called rotifers seem to be career criminals, habitually lifting genes from bacteria, fungi, and plants. In perhaps the closest parallels to whiteflies, aphids snatched DNA from fungi to paint themselves in a rosy red hue, and caterpillars burglarized bacteria to protect themselves from the cyanides in certain plants. Humans, too, have likely plundered a few microbial genomes. There can also be red herringsstrange sequences of DNA that appear to point to horizontal gene transfer, but are actually the result of something else, such as laboratory contamination. That seems to have been the case with a study examining the genomes of tardigrades, and the original draft of the human genome. But several outside experts told me that the new study by Zhangs team seems solid. Its convincing to me, Nancy Moran, an entomologist at the University of Texas who pioneered work showing horizontal gene transfer in aphids, said. My skeptical radar is usually raised with horizontal gene transfer, said Harmit Malik, a geneticist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center who collaborated with Chou on the tick study. But a whitefly pinching the gene from a plant is the most parsimonious hypothesis.Still unclear, though, is exactly how, when, or from whom the whiteflies filched the gene. Ted Turlings, a chemical ecologist at the University of Neuchatel in Switzerland and an author on the new study, told me that the event must have occurred at least 35 million years ago. Back then, plants looked a bit different. Most cases of horizontal gene transfer seem to have involved prolonged close contact between donor and recipient. Its certainly possible that plant DNA, adrift in the whiteflys digestive tract, somehow meandered its way over to a reproductive cell. But Turlings said he and his colleagues think the whitefly had help from a virus with privileged access to parts of the insects body. Viruses, after all, are used all the time in labs to deliver genetic intel to cells; this superpower has even been leveraged in some COVID-19 vaccines. Perhaps what the researchers found is not a direct plant-to-insect dispatch, but a protracted relay that could have taken place over many yearsa molecular drug trade, with microbes acting as the mules. Julie Dunning Hotopp, a microbiologist and horizontal-gene-transfer expert at the University of Maryland who wasnt involved in the study, told me she favors the idea of a bacterial intermediary. A bacterium could even have been the original source of the detoxifying gene, she noted, doling it out first to a very early plant, then again to whiteflies further down the road. Details aside, its clear that whiteflies somehow gained a serious wing up on the plants that try to poison them. That might sound like bad news for plant lovers. Its an endless problem for us, Pierce, of Harvard, told me. Were constantly fighting against whiteflies.But the worlds vegetation isnt doomed. Evolution trudges on; perhaps some plants have wised up to the whiteflies tactics, and are already plotting their next toxic move. Humans, too, could help by engineering crops that turn the whiteflys gene off, making the insect vulnerable once again. Pierce delights in this possibility. Watching whiteflies over the years, you wonder, How do they do it? she told me. Now I look at them and I think, Ahawell get you in the end. CNN Before you swat a stinging wasp away from your next picnic, pause to consider the delicate and beautiful hammer orchid. The Australian flowers evolved to resemble the rear end of a female thynnine wasp. Its a ruse to attract male thynnine wasps. When a passing wasp makes his move on the flower tries to have sex with it, in other words he inadvertently deposits pollen on the orchids stigma. Without amorous wasps, these remarkable flowers would never bloom again. That intricate relationship between flower and insect is one of many ways stinging wasps, or aculeate wasps, benefit ecosystems, human health and the economy, according to a new review paper by scientists at University College London and the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom. Published in Biological Reviews, the journal of the Cambridge Philosophical Society, the study is the most comprehensive meta-analysis of aculeate wasps to date, drawing on more than 500 scientific papers. These insects, however, have a PR problem. Theyre unpopular with the general public and researchers alike. That attitude has resulted in gaping holes in scientific knowledge about wasps role in ecosystems, the researchers said, and limited our understanding of threats posed to wasps by urbanization, climate crises and more. Since spring is when queen wasps start founding colonies across temperate climates, its the perfect time to take a second look at insects that, researchers argue, have been overlooked for too long. What wasps do for our worldEveryone just kind of associates (wasps) with annoying them at barbecues or beers gardens, said lead study author Ryan Brock, a doctoral student in evolutionary ecology at the University of East Anglia. Its always like: What is the point of wasps?Brock explained that the 33,000-odd varieties of stinging wasps included in the new study do more than hover, menacingly, near the potato salad. The two main things that wasps are doing for our ecosystems are as pest controllers and as pollinators, he said. Nearly 1,000 plant species may be pollinated by stinging wasps, found the review, including 164 species, such as the hammer orchid, that rely on wasps alone for pollination. Should stinging wasps disappear overnight, those 164 plant species would be lost. The insects are also agile predators. Wasp species that live in large colonies are fantastic at hunting other insect species, Brock said. Without wasps, Brock said there could be an explosion in caterpillars and aphids. That, in turn, could decimate backyard gardens and crop yields. Insects eating other insects contribute an estimated $417 billion to the worlds economy each year, the study said. Insect pollination, meanwhile, adds more than $250 billion to the global economy. While pest control and pollination are stinging wasps most noticeable roles in the natural world, coauthor Seirian Sumner explained that wasps other behaviors what she called ecosystem services are just as fascinating. They can strip a bird clear of meat within a few hours, they disperse seeds, said Sumner, a professor of behavioral ecology at the University College London, noting that both of these behaviors contribute to thriving ecosystems. She pointed to wasps potential to contribute to human health, too. Wasps have medicinal properties in their saliva. Mostly, its antibiotics, Sumner said, explaining that wasps saliva helps preserve the paralyzed prey they feed their young. The medicinal value of wasps, though, is largely unexploited, she said. Their venom sacks are essentially a pharmacy cabinet waiting to be opened.2,000 years of throwing shade on waspsThis is a social paper wasp. Courtesy Seirian SumnerWhen it comes to wasps, the new review study highlights just how much remains to be discovered. Some studies suggest that urbanization and development are harming wasp populations, Brock said. Climate crises seem to be changing the range of some wasp species. The details, however, are uncertain. Its really difficult to say if theyre declining or not, and what are the factors causing those declines, Brock said. We dont really have the data.Why do such knowledge gaps remain? Wasps are unpopular in the general public, Sumner said. That lowly status means theyre often neglected. It may be a charisma problem. Some animals are just more likable to humans, explained Franck Courchamp, ecologist and senior research scientist at the University of Paris Sud, who wasnt involved in the wasp study. In a 2018 paper, Courchamp worked to quantify the qualities that make an animal charismatic, awarding points for being beautiful, impressive, endangered, cute, dangerous and rare. Tigers, which Courchamp ranked as the worlds most charismatic animal species, tick all the boxes. Wasps not so much. Animals that are not charismatic are often the animals to which people dont identify, Courchamp said. Wasps, which can look like flying aliens, arent easy to identify with. (In fact, wasps are thought to be an inspiration for the nightmare-inducing extraterrestrials starring in Ridley Scotts 1979 movie Alien.)If you think popularity and charisma are skin deep, Courchamp said thats not the case. Being lovable to humans can translate into more research, greater funding and increased conservation efforts. Researchers are humans, and they have this bias, Courchamp said. They tend to work on species that interest them most. Also, because they are dependent on funding, they are going to work on species that interest funders.Human distaste for wasps has been around a long time. In 350 B.C., the philosopher Aristotle knocked both wasps and hornets, writing they were devoid of the extraordinary features which characterize bees ... they have nothing divine about them as the bees have.Were still comparing the two pollinators more than 2,000 years later, and wasps are still coming up short. In a 2018 paper titled Why we love bees and hate wasps Sumner, the wasp researcher, found that wasps are broadly disliked by the general public. Researchers, too, were inclined to choose bees over wasps as research subjects. People just associate wasps as being able to sting them, Sumner said. Which is kind of ironic, since bees also sting.Spread wasp love this summer with #wasploveThe bee community is huge, agreed Amy Toth, associate professor in the departments of entomology and of ecology, evolution and organismal biology at Iowa State University, who wasnt part of the wasp study. Wasps have always been a little less focused on than bees and ants. I always joke that its probably that people are scared of them.Toth, who studies both bees and wasps, doesnt begrudge bees their widespread popularity. (She speculated that since many bees are furry, we mammals might find them more relatable.) Wasps, though, should share the pollinator spotlight, she argued. I kept seeing these memes where people were comparing and contrasting bees and wasps demonizing the wasps while they were elevating the bees, she said. In hopes of boosting wasps public profile, Toth and fellow wasp researcher Jenny Jandt, of the University of Otago, New Zealand, created the hashtag #wasplove to celebrate the often-maligned insects. I always encourage people to educate themselves about misunderstood things in nature, Toth said. If youre learning about wasps with kids, the American Museum of Natural History in New York City has interactive online tools where they can pretend to be queen wasps or entomologists. When it comes to really appreciating wasps, though, Toth said the best approach is to study them firsthand. Look for wasps. You have a very low probability of getting stung, Toth said. Theyre beautiful organisms.Snapping some photos and tagging them #wasplove could even help us understand the remarkable insects better. Post them to a citizen science initiative like iNaturalist, Toth said. It will help scientists document their population, some of which may be threatened.If the thought of wasps makes your skin crawl, learning to live with them may be a first step toward appreciating their strange beauty and important role in the environment. Go outside and look at wasps, Toth said. Dont run screaming. Just let them be and observe. | 3 |
###CLAIM: sales customers were encouraged to shop with other groceries and household essentials, mainly in the gourmet and food categories.
###DOCS: Six years after launching Amazon Pantry, Amazon has discontinued the popular service. Originally known as Prime Pantry, the option initially charged customers in the continental US a flat $5.99 shipping fee for a box that could be filled with up to 45 pounds of nonperishable groceries and household goods. It had begun as an alternative to the traditional supermarket but had started to compete with other Amazon offerings - the Jeff Bezos-owned firm took over Whole Foods and launched its own Amazon Fresh grocery stores. Amazon is still selling canned goods, pasta, cereal, detergent and other staples through the main Prime website. Scroll down to videoAmazon Pantry launched in 2014, allowing customers to pay a flat $5 shipping fee for up to 45 pounds of household essentials and nonperishable groceries. A notice on the Amazon site indicates the service has been discontinuedAfter a US rollout, the service was made available in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, India and the UK, where items were supplied by the British supermarket chain Morrisons. At the time, many of the items in Pantry weren't available on the main Amazon site because they were individual size, not bulk. A limited and ever-changing-variety of good were availableincluding, according to Amazon, 'soft drinks and bottled water, a new range of paper and laundry products in popular pack sizes, single boxes of breakfast cereal, potato chips, convenience-sized personal care products and more.' Since then, though, it has become increasingly aggressive about dominating the grocery industry, both online and brick-and-mortar. In 2018, Amazon transformed the Pantry program into a monthly $5 subscription service. In March, Amazon briefly suspended Pantry service, as the coronavirus pandemic jammed supply chains and limited the number of available workers to stock ordersAmazon purchased Whole Foods in 2017 for a reported $13.7 billion, giving it nearly 450 physical locations. It now offers Whole Foods delivery service for Amazon Prime members in more than 2,000 U.S. cities. In 2018, Amazon transformed the Pantry program into a monthly $5 subscription service that allowed Prime members an unlimited number of orders over $40. The flat fee bumped up to $8 would be added to orders under $40 or from non-Pantry members. The e-commerce giant also opened the first Amazon Go convenience store ni 2018, allowing customers to shop for basics without having to physically check out at a register. Since launching Amazon Pantry as Prime Pantry in 2014, Amazon has raised its stake in the grocery industry, buying Whole Foods, launching cashless Amazon Go convenience stores and Amazon Fresh supermarketsThe first Amazon Fresh-branded supermarket opened in Los Angeles in 2019. Industry insiders say the number of products being offered through Pantry had begun to shrink in recent years. Now, on the main Amazon site, a notice indicates Amazon Pantry has been 'discontinued.' A message encouraging customers to 'shop Pantry bestsellers alongside other grocery and household essentials' links to the main 'Groceries & Gourmet Food' category. The coronavirus pandemic caused demand for online grocery services like Pantry, Amazon Fresh, Fresh Direct and Peapod to surge. In March, Pantry service was briefly suspended, as supply chains slowed down and warehouses shuttered. 'Due to high order volumes, Pantry is not accepting new orders at this time,' a notice from the company. 'This means that items listed as 'Ships & Sold from Pantry' cannot be added to your cart. We apologize for this inconvenience and are working with our partners to get these items back in stock as quickly as possible.' A month later the company put new customers on a waitlist to prioritize existing members. Amazon said its online grocery order capacity increased by more than 60 percent during the first weeks of the outbreak. But many shoppers seeking to purchase groceries from the Seattle-based company found they could not place orders due to a lack of available delivery slots. | 0 |
###CLAIM: muller pleaded guilty to the federal kidnapping charges, which carry a sentence of 40 years in prison.
###DOCS: Its been six years since the night that Aaron Quinn and Denise Huskins awoke in his Vallejo, California, home to a mans voice saying, Wake up. This is a robbery.That terrifying night, both of them were bound and Huskins was kidnapped. Huskins was held captive for just over 48 hours before being released, but the couple continued to fear for their lives with a kidnapper on the loose and the police dismissing their account of the incident as too incredible to be believed. Today, with their assailant Matthew Muller in prison, theyve chronicled their story in a new book called Victim F: From Crime Victims, To Suspects, To Survivors.Huskins says that in the end, the couples experience of trauma and survival is ultimately a love story with a happy ending. Huskins and Quinn married in 2018 and had a daughter, Olivia, who was born five years to the day that Huskins was released by her kidnapper, she said. Aaron Quinn and Denise Huskins were married in 2018. Aaron Quinn and Denise HuskinsYou can go through any kind of trauma to where it leaves you devastated and in a place where you just think, This is impossible to move forward from. What do I do next? she told ABC News Amy Robach. I think ours is an example of that. There is hope. It might take time and it might be a lot of hard work, but there is hope.Watch the full story on "20/20" FRIDAY at 9 p.m. ET on ABC. Huskins said that despite all the therapy they went through to rebuild their lives, she still felt like something was missing. Her daughter, she says, filled that hole. Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn had a daughter, Olivia, who was born five years to the day that Huskins was released by her kidnapper, she said. Denise Huskins and Aaron QuinnAmong the attendees at their wedding were the attorneys who helped defend them, and Misty Carausu, a detective from Dublin, California, who helped link Muller to their case. An unexpected beginning to their love storyHuskins and Quinn met in 2014 in Vallejo, California, located in the Bay Area, where they were both physical therapists. Huskins said they were drawn together.I was very conflicted because I obviously was attracted to Denise, Quinn said. But he had just gotten out of a relationship with a fiancee who he said cheated on him. I also didnt trust myself anymore.I could see who Aaron was and the man he was and the good in him, Huskins said. I knew that hed be a great partner but I could see that he was struggling.Quinns struggle eventually came to a head when, in February 2015, Huskins found out that Quinn had been messaging his ex-fiancee about getting back together. She said it was devastating. I finally just put my foot down and said, Look, I dont deserve this. And it was a couple of weeks of kind of going back and forth, she said. On March 22, 2015, the couple made a plan to meet at Quinns home in Mare Island, Vallejo, to decide if they wanted to continue their relationship. I brought pizza and we sat on the couch most of the night and talked, she said. We talked about how it would be difficult; we had to rebuild trust. But as long as he was willing to really give this a full shot, then we could try again.Huskins didnt know it at the time, but her decision to visit Quinn that night would become a pivotal moment in her life. She said that after their conversation, as they went to bed around midnight, it felt like a fresh start.The couple was awakened at around 3 a.m. by a man whod broken into the house. I remember being asleep and hearing a voice and thinking it was a dream. ... But the voice kept talking and I just remember my eyes shot open and I could see the walls illuminated with a white light that was flashing and I could see a couple of red laser dots crossing the wall, and I could hear, Wake up, this is a robbery. Were not here to hurt you, Huskins said. And in that moment, I just thought, Oh my God. This is not a dream.Quinn said the moment was so shocking that it froze him in his place. Laying zip ties on the bed, the intruder told Huskins to tie Quinns feet together and his hands behind his back, Quinn said. Huskins said the man then told her to walk to the bedroom closet. Huskins said that while walking to the closet she noticed two sets of legs from what she believed to be two different people in the bedroom. Huskins said the man tied her up inside and then brought Quinn to the closet and placed him inside. The intruder covered their eyes with swimming goggles that had been covered in duct tape to block their sight and put headphones on them. There were these pre-recorded messages, Huskins said, referring to what they heard through the headphones. They were going to give us a sedative and ... if we didnt take it, they would inject it intravenously.Quinn said his pre-recorded message referred to him by name. In that moment, he said he thought to himself, Were in a lot of trouble and this is planned.But it turned out that one important part of this plan had not gone as expected for the intruder. Hes being asked questions ... and at some point, the intruder realizes theyve got the wrong person, said Melanie Woodrow, an investigative reporter with San Francisco ABC station KGO, who covered the story. The intruder says, We have a problem ... and he says to Aaron, Do Denise and your ex-fiancee look-alike?Melanie Woodrow, an investigative reporter with ABC News Bay Area, talks about covering the story of Aaron Quinn and Denise Huskins' home invasion and kidnapping in 2015. ABC NewsAt that moment, Quinn said he released a guttural sigh.I was like, Yes, they both have long, blonde hair, Quinn said. And so, he said, We got the wrong intel.Quinn had lived with his ex-fiancee in that house before their breakup, and she had only recently moved out all of her belongings. Huskins said she hoped that the confusion would result in the intruder deciding just to leave them, but that is not what happened. He said, This is what were going to do. Were going to take you for 48 hours ... Aarons going to have to complete some tasks, Huskins said. Woodrow said Quinn was moved downstairs, where he was placed on a couch and told that a camera on the wall would be watching him and that he couldnt leave a perimeter marked by tape on the floor. The man then used duct tape to tie Quinns ankles and asked him if he was comfortable, Quinn said. I asked for a blanket, and he goes, Oh, Im sorry. I didnt realize how cold it is because were all wearing wetsuits.Woodrow said the intruder told Quinn they were going to communicate with him via text and email, and that theyd even created an email address for the correspondences. Quinn said he was told to call out sick at his job and to text Huskins boss that she had a family emergency and would be out for a week. He was also told he would have to withdraw money from his bank and that hed have a camera monitoring his moves. If I went to the police, they would kill her, he said. 1:17Eventually, the intruder picked up Huskins and put her in the trunk of Quinn's car before driving away with her. After the man left, Quinn said he was able to push the goggles off his eyes, but the drugs were starting to take effect, and at around 5 a.m., he passed out. Aaron Quinn becomes a suspectQuinn woke up the next morning with only enough energy due to the sedatives to call out sick for Huskins and himself, and then he fell asleep again until 11:30 a.m. He woke up to new emails and texts from the intruder. They demanded two payments of $8,500, he said. He responded to the kidnappers message but when he didnt hear back, he began to panic. Concerned that the camera the intruders installed was still monitoring him, he believed he could not call 911. Quinns older brother is an FBI agent, so he decided he would call him instead, but his brother instructed him to immediately call 911. Fearing he was putting Huskins life in grave danger, he dialed the police. When officers from the Vallejo Police Department appeared at his home, it had been more than nine hours since Huskins had been taken. Quinn said the first question the police asked him when he answered the door was, Are you on drugs?I said, Yes, the kidnappers drugged me, he said. Quinn said the officers entered the house and immediately unplugged the camera that the kidnapper had left. Then they continued to question Quinn about what hed been doing before calling for help. He starts asking if Id been partying. I tell him no. He points to some beer bottles that were neatly placed in the box next to the garbage, and I said, I put them there to take them out for recycling all at once.They clearly didnt believe him, said Nicole Weisensee Egan, the co-author of Victim F. It is soul-crushing for Aaron because hes out of his mind worried about Denise.Nicole Egan, co-author of "Victim F: From Crime Victims to Suspects to Survivors," discusses the 2015 home invasion and kidnapping of Aaron Quinn and Denise Huskins. ABC NewsAarons car is missing, and they know that he waited a substantial period of time before dialing 911. They see all of the components of what you might expect to see, objectively, in a domestic violence murder, said Matt Murphy, an ABC News contributor and former California prosecutor. Quinn said the officers eventually seemed to soften a little bit and told him they were taking him to the police station to give a statement. But while he was there, the police also gathered DNA samples and his clothes, he said. In return, he says they gave him prison clothes to wear. During questioning, Quinn recounted what had happened the night before. He told the detectives about the goggles placed over their eyes, the specific directions they were given and the recordings that played on the headphones. But Quinn says the detectives began to ask about his relationship with Huskins. Vallejo Police DepartmentMustard could be heard telling Quinn in the videotaped interrogation he the story youre telling here, I aint buying at all.Im telling [Mustard] everything because I have nothing to hide, Quinn said. To make matters worse, the detectives had also found a small bloodstain on Quinns sheets. I knew there was an old stain on my sheet, Quinn said. Id washed those sheets multiple times. Its just a small stain that I wasnt able to get out. Little did I know, a quarter-sized bloodstain was going to mean that I was a murderer.When Quinns parents and brother arrived at the police station, the Vallejo police questioned them, too. We were telling [the detective] what a good kid he was, said Marianne Quinn, his mother. They kept asking, Has he ever gotten angry? Has he done drugs?Marianna Quinn is the mother of Aaron Quinn. In 2015, an intruder broke into his home and kidnapped his then-girlfriend Denise Huskins. ABC NewsThey said maybe we were in a fight and I pushed her down the stairs, Aaron Quinn said. Maybe we were experimenting with drugs. ... Maybe we were into weird sex things and something went wrong.The detectives called Huskins parents and alerted them that something terrible mightve happened to their daughter. The FBI, which also got involved in the case, gave Aaron Quinn a polygraph exam -- something he was eager to take to prove his innocence -- which they say he failed. Exhausted, worried about Huskins and anxious over the detectives refusal to believe him, Aaron Quinn said he began to doubt his own sanity. I thought maybe I did have a schizophrenic breakdown, he said. His brother, Ethan Quinn, retained attorney Dan Russo, who brought Aaron Quinn back to his office after 18 hours of police interrogation. I knew from experience how this was going to go down, Russo said. I told him, Look, this is going to be a nightmare and theres no way youre going to be able to pinch yourself and wake up.Denise Huskins survived 48 hours with her captor before she was released. Denise Huskins and Aaron QuinnOn March 24, one day after the incident, the San Francisco Chronicle received whats known as a proof-of-life message from Huskins, Murphy said. In that recorded message sent by the kidnappers, Huskins spoke about a recent plane crash, to prove the message wasnt old. Investigators brought Aaron Quinn back to the station that same day and asked him to send a message back to the kidnapper. When he was handed his phone, Quinn says a member of his legal team noticed that it had been placed in airplane mode, even though it was the only means of communication with the kidnappers. When they turned airplane mode off, the phone flooded with messages. It was later discovered that the kidnapper had called the phone three times. Denise Huskins reappears south of Los AngelesHuskins turned up alive in Huntington Beach, California, 400 miles away from Vallejo, on March 25, 2015, two days after shed gone missing, as the kidnapper had promised Huskins previously. I heard him drive off. I slowly counted to 10. I peeled the tape off my eyes and I was by myself in this alleyway, she said. The kidnapper, who had taken Huskins bags when he abducted her, had removed them from the car and placed them on the ground. I grabbed my bags and started walking down that alley ... and I looked at the corner street name and I saw Utica, which is the street that I grew up on.Still sedated, Huskins realized that shed been dropped off near her mothers house, but when she arrived at her house, no one was there. Huskins borrowed a cellphone from a stranger and called her father, who did not answer. After leaving a voicemail with him, she began walking to her fathers home. She said a neighbor allowed her into the house. While she waited, her father said he heard the voicemail and got word to the Huntington Beach Police Department. Huntington Beach police officers arrived at the neighbors apartment where Huskins was waiting and began questioning her, who recounted everything that had happened two nights earlier, including the events that unfolded after she was taken from Aaron Quinns home. When police asked if shed been sexually assaulted, she told them she hadnt. She later explained she feared that the kidnapper had threatened her and her family if she revealed two specific details: that anyone involved in the abduction was in the military or that she had been raped. I had no reason to believe, at that time, that they doubted me, she said. I was just more so afraid ... that speaking to them was going to put me or my family in harm[s way].Although Huskins mother and father were both in Vallejo assisting police, they contacted family back in Huntington Beach to go be with her. Eventually, a cousin, who had recently passed the bar exam and had become an attorney, insisted he be allowed to see her. According to Huskins, Mustard told her cousin Nick, Well give immunity to whoever confesses first to making this whole thing up, said Egan. Mustard has denied making this statement. The FBI even offered to fly Huskins back to Vallejo on its airplane. By this point, Huskins says it was clear to her that she needed to hire a criminal defense attorney. Her defense attorney, Doug Rappaport, said he insisted she shouldnt get on that plane and should take a commercial flight instead. Huskins recalled sitting in the airport fearful for her life, paranoid that the kidnapper might find her and take her away again. Meanwhile, Huskins reappearance had set off a media firestorm fueled by suggestions that her case bore striking resemblance to the book and film Gone Girl. The fictional story is about a woman who fakes her own disappearance as revenge against her cheating husband. Mr. Quinn and Ms. Huskins have plundered valuable resources away from our community and taken the focus away from the true victims of our community while instilling fear among our community members. So, if anything, it is Mr. Quinn and Ms. Huskins that owe this community an apology, Park said during the press conference. When Huskins arrived in San Francisco to meet with her new attorney she finally felt safe enough to reveal all of the details of her harrowing captivity that she had been afraid to tell the police. She said that she had been raped twice by her kidnapper, which he videotaped. I shared with him about being molested as a child and thinking, too, maybe if he found out and heard how I already had been violated, and how it impacted me in my life, that perhaps some bit of him will just go, OK, I wont do this to her again. Im not going to, Huskins said. In this March 26, 2015, file photo, Amy Morton and Daniel Russo, attorneys for Aaron Quinn, state that their client was bound and drugged at the scene of the abduction and the $8,500 ransom was directed at him. Vallejo Times Herald/MediaNews Group via Getty Images, FILEHuskins says that her captor told her that he was part of a criminal organization that included three other members. Each individual was in charge of a different part of the operation. She said her captor told her he was being instructed to make the recording as a form of collateral over Huskins. Once she was released, if she attempted to go to the police, she said the kidnapper told her the group would release the recording on the internet. Rappaport and Russo both went to bat for their clients, even as they endured repeated questioning by the Vallejo police and the FBI. According to court filings, when Rappaport pushed for Vallejo police to conduct a rape exam, they delayed. I said, We have evidence thats going to dissipate ... And they said the most callous thing I think Ive ever heard somebody say from law enforcement, Rappaport said. They said, Well, just have her sleep in her clothes and dont take a shower and well talk in the morning.Vallejo has denied this account. In this Sept. 29, 2016, file photo, attorney Anthony Douglas Rappaport, left, speaks at a news conference with his clients, Denise Huskins and her boyfriend Aaron Quinn, right, in San Francisco. Sudhin Thanawala/AP, FILEMarianna Quinn said she was shocked when the police, too, started calling Huskins Gone Girl.You go through something like that, and every moment, every ounce of energy is about How do I live to see another second? That is all you can think about, said Huskins. The last thing that youre thinking about is, If I do survive, I need to make sure that Im believable.It only took a day from her reappearance for the San Francisco Chronicle to receive a new message from the kidnapper, whod become irritated after seeing news reports that police were portraying Huskins kidnapping as a hoax. The message received on March 26, 2015, contained explicit details about the kidnapping as well as photos of evidence, even showing the room where Huskins had been held. Rappaport said this new evidence still didnt deter police from their theory that Aaron Quinn and Huskins story was too unbelievable to be true. Up until this point, neither Huskins nor Aaron Quinn had seen each other since the incident. Huskins said she had thought about the safe feeling of being in his arms while in captivity, and that she was sick with anticipation wondering what he thought of her and if she was really this horrible liar. He said he was eager to see her, too. I just wanted to hold her. I just wanted to tell her I was sorry, said Aaron Quinn. I was really afraid that she wouldnt want to see me ... that she would just want to wipe her hands clean.They cried and held each other when they finally reunited nearly a week after that terrifying night, Huskins said. Denise Huskins abductor is caughtWeeks passed without a break in the case and Huskins and Aaron Quinn found themselves the prime suspects in their own home invasion and kidnapping case. Their lives seemed to be falling apart while living in a constant state of terror and preparing for a defense, Huskins said. Aaron Quinn said he feared he was close to losing his job. It was devastating to see both of them, said Marianne Quinn. They could not function.But on June 5, 2015, there was a major break in the case when police in Dublin, California, a city about an hour south of Vallejo, responded to a report of a home robbery. The suspect had tried essentially the same things to another couple, 20/20 learned. But, this time, the attempted break-in quickly went awry. When he attempts to tie up the wife, the husband jumps across the bed and tackles the suspect. ... The suspect tries to get away. He, in turn, hits the husband upside the head with a Maglite-style flashlight and exits the house, said Dublin police Sgt. Miguel Campos. Detective Miguel Campos, of the Dublin Police Department in California, discusses finding the suspect in the so-called "Gone Girl" kidnapping case. ABC NewsBut during the struggle, the kidnapper left his phone at the house. Dublin police were able to trace the phone to a woman who told them that it belonged to her son, a man named Matthew Muller, whod lost his phone a day earlier. It turned out Muller was not a typical criminal. He was a U.S. Marine for five years and graduated summa cum laude from Pomona College in California before going to Harvard Law School. Campos said that Mullers mother told them he was staying at their cabin in the South Lake Tahoe area. Misty Carausu was a day away from officially being made a detective when she agreed to take part in the arrest of Muller and search of the South Lake Tahoe home. She said that he looked unremarkable when he was escorted out. Detective Misty Carausu of the Dublin Police Department in California helped break the kidnapping case related to Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn. ABC NewsWhen they searched the cabin, the Dublin officers found several laptops, cellphones, a few stun guns, a lot of ski masks and an empty bed with no blankets but a sheet that appeared to have been slept on, Carausu and Campos said. Carausu said they also discovered Muller was driving a stolen car. There were a number of replica squirt guns, Campos said of the evidence theyd found. One of them had just your typical pen-style laser pointer that was duct-taped to it.The goggles that Dublin Police Department Detective Misty Carausu found with a strand of blonde hair attached. Dublin Police ServicesThere were several swim goggles that were duct-taped black, Carausu added. One, in particular, had a blonde hair strand attached to the duct tape. Why would there be a blonde hair stuck to goggles? [In] the Dublin home invasion, none of them had blonde hair.Among the evidence that Dublin, California, police found in Matthew Muller's Lake Tahoe cabin was this toy gun with a laser pointer taped on. Dublin Police ServicesMisty Carausu had a nagging feeling that Muller had attempted this kind of crime before. Looking back at all the evidence, there was just no denying that this wasnt his first time committing a crime, she said. I just had to figure out where these other crimes occurred.Carausu did a search of Mullers name and found that although he had never been charged, he had been a person of interest in several other incidents in nearby cities. Two incidents from 2009 took place in Palo Alto and Mountain View, and involved an unknown man breaking into the homes of the female victims and threatening to rape them. Carausu also tracked down the owner of the stolen car, who told her that it had been stolen around the time of a kidnapping in Mare Island, where Aaron Quinn lived. In this July 13, 2015, file photo, Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn stand in silence during a press conference in Vallejo, Calif. Vallejo Times Herald/MediaNews Group via Getty Images, FILEWhen Carausu researched the kidnapping, she remembered the so-called Gone Girl case that had gotten so much media coverage. She attempted to reach the Vallejo police but says she initially did not get a call back. When they responded, she says they told her to call the FBI. She told them about Muller, and two FBI agents and a representative from Vallejo police came pretty quickly after that.The authorities were able to corroborate the details of Aaron Quinn and Huskins case, even finding Aaron Quinns computer at the South Lake Tahoe cabin, Aaron Quinn said. They also found the address where Huskins had been dropped off in the stolen vehicles GPS, Campos said. Matthew Muller was charged in federal court in Sacramento, California, with kidnapping for ransom. He has pleaded not guilty. Dublin Police ServicesAaron Quinn and Huskins defense attorneys say they celebrated the developments in the case, holding a press conference in which they called for full apologies from the Vallejo Police Department. Muller was charged in federal court in Sacramento, California, with kidnapping for ransom. What he wasnt charged with were the sexual assaults, the robbery, the burglary against Aaron, Rappaport said. The reason being is that there was no jurisdiction in federal court for those crimes.Muller pleaded guilty to the federal kidnapping charge and was sentenced to 40 years in prison. Muller has since been charged in Solano County with kidnapping for ransom, two counts of forcible rape, robbery, burglary and false imprisonment. He has pleaded not guilty to those state charges. Quinn and Huskins continue to believe that there were others involved in the home invasion and kidnapping, but Muller is the only person who has ever been charged. It has never been made clear why Aaron Quinn and his ex-fiance were the targets of the abduction. There were things that happened that we saw, that we heard. It just would have been impossible to have been done by one guy, Huskins said. There are other people out there. Thats something that weve had to live with and somehow make peace with.Matthew Muller was implicated in a separate but similar crime in Dublin, California. Dublin Police ServicesHuskins said the Vallejo Police Department never came out and publicly apologized for saying what happened to them was a hoax. Instead, then-Vallejo Police Chief Andrew Bidou wrote a private letter of apology to them, saying in part that it was now clear what happened was not a hoax or orchestrated event and that [Vallejo Police Department[ conclusions were incorrect.The letter also said the comments from Lt. Kenny Parks were unnecessarily harsh and offensive. Bidou promised the department would apologize in public when Muller was indicted. In a statement to 20/20 on Monday, Vallejos public information officer Christina Lee admitted, It appears that the follow-up personal public apology did not take place.The Huskins Quinn case was not publicly handled with the type of sensitivity a case of this nature should have been handled with, and for that, the City extends an apology to Ms. Huskins and Mr. Quinn, the statement read. What happened to Ms. Huskins and Mr. Quinn is horrific and evil, Chief Shawny Williams said in the statement. As the new Chief of Police, I am committed to making sure survivors are given compassionate service with dignity and respect. Although I was not chief in 2015 when this incident occurred, I would like to extend my deepest apology to Ms. Huskins and Mr. Quinn for how they were treated during this ordeal.In 2016, Aaron Quinn and Huskins filed a civil lawsuit against the City of Vallejo and its police department, as well as specific officers involved, alleging a number of claims, including defamation. They ultimately settled out of court for $2.5 million with no party admitting any wrongdoing. The city of Vallejo now has a new lawsuit to contend with. In December 2020 former Vallejo Police Captain John Whitney filed suit against the city and the police department alleging he was wrongfully terminated for speaking out on a variety of issues that he characterized as misconduct, including ones related to Huskin and Aaron Quinn's case. According to his lawsuit, Whitney claims that former Vallejo Police Department Chief Bidou directed Whitney to delete text messages on his cell phone so that they could not be downloaded during the litigation related to the investigation into Huskins' kidnapping filed by Huskins and Aaron Quinn. Whitney further alleges in the lawsuit that he was in the room and that he heard Bidou instruct Parks to "burn that bitch" prior to Parks' March 25, 2015, press conference where Parks suggested that Huskins and Aaron Quinn had lied about their home invasion and abduction. In a previous deposition related to Huskins and Aaron Quinn's civil litigation, but prior to Whitneys December 2020 lawsuit, Bidou was asked if he recalled anyone using this phrase with respect to Huskins, and he replied that he had "never heard anybody say that." The city of Vallejo and the Vallejo Police Department have not yet responded to the claims alleged in Whitney's lawsuit. After all that theyd gone through, Marianne Quinn said she knew the couple would stay together forever. No ones going to understand what they went through except each other.The two married near the water in Monterey, California. Aaron Quinn said their first song together as husband and wife was Dierks Bentleys Riser. It is, he said, very much about overcoming a tragedy and rising like a phoenix from the ashes. | 1 |
###CLAIM: italy is also the poster child of the anti-vaccination program, announcing widespread closures of bars, restaurants and schools today as the covid case rises and the program stalls.
###DOCS: Italy is expected to announce today that schools, restaurants and shops will close across much of the country as a third wave of Covid infections takes hold. Prime Minister Mario Draghi is due to hold a cabinet meeting this morning to decide on the exact measures, before an announcement in the afternoon. Combined with measures already in place, it could mean that 14 of Italy's 20 regions - two thirds of the country - are under the toughest measures by the end of the day. It comes almost exactly a year after Italy became the world's first country to enact a nationwide lockdown to stem the spread of the virus. A majority of European countries are now seeing Covid cases start to rise as new and more-infectious variant of the disease begin to spread. With the continent's vaccine drive in disarray and just seven per cent its population given at least one dose, leaders are being forced to turn once again to lockdowns to bring the virus under control. Italy has seen Covid infections rise sharply in recent days, with ministers set to announce a new 'red zone' strategy that is expected to close schools, restaurants and barsDeaths have also begun rising as Covid cases soar, with European leaders warning that the continent's third wave has begunItaly on Thursday recorded 25,649 new cases of coronavirus and another 373 death were attributed to the disease. That makes it one of the worst-hit countries in Europe, narrowly behind France - with the continent's highest daily case total on 27,166 - and Russia - with the worst one-day death toll at 459. Italy has reported more than 3.5million cases of Covid since the start of the pandemic, and more than 100,000 deaths. Repeated lockdowns have triggered one of its worst recessions since the Second World War, with GDP thought to have shrunk by almost 10 per cent last year. Italy's more populated northern regions such as Lombardy, which includes Milan, will reportedly join several others in being classified as the highest risk 'red zones' from Monday, as will Calabria in the south. Lazio, the region that includes Rome, could also join them, although the situation is uncertain. Draghi's new national unity government tightened restrictions for red zones earlier this month, to include not just the closure of bars, restaurants, shops and high schools but also primary schools. Residents are told to stay home where possible. Italy has administered almost 10 doses of vaccine per 100 people, in line with the European average but well behind world leaders such as the UK, which has given out 35 doses per 100Other regions including Tuscany and Liguria are expected to pass into the medium-risk orange zone, with all shops, museums, bars and restaurants closed. That leaves only Sicily in the lower category of yellow, and Sardinia in the new category of white, with hardly any restrictions at all. The GIMBE health think tank on Thursday warned of an increase in the number of new cases for three consecutive weeks, which 'confirms the start of the third wave' of Covid-19. GIMBE president Nino Cartabellotta said that in more than half of Italy's 20 regions, 'hospitals and above all intensive care units are already overloaded', with ordinary health services suspended. Italy began its coronavirus vaccination campaign in late December but as elsewhere in Europe, it has been dogged by delays in deliveries of the jabs. Concerns over reported side effects of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine prompted the health regulator on Thursday to suspend a batch of the jabs, even while it warned there was no evidence of a link with blood clots. It comes just days after Italy blocked a batch of the vaccines from going to Australia, saying they were needed to help speed up its own drive. Italy has vaccinated just seven per cent of its population so far, in line with the European average but well behind the likes of the UK, which has jabbed 33 per cent. Italy is expected to announce the widespread closure of bars, restaurants and schools today as Covid cases rise and its vaccination programme stalls (file image, closed restaurant in Bari)Italy is also vaccinating people at a slower rate than the UK, jabbing just 0.28 people out of every hundred per day, compared to 0.52 people per hundred in Britain. Supply issues, particularly around the Astra jab, have hampered Europe's vaccine roll-out, but scaremongering has also led to people refusing to take Astra jabs. German officials have resorted to threatening those who refuse the vaccine in order to increase uptake, while health authorities in France have also waged a PR offensive - insisting the vaccine is safe and effective. Despite that, a host of nations - including the likes of Denmark, Norway and Iceland - have halted used of the AstraZeneca jab while investigations are carried out. European leaders continue to insist that all adults will have been vaccinated by September this year, but at the current rate a large portion of the adult population will remain wunvaccinated well into next year. Meanwhile UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pledged that every UK adult will have been offered a vaccine by June 31, meaning all lockdown measures will be lifted on June 21 - provided infections don't soar again. ROME, ITALY - MARCH 15: A woman walks around the empty Piazza di Spagna during the first day of ... [+] lockdown due to restrictions imposed by Italian government to reduce Covid-19 disease infections, on March 15, 2021 in Rome, Italy. Italy, which was the first to impose a national lockdown last year due to the covid-19 pandemic, is again tightening restrictions in many regions. (Photo by Antonio Masiello/Getty Images) Getty ImagesOn Monday, coronavirus restrictions across Italy were tightened and many regions recategorized as red zones as the country battles rising contagion numbers and new variants. It is just over a year since Italy went into strict national lockdown. Now the country is experiencing a third wave of COVID-19 and the vaccine rollout is proving agonizingly slow. After 12 months in and out of lockdown, Italians are now bracing for more months of closures, lost income, and suspended lives. The latest governmental restrictions see 11 regions classed as red zones and the others as orange with the exception of Sardinia, which remains white. In orange zones, bars and restaurants are limited to takeaway service only but all shops are permitted to open and school children are having lessons in the classroom. In red zones, however, all but essential shops are forced to shut and children of all levels of schooling are following lessons online via distance learning. Italys high school pupils have been at home or doing 50% teaching in the classroom for several months now. High school teachers and students have spoken out about the challenges that come with online teaching. There have been regular protests over the past months by senior and middle school pupils. A couple of weeks ago, demonstrations were held in towns and cities around the country in protest over school closures. Maia, a third-year student at Turins Gioberti classical high school, was one of the demonstrators. She told Rai News, There is no data that shows that more infections occur at school, yet they continue to keep us at home and we cant take it anymore.But the closure of middle and primary school comes with added difficulties. Parents are forced to stay at home to look after children and aid them with distance learning. Although babysitting bonuses are available, the service is scarce and daycare, especially in the south of Italy, hard to come by. Italys Prime Minister has acknowledged that online teaching is not an adequate substitute for in-class lessons. Speaking at a vaccination center in Rome on Friday, PM Mario Draghi said, "I am aware that today's measures will have consequences on children's education, on the economy and also on the psychological state of us all.Aside from schools, all non-essential shops, hairdressers, restaurants and museums have been forced to shutter in red zones. Bars and restaurants are permitted to offer a takeaway service. However, the travel restrictions only permit people to leave their house for essential reasons including for health, work, or necessary shopping. Bar and restaurant owners have pointed out that this does not seem to include collecting a takeout, leaving them questioning the economic sense of remaining open. The Easter weekend will also see the whole country demarcated as a red zone. It hopes to prevent a spike in infections as people travel to see family or meet friends. Italians hope that the latest restrictions will provide a period in which the rollout of the vaccination program can be accelerated. However, in another blow to the countrys recovery roadmap, use of the AstraZeneca vaccine has been suspended in Italy, along with several other European countries. It comes after reports that a small number of people suffered blot clots and brain hemorrhages after inoculation. AstraZeneca has hit back saying there was no evidence of a higher risk of blood clots or hemorrhages among the over 17 million people who have already received the vaccine in Britain and the EU. There are fears this suspension will further prolong Italys lockdown, continue to leave high-risk members of the population in danger of infection, and bolster anti-vaxx stances. | 2 |
###CLAIM: you report that police and court records suggest the informer gave the wrong address for the 23 year old felon.
###DOCS: The Law Department of the city of Chicago this week tried to block a local TV station from airing video of a botched police raid in February 2019, in which city officers allegedly stormed the wrong house and handcuffed an innocent woman while she was naked and while a group of male officers looked on, according to reports. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot claimed at a news conference Wednesday that she learned of the botched raid Tuesday nearly two years after it occurred and apologized to the woman, calling the incident "appalling." "I watched that video in absolute horror," the mayor told reporters, according to the Chicago Sun Times. Lightfoot also had strong words for her own legal team, denouncing them for keeping her in the dark about the incident. CHICAGO MURDERS CONTINUE TO SKYROCKET AS POLICE BRASS ADMIT 'IT'S JUST BEEN A REALLY CHALLENGING YEAR'"I made it very clear to the corporation counsel that I will not be blindsided by issues like this," Lightfoot said at the news conference. The woman whose home was raided, Anjanette Young, acquired the police video as part of her lawsuit against the police department, Chicagos WBBM-TV reported. Previously, both Young and the station had sought access to the video through the Freedom of Information Act but the police department denied their requests, the station reported. After obtaining the video, Young appeared on WBBM and spoke about her ordeal as the station aired portions of the footage. "I feel they didnt want us to have this video because they knew how bad it was," Young said. "They knew they had done something wrong. They knew that the way they treated me was not right." CHICAGO MAYOR DEFENDS APPEARING AT LARGE BIDEN CELEBRATION DAYS BEFORE ISSUING THANKSGIVING LOCKDOWNThe citys Law Department tried to prevent WBBM from airing the video just hours before the broadcast by filing an emergency motion in federal court, the station reported. Lightfoot was not pleased by the Law Departments action, according to the Sun Times. "Filing a motion against a media outlet to prevent something from being published is something that should rarely, if ever, happen," the mayor said. "And had I been advised that this was in the works, I would have stopped it in its tracks. This is not how we operate. Period." Nine police body cameras were in operation when police entered Youngs home Feb. 21, 2019, according to WBBM. Young was changing out of her clothes in her bedroom after returning home from work as a social worker, the station reported. Police broke down her door with a battering ram and entered with guns drawn, according to the station. "Youve got the wrong house! Youve got the wrong house!" Young is heard telling police in the video. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPWBBM reported that police and court records suggest that an informant gave police the wrong address for a 23-year-old felon who was under investigation. The suspect lived next door and could have been easily located because he was wearing an electronic monitoring device from a previous arrest, according to the station. The botched raid was just the latest in a long string of black eyes for the Chicago Police Department that have included the departure of former Superintendent Eddie Johnson, who in October 2019 was found asleep in his car after "a couple of drinks with dinner," and who two months ago faced allegations of sexual assault. Johnson retired in December 2019. Anjanette Young was handcuffed and unclothed for more than 30 minutes as she pleaded with officers that they had raided the wrong Chicago home in 2019. (Video: The Washington Post)Comment on this story Comment Gift Article ShareIt took just a few quick thwacks for police to break down the red door to Anjanette Youngs Chicago townhouse where the 50-year-old hospital social worker was undressing inside and preparing for bed. In an instant, nearly a dozen armed officers swarmed Young in February 2019 and announced a search warrant as she stood naked, terrified and trying to cover herself with a jacket. Oh, my God. This cannot be right, a stunned Young is heard saying in footage from the body-worn cameras that filmed the raid. How can this be legal? she asks. You got the wrong house!Footage first obtained by CBS 2 Chicago shows how Young was handcuffed and unclothed for more than 30 minutes as she pleaded with officers that they had raided the wrong home. More than an hour after police broke down Youngs door, officers realized she was right. AdvertisementNearly two years after the botched raid, emergence of video has Young newly hopeful she may finally see some accountability for what happened. But the footages long, thorny path into public view has Chicago media and city officials in a familiar position of wrestling over transparency and raising questions of how much has changed and whether a new mayoral administration will be different just five years after the scandal of the Laquan McDonald video coverup rocked the city. On Monday, the city of Chicago filed an emergency motion in federal court to stop CBS Chicago from broadcasting the apparently leaked footage in its Monday broadcast. The city argued airing the video violated a confidentiality agreement, but a federal judge denied the motion, ruling the TV station was not a party to the agreement. Upon hearing the city was trying to stop the video from being released, Young said she lay in her bed and cried. AdvertisementHow dare they want to continue to hide this, Young told The Washington Post in an interview Tuesday. CBS Chicago learned of Youngs case as part of [Un]Warranted], a prolific investigative project into the CPDs pattern of raiding the homes of innocent families. The series has stretched past two years and already led to some changes in state law this year around how police conduct warrants when children are present. We set out for about a year to get what we saw as critical video that would illustrate in an unvarnished way what was taking place, said Jeff Harris, the vice president and news director for CBS 2 Chicago. Harris told The Post the investigative team was concerned, but not deterred, by the citys efforts to stop their reporting. As journalists, were concerned for Anjanette, because this story is ultimately about her experience and her trauma, he added. And so much of her healing is about getting her story out.AdvertisementCBS Chicago would not disclose how it obtained the video footage; Youngs attorney, Keenan Saulter, similarly declined to discuss that aspect of the story. The citys Law Department did not directly implicate Youngs legal team but noted it had the video through a confidentiality agreement. A judge is expected to hold a hearing on the matter in the coming days. The Chicago Police Department deferred questions to Mayor Lori Lightfoots office. Lightfoot did not directly address the citys efforts to block the CBS Chicago report in a statement late Tuesday but said she was only just now learning of the incident, which predated her tenure as mayor by several months. Police search warrant policies were updated in January to have tougher standards and more oversight, she added. Youngs attorney said the changes Lightfoot announced, like independent verification of the location of the property to be served, should have been basic standards in the first place. AdvertisementAccording to Youngs 2019 lawsuit against the police department, a confidential informant told police the suspect they were seeking lived at Youngs address. The man actually resided at a nearby address, which Saulter said would have been simple to verify since the man was already under electronic monitoring by the Illinois Department of Corrections. The failure led to police breaking down Youngs door and handcuffing her while she was naked, leaving her both humiliated and afraid for her life. I was afraid to do anything other than what they told me because I believed that they would shoot, Young said. In the days that followed the raid, she stayed home from work and struggled to tell those in her small, close-knit circle of friends what happened. She found solace in going to church, but little comfort in being home. Loud noises and sirens are still triggering, and she no longer trusts the police department like she used to. AdvertisementNearly two years later, Young said she still doesnt sleep well and cant even enjoy her once-relaxing Thursday nights watching Greys Anatomy.The sense of going to bed at night and it being peaceful in my own home, theyve taken that from me, she said crying. In the interim, its unclear if the officer involved with the raid will face consequences. The Civilian Office of Police Accountability would only say Tuesday that the case is still under investigation. Young is continuing to push for accountability, drawing on her faith and the inspiration from her grandmother, a civil rights activist. I dont know why God chose me for this assignment, she said. But here I am, I own it, I accept it with all of its challenges, with all of the hurt that comes along with it.Drea Cornejo contributed to this report. GiftOutline Gift Article | 2 |
###CLAIM: representative nanette diaz ( d ) and barragan ( d ) said they were scheduled to meet monday with san and ysidro border officials and non-profit migrant aid workers while awaiting hearing of their cases.
###DOCS: The Biden administration has begun allowing tens of thousands of asylum seekers who were forced to wait in Mexico for a chance to obtain protection in the United States under a Trump-era program to cross the border. Some 28,000 asylum seekers primarily Cubans, Hondurans, and Guatemalans have active cases in former President Donald Trumps Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), which became known as the Remain in Mexico program. It is one of many interlocking Trump-era policies that, together, have made obtaining asylum and other humanitarian protections in the US next to impossible. On Friday, the Homeland Security Department announced that it had allowed 25 of those asylum seekers to cross the US-Mexico border at the San Ysidro port of entry, which connects the city of Tijuana with San Diego, California. International organizations, including the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), had registered the asylum seekers in advance and given them an appointment to show up at the border during which they verified their eligibility to enter the country on a US Customs and Border Protection mobile app and tested negative for Covid-19. Today, we took the first step to start safely, efficiently, and humanely processing eligible individuals at the border, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement on Friday. It is important to underscore that this process will take time, that we are ensuring public health and safety, and that individuals should register virtually to determine if they are eligible for processing under this program.Another 25 asylum seekers arrived at the port of entry on Monday to be processed. DHS has said that the asylum seekers, once admitted to the US, will be placed in alternatives to detention programs, under which they are released into the US but monitored, usually by a social worker, in an effort to encourage them to show up for their immigration court dates. Such programs are humane and relatively low cost compared to immigration detention. Ports of entry in El Paso and Brownsville, Texas which is directly across the border from one of the largest encampments of asylum seekers in Matamoros were expected to start processing people subject to MPP this week, but CBP said Monday that certain operational considerations specific to those ports could delay that plan. They will start by processing 25 migrants daily and eventually ramp up to 300 per day, but DHS has yet to publicly commit to a date when that will occur. Many of them are now going to be in dignity with their families here in the US as they await their cases to be heard, said Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragan (D-CA), who was scheduled to meet with border officials at San Ysidro and nonprofits aiding migrants on both sides of the border on Monday. Many asylum seekers are still anxiously awaiting an appointment to cross the borderAsylum seekers who have not yet been given an appointment to be processed at the border say that they remain anxious and worried about ensuring that they get a spot in line. While waiting in Mexican border cities, they remain at risk of extortion, kidnapping, and rape at the hands of cartels and other criminal entities. Some have found housing in shelters, hotels, or rooms for rent. But for others, only colorful tents and tarps stand between them and the elements. They continue to rely on volunteers for basic necessities and medical care. An online platform created by UNHCR that allows migrants subject to MPP to register for an appointment at the border has been a source of confusion. Migrants have to fill out a four-page virtual form, including information from their court documents, that UN officials will use to identify which migrants are most vulnerable and should be prioritized for processing. Among other factors, they will take into consideration a migrants age and health, as well as whether they are victims of crimes or trauma or single mothers with children. The Monitors Valerie Gonzalez reported that the site went live at noon on Friday, but migrants quickly encountered difficulty registering due to weak internet reception, an inundation of web traffic, and unaccommodated disabilities. On Monday, migrants in Matamoros said they had been unable to access the site since 10 pm on Sunday night, and the UNHCR phone line was continuously busy. MPP is one of many barriers to asylum erected under TrumpMore than 71,000 migrants have been subject to MPP over the lifetime of the program as of the end of January, according to new data from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University. The vast majority are not being represented by a lawyer, and less than 2 percent of those whose cases have been completed have received some form of protection in the US. Before the pandemic, asylum seekers would often have to wait months for a hearing. But last March, the Trump administration suspended all their hearings indefinitely. Faced with the prospect of waiting many months in Mexico to be called in for their court dates in the US, many migrants who were enrolled in MPP decided to return to their home countries and were ordered deported in their absence. Biden administration officials have signaled that they also intend to identify those people and admit them to the US for a chance to seek protection. President Biden announced last month that the US would stop enrolling people in MPP, but he stopped short of ending it entirely. He had also promised on the campaign trail to surge humanitarian resources to the border, including asylum officers who could conduct an initial screening of migrants claims for protection, and ensure that US Citizenship and Immigration Services asylum division takes the lead on processing their cases in order to ease the burden on the immigration courts. Bidens decision to start processing asylum seekers subject to MPP signals that he is taking a more compassionate approach to the border. But some immigrant advocates have argued that he isnt acting quickly enough to reverse Trumps policies, including a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention order that has allowed the US to turn away the vast majority of migrants arriving at the border on pandemic-related grounds. White House press secretary Jen Psaki has said the CDC order will remain in place for now. | 1 |
###CLAIM: after a meeting with border patrol agents, it was learned that individuals with links to terror organizations were rushing the border.
###DOCS: Democrats who downplayed the possibility of individuals on the FBI's Terrorism Watch List coming across the border illegally have been silent about Border Patrol agents capturing suspected terrorists at the southern border. On Monday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced that Border Patrol agents had apprehended a Yemeni man at the southern border whose name was on the FBI's Terrorism Watch List. This is the second Border Patrol arrest of a Yemini national with their name on the Terrorism Watch List in two months. The arrest happened on March 30 two miles from the southern border in the El Centro Sector of the border, near Calexico, California. The apprehended suspect was also on the no-fly list. The previously apprehended man was arrested three miles from the Southern border in the El Centro Sector on January 29. He was also on the No-Fly list in addition to the terror list. KEVIN MCCARTHY PROVEN RIGHT AFTER DEMS, MEDIA ACCUSE HIM OF LYING ABOUT SUSPECTED TERRORISTS AT BORDERHouse Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy warned last month in a press conference at the border that individuals on the watch list from Middle Eastern countries were taking advantage of the border crisis and coming across the southern border. "When you go out to Monument 3 and you talk to those agents, its not just people from Mexico or Honduras or El Salvador, they are now finding people from Yemen, Iran, Turkey," McCarthy said at the press conference. "People on the terrorist watch list they are catching and they are rushing it all at once." However, some House Democrats were quick to denounce McCarthys warning. Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., accused the House minority leader of being "either wrong or lying" in a tweet posted after the press conference. 11 IRANIANS ARRESTED IN ARIZONA AFTER JUMPING US-MEXICO BORDER"Weird as the Chairman of the subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations and a border state member of Congress havent heard anything about this," Gallego tweeted. "Gonna ask for a briefing. Pretty sure he is either wrong or lying." Gallego also said in a separate tweet about the presser that he has "the same security clearance" as McCarthy and asked for the House minority leaders office to "arrange for a classified briefing for members to see where this info derived from." Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, joined her Arizona colleague in taking shots at McCarthy, accusing the leader of trying to "fuel the divisions" and make people afraid of immigrants. Neither Escobars office nor Gallegos office responded to Fox Newss question asking if the members regretted downplaying suspected terrorists trying to take advantage of the border crisis. Prior to today, four foreign nationals with names on the FBIs Terror Watch List had been caught while trying to illegally cross the southern border since October, a congressional aide previously told Fox News. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPThat information showed that, not counting the most recent arrest, three migrants from Yemen and one from Serbia were picked up at the southern border by U.S. Border Patrol since the beginning of the fiscal year in OctoberEleven Iranian citizens were arrested in Arizona in early February after they illegally crossed the U.S.-Mexico border. Fox News Cameron Cawthorne, Louis Casiano and Adam Shaw contributed to this report. | 0 |
###CLAIM: "you're just a recruit who saw the crazy and the cops cabaret with your people, " george and buckland said to friends struggling to see the logic in it.
###DOCS: As crowds amassed in central London at 10pm on Thursday night after people streamed out of bars which closed early due to the curfew, there was confusion, delirium and drunkenness. Theres mental issues, cancer, all this other stuff, yet everyone is paying attention to Covid, said one young woman, outside Cecconis on Old Compton Street, in Soho. Look at how many people are actually in hospital because of it, its not actually very much. I think we need to crack on.Nearby outside the Montagu Pyke, a Wetherspoons on Greek Street, plastic cups full of vodka and coke sloshed onto the street as one man holding a pint of ale said, It makes no sense, before bumping into a woman. Stood next to a sign saying Sunaks specials, advertising cheap pints of beer, Colin Chen, a first-year politics, philosophy and economics student at the LSE, asked: How long are we going to wait for a cure for? Even if we wait till theres no new cases, theres just going to be cases again when people come in from overseas. This pointless curfew is punishing young people.Sam Chamberlain, left and Colin Chen, right outside the Montagu PykeHis friend Sam Chamberlain, an economics student, added: If youre not sat in the pub distanced from each other, youll be in flats [in groups] bigger than six with people you dont know. Anyway, there was a table of 10 in there.In another group of teenagers, first-year architecture student at UCL, Phoebe Hampson, summed up the feeling among those in her halls who were out with her for the night: This is freshers week, but its really depressing. Now you have to start your night way earlier.Police officers appeared to berate one security guard on Greek Street because the restaurant had left chairs out after 10pm. Earlier, as crowds rushed from the first cabaret performances they had seen since March to bars to make last orders, at around 9.20pm, the Treasurys half-price restaurant meal scheme was blamed for the recent rise in coronavirus cases. Phoebe Hampson (at the back) with her hall matesI think what done it was the eat out to help out, said Tracey Davies, from County Durham, who was walking to a bar with her husband, Pete. Everyone went crazy up in the north-east. Everywhere was rammed. I think thats made the situation a lot worse.Pete said: It was like the busiest Saturday night, in normal times, but on a Monday night. Of the newly imposed curfew ordering pubs, bars and restaurants in England and Wales to close at 10pm, Davies added: Its not going to make much difference is it, the virus isnt just going to come out at 10pm? Scotland will impose the measure from Friday night. Pete and Tracey DaviesOthers highlighted what they claimed were rules that prioritised certain people over others. We cant have a group of 10 people going out and having a beer but you can go out and shoot grouse with 30 people, exclaimed chef Ali Borer, who was out for his partners 29th birthday. Its actually disgusting. They are messing up peoples lives ... closing at 10pm is ridiculous. I dont understand why. They havent explained it, he said, highlighting that approximately just 5% of transmissions occur in food outlets, including restaurants and pubs. He said the curfew would hit businesses and workers in the sector. Ali Borer, left with his chef partner Orla and friendsAs people began to make their way home after spilling out onto the streets simultaneously, there was further questioning of the science behind the decision. I struggle to see the logic in it, said George Buckland, a recruiter who had just seen Crazy Cops cabaret with a friend. If people are in controlled venues with track and trace then thats safer than closing everything at 10pm and pushing people into uncontrolled private parties.The curfew has been condemned by trade body the Night Time Industries Association, which has also criticised the lack of help for the sector from Rishi Sunaks winter jobs plan. Michael Kill, its chief executive, said it had been left as an industry in exile. He said: Shock, horror and despair have reverberated across swathes of the night-time industry as more details of the chancellors winter economy plan have been revealed. It is now clear that there is no support for businesses in the sector which are still forced to remain closed due to Covid-19 restrictions. Even the businesses that can reopen in the industry are unable to see the benefit of the scheme as the recent 10pm curfew makes operating barely viable ... The night-time economy has been totally disregarded by government policy. The government narrative has delivered empty promises and left us an industry in exile. Drinking establishments inside Parliament are exempt from the Government's newly imposed 10pm curfew, it has been revealed. Facilities serving alcohol inside the Palace of Westminster are not required to abide by the coronavirus curfew which came into effect this week due to them being classified as a 'workplace canteen'. It comes just a week after the Prime Minister set out a raft of measures designed to clampdown on Covid-19, including imposing a 10pm curfew on all pubs, bars and restaurants in England. Despite the new measures, staff and visitors inside Parliament can still enter its handful of bars without being forced to leave at 10pm and are also not required to provide a name and contact number upon entry, The Times reported. Bars inside Parliament are exempt from the Government's newly imposed 10pm curfew which came into effect this week. Pictured: Boris Johnson and Michael Gove pulling pints at the Old Chapel pub in Darwen, LancashireThe revelations come after a number of bars in Parliament, including the Strangers' Dining Room, the Adjournment and the Members' Smoking Room and Pugin Room, were reopened to MPs before the summer recess. The regulations are now reportedly being kept under review by the House of Commons but one source told The Times the rules were 'a massive own goal' for Parliament. This week Boris Johnson announced a new wave of Covid-19 restrictions that could last up to six months- including a 10pm curfew on bars, pubs and restaurants in England. The 10pm curfew on the hospitality sector sparked an immediate industry backlash as the UKHospitality group said it was 'another crushing blow'. There were also fears the move could have unintended consequences amid warnings of a potential 'surge of unregulated events and house parties'. Tory MPs also expressed concerns about the curfew plans, describing them as a 'terrible blow' for the hospitality industry and warning there must not be another 'major lockdown'. The Strangers' Dining Room (pictured) was among a number of bars that was opened to staff inside Parliament following the national lockdownFacilities serving alcohol inside the Palace of Westminster are not subject to the 10pm curfew as they are classified as a 'workplace canteen'. Pictured: The Strangers dining hallIt was claimed that Mr Johnson had initially backed a total shutdown of the hospitality and leisure sectors before Chancellor Rishi Sunak persuaded him to take a less severe course after warning of economic carnage. Just hours after setting out the new measures, the Prime Minister issued an emotional plea to the nation and warned Britons they faced a long hard winter of police-enforced curbs on their freedom to see off coronavirus. He also hit out at his critics - including Tory MPs and business leaders who warned of the economic impact of the tough measures, adding: 'To those who say we don't need this stuff, and we should leave people to take their own risks, I say these risks are not our own. 'The tragic reality of having Covid is that your mild cough can be someone else's death knell. 'And as for the suggestion that we should simply lock up the elderly and the vulnerable with all the suffering that would entail I must tell you that this is just not realistic. 'Because if you let the virus rip through the rest of the population it would inevitably find its way through to the elderly as well, and in much greater numbers.' MailOnline has contacted the House of Commons for comment. | 2 |
###CLAIM: 4. read how the college football great has unraveled as fan approval of big ten and big 12 teams and the atlantic and southeastern conferences proceeds with three quarters of their season already postponed or canceled because of break-outs or virus besieging many campuses.
###DOCS: The coronavirus pandemic is still ravaging America, just as it was in August, when the college presidents and chancellors of the Big Ten Conference decided against playing football in the fall. The only thing thats changed is that the same leaders now feel far more comfortable with the risks. The Big Tens announcement this week that college football will begin the weekend of October 23 isnt cause for celebration, but rather an indication of how easily money shifts priorities. Without football, the Big Ten and its member schools were in jeopardy of losing up to $1 billion in revenue. Last month, the Big Ten was willing to set a brave example. It decided that its members, most of which are large public universities in the Midwest, would play no football this fall. But instead of being applauded for exhibiting farsighted, selfless leadership, the Big Ten has spent its hiatus being scolded by fans and parents, sued by players, and criticized by coaches. Meanwhile, Donald Trumpdesperate to convince swing-state voters that nothing is amiss, despite nearly 200,000 deaths from the virushas been meddling for his own political gain. Read: College footballs great unravelingThe Big Ten has watched as three of the four other college-football heavyweightsthe Atlantic Coast Conference, the Big 12, and the Southeastern Conferencehave proceeded with their football seasons with the hearty approval of fans, even though 13 games have already been postponed or canceled because of COVID-19 outbreaks and the virus has many of their campuses under siege. One SEC coach, Louisiana States Ed Orgeron, admitted recently that most of his players had contracted the virus. The Big Ten is treating all those problems like inconvenient details now. All that matters is that midwestern football fans can look forward to nine straight weeks of conference play. Forget about the harm players might suffer in the process of entertaining the masses, or concerns of how an outbreak might jeopardize the season. Over the summer, as reports mounted of young people dying or suffering permanent damage after becoming infected with COVID-19, some Big Ten athletes banded together to demand more attention to their safety. But others insistedin some cases by going to courtthat they wanted to play. What we have always wanted is an opportunity for our student athletes to compete in the sports they love, Kristina M. Johnson, the Ohio State University president, told reporters yesterday. How convenient that presidents and chancellors want to respect players voices as long as doing so aligns with their schools bottom line. The staggering amount of money at stake helps explain why the Big Ten is now putting together aggressive testing protocols and safety measures that conference leaders hope will ensure a successful return. Players will be subjected to heart screenings that will check for cardiac ailments associated with the coronavirus. (The conference has pledged to use the data for research, which means that, on top of generating money for their university while working for free, the players are also lab rats.) Football players, coaches, and team staff at Big Ten schools will also have daily, rapid antigen testing, which detects certain proteins in the virus and is considered to be a key weapon in helping stop the spread of the virus before it reaches a highly contagious state. Of course, the idea that a lot more testing is essential to containing the coronavirus isnt something that only dawned on scientists this month. I suppose you could give Big Ten schools credit for listening to medical experts in developing safety protocols for college-football players, but at the same time, this is an insult to the tuition-paying students who wont receive the same protections. When Northwestern Universitys athletic director, Jim Phillips, was asked by the media yesterday why such vigorous testing isnt available to nonathletes, he didnt offer much of an answer. I would just say it wasnt done hastily, Phillips said of the policy. It was done with a lot of careful consideration. But its a really fair question.Julia Marcus and Jessica Gold: Colleges are getting ready to blame their studentsSome would argue that because the regular student body doesnt usually have access to the fancy meals and other perks that college-football players often enjoy, prioritizing those players over the rest of the student body for coronavirus testing isnt a big deal. Yet such a policy only underscores the peculiar status of college-football players. For the purposes of dividing up the revenue they create, universities treat them as mere students, disqualifying them from any financial reward beyond the value of their scholarships. But on health matters, they get special consideration because their labor is just too valuable to risk. This is also a reason not to trust colleges and universities to be transparent if and when players become infected with the coronavirus. According to an ESPN survey, half of the schools in the five leading college-football conferences are declining to disclose the number of athletes who test positive. Some schools will hide behind medical-privacy laws to justify their secrecy. But in light of how large a financial stake athletic programs have in college-football players continuing presence on the field, schools dont deserve the benefit of the doubt. In retrospect, the Big Tens caving to financial pressure was entirely predictable. Much of the country has adopted the attitude that everything should go back to normal quickly, despite Americans collective failure to create the preconditions for doing so. This sense of resignation has also enveloped college football. The last holdout among the major conferences is the Pac-12which, in addition to the coronavirus, must also cope with wildfires tearing through its home region. But the Pac-12 appears poised to do what the Big Ten has done: make a financially motivated decision to resume football and then find ways to rationalize it. Mark Emmert, the N.C.A.A. president, said he had not talked with the White House since April. And both he and Denis McDonough, a former chief of staff to President Barack Obama who was on the N.C.A.A.s top board until last month, both said that the associations decisions in recent months had not been made because of lobbying by any elected officials. Greg Sankey, the SEC commissioner, said he had been in touch with some public officials during the pandemic but that the conversations amounted to supportive, how can we be helpful exchanges, not efforts to pressure him toward a season in a region that reveres football but has been ravaged by the virus. But since the Big Tens chancellors and presidents voted not to proceed with the season as originally planned, Warren has faced swelling pressure from within his league and politicians beyond it. Trump took interest in the seasons viability the day before the Big Tens decision, retweeting a post by Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence in support of the athlete-driven #WeWantToPlay movement. Lawrence and Trump spoke later in the week by phone, the president said at a news conference on Aug. 15, when he mentioned the recent postponements by the Big Ten and the Pac-12 and said, I wish they would come back. (Clemson, a member of the A.C.C., is playing this season.) The Big Tens move left Trump aides bombarded with requests for White House intervention. Many of the pleas went to Timothy Pataki, a senior official who played lacrosse at Ohio State and remained close to the school, among the most vocal in its opposition to the decision not to play on time this fall. | 2 |
###CLAIM: britain also said aid business working with the myanmars military had been further safeguarded and prevented by additional measures from supporting the military-led government indirectly.
###DOCS: FILE PHOTO: Britain's Foreign Affairs Secretary Dominic Raab walks outside Downing Street in London, Britain, February 3, 2021. REUTERS/John SibleyLONDON (Reuters) - Britain imposed sanctions on three Myanmar generals on Thursday, accusing them of serious human rights violations following a military coup in the Asian country. Myanmars military has arrested civilian leaders, including Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, and announced a year-long state of emergency, alleging that an election in November was beset by fraud. The electoral commission dismissed the armys complaints. The military junta, which did not immediately comment on Britains decision, has promised a new election and defended its Feb. 1 seizure of power, denying it was a coup. It has not given a date for a new election. We, alongside our international allies will hold the Myanmar military to account for their violations of human rights and pursue justice for the Myanmar people, British foreign minister Dominic Raab said. Washington imposed new sanctions on the Myanmar military last week and has urged other U.N members to follow suit. Britain said it would enforce immediate asset freezes and travel bans against the three members of the Myanmar military: the minister of defence, Mya Tun Oo, the minister for home affairs, Soe Htut, and deputy minister for home affairs Than Hlaing. Britain already had sanctions in force against 16 individuals from the Myanmar military. Britain also said further safeguards were being put in place to prevent British aid indirectly supporting the military-led government and additional measures would prevent British businesses working with Myanmars military. Myanmars military and police have committed serious human rights violations, including violating the right to life, the right to freedom of assembly, the right not to be subject to arbitrary arrest or detention, and the right to freedom of expression, the government statement said. | 0 |
###CLAIM: erewash : the conversations appear to have been made at around midnight last night when people in london, essex, york, elmbridge, barrow and chesterfield were placed on the second tier.
###DOCS: AdvertisementAround 200,000 people in central London could lose their jobs in hospitality this weekend as Tier 2 sees a 'maximum squeeze on revenue and no support', an industry spokesman warns. Last night revellers descended onto London's streets to enjoy their final night out before the capital is plunged into the tighter lockdown restrictions, announced yesterday by Health Secretary Matt Hancock. From midnight today individuals from different households in London, Essex, York and parts of Derbyshire, will be banned from mixing indoors, even in hospitality venues - with outdoor socially distanced mingling permitted for groups of up to six. Party-goers in central London opted to spend last night traipsing from pub to bar in Soho, ahead of tonight's Tier two ban, which will mean groups of friends (up to six) from different households will be required to meet in beer gardens or at restaurants with outdoor seating if they wish to support the already struggling industry. Kate Nicholls, Chief Executive of UKHospitality, has warned that the lack of sector-specific funding offered to the country's hospitality industry could be 'catastrophic'. Ms Nicholls said:'The pain of Tier 2 is that you have no government support and that's what we need the government to urgently address otherwise you are going to have about 200,000 people in central London losing their jobs this weekend. 'If you go into level three you are getting support if you're closed, so at least you would have something to pay the teams. (...) For businesses in this part of the capital it would probably be better to be paid to be closed.' Almost a third of restaurants and pubs in England will be affected by the tougher tier curbs introduced tonight - more than 8,500 venues and 5,000 pubs. Pubs which serve very little food are expected to have suffered the most through the pandemic so far, due to not having benefitted from the 'Eat Out to Help Out' scheme which saw a cut on food VAT. Now pubs under tier 3 will also now be forced to stop serving alcohol if they're not serving a 'substantial meal' along with it. Ms Nicholls said: 'Being moved into tier 2 is a curse for businesses. They will be trapped in a no man's land of being open, but with severe restrictions that will significantly hit custom, all while unable to access the job support available in tier 3. It is the worst of both worlds for businesses. 'Venues in London have already taken a hit due to the dip in inbound tourism and with people increasingly working from home. A move into tier 2 will now be catastrophic for some of them and it is only going to be made worse by the end of the furlough scheme in under two weeks. Mr Martin said it was unfair that pubs have been treated harsher than supermarkets as he revealed sales fell from 1.82billion to 1.26billion in the year to July 26, 2020. Publishing the company's delayed results, he added that the UK should adopt the Swedish model for pandemics to allow his pubs to open again properly, a system which he said 'emphasises social distancing, hygiene and trust in the people'. The company also announced a further 108 job cuts at its head office, having already said it would cut up to 130 jobs at its HQ and up to 450 at airport concessions. Mr Martin, quoting businessman Warren Buffett from 1989, said governments across the world have based their lockdown decisions on 'deeply flawed analysis'. He claimed Swedish Professor Johan Giesecke is the epidemiologist equivalent and the UK should follow his lead, which would allow Wetherspoon to reopen pubs. Advertisement'The Government must remove employer contributions from the Job Support Scheme for hospitality or apply tier 3 job support to tier 2 businesses. If it does not, we are looking at catastrophic businesses closures and widespread job losses in the capital as early as 1 November.' Ms Nicholls has pushed for the 'job support scheme' , which requires employers to cough up 55 per cent of staff wages, to waive employer contributions and called for a tier-3 style funding for all hospitality in which venues hit by closures can get 3,000 cast grants. Industry bosses previously estimated 300,000 hospitality jobs would be lost in the absence of an industry bailout by government - but inline with Ms Nicholls prediction of 200,000 jobs to be lost in central London this weekend alone the total could be much higher. Robert Hayton of Altus, a property advising group, told The Guardian: 'Further restrictive measures that adversely impact trade, already at far lower levels than before the pandemic, without any discerning targeted support, could be the death knell.' Jasmine Whitbread, the chief executive of London First, said she believes that more transparency is needed over how these short-term measures are expected to reduce transmission of covid-19 and avoid 'worse to come'. Ms Whitbread told the publication: 'The government must not repeat the mistakes of the summer and must use this time to fix the track and trace system and put in further support for those businesses unable to trade.' Richard Corrigan, one of the West End's best known restaurateurs, said many establishments were already 'fighting' to stay afloat and would not survive a second hospitality shutdown. Guillaume Marly, Managing Director of London's Hotel Cafe Royal, said a second lockdown would be 'hugely detrimental to our industry' and the 'nail in the coffin for a vast amount of businesses'. Jonathan Raggett, Managing Director of Red Carnation Hotels, which operates several properties in London, also criticised Government moves to plunge the capital into lockdown. He told the newspaper: 'We are of course disappointed to hear that there may be limitations put in place that would affect the hospitality industry once again. The safety of our staff and guests is paramount.' Groups of friends enjoy their time together in the outdoor area of a restaurant and bar, which is still permitted under Tier 2Under Tier Two restrictions, pubs and restaurants can remain open but households cannot mix indoors and they must close at 10pm. Pictured: Pub-goers enjoy the final night out before tighter restrictions in Soho, LondonTwo police officers patrol the streets in Soho, London, last night as bars, pubs and restaurants must close at 10pm under the current Tier One restrictionsA group of police officers wearing face coverings patrol Soho's streets on bicycles on the night before the capital is plunged into Tier Two restrictions AdvertisementPolice fought to enforce coronavirus laws in London last night as they faced defiance from both protesters and drinkers refusing to go home. After being turfed out of pubs and bars at 10pm, crowds spilled on to the streets of Soho where anti-lockdown demonstrators had gathered, including Piers Corbyn who said: 'We're here to drink against curfew.' Officers were seen leading people away in handcuffs after encountering an alarming lack of compliance just hours before Covid restrictions were tightened even further as the capital was plunged into Tier 2. Londoners are waking up this morning to more curbs on everyday life, with two households now banned from meeting indoors unless they have formed a support bubble. Boris Johnson yesterday thanked mayor Sadiq Khan for working with the Government to place the capital into the higher alert level - and urged Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham to also cooperate. Mr Burnham is resisting the Prime Minister's move to place the region into Tier 3 and is instead agitating for a nationwide lockdown, leaving negotiations with ministers deadlocked. But Mr Johnson yesterday used a Downing Street press briefing to warn that he is prepared to elevate Greater Manchester unilaterally, with sources suggesting he could impose harsher measures as early as Monday. Lancashire leaders yesterday struck a deal with Government and joined Liverpool in the most severe Tier 3 bracket, meaning all pubs and restaurants must close unless they can serve food. More officers took to the streets to put a stop to boozy gatherings that break the rule of six as well as to enforce the 10pm curfew on pubs and restaurants. The conversation appeared to be animated as the police officer held out a handAt midnight last night people in London, Essex, York, Elmbridge, Barrow-in-Furness, North East Derbyshire, Erewash and Chesterfield were placed into Tier 2. In addition to following the nationwide restrictions - such as the rule of six and the 10pm curfew - two households will no longer be able to mix indoors, including pubs and restaurants. Londoners were last night spared the double blow of also having the city's transport system grind to a halt after an eleventh hour bailout of TfL was struck after a day of high-stakes talks. Some in the capital were left puzzled that they were being hit with new restrictions when data revealed that places such as Devon, Oxford and Coventry had higher infection rates but were in the lowest Tier 1. Yet the capital's mayor Mr Khan has said ministers are not going far enough and called for a short national circuit breaker, which is also being advocated by Mr Burnham who yesterday refused to cave to the PM's threats. The PM warned Mr Burnham he would impose Tier 3 measures on Greater Manchester if they could not reach an agreement as he warned of a 'grave' situation. Speaking from Number 10, he said: 'I cannot stress enough: time is of the essence. Each day that passes before action is taken means more people will go to hospital, more people will end up in intensive care and tragically more people will die.' Mr Burnham and council leaders across Greater Manchester responded by insisting they have done 'everything within our power to protect the health of our residents', and said people and firms need greater financial support before accepting the lockdown. They also suggested in a joint statement that Downing Street had delayed discussions, adding: 'We can assure the Prime Minister that we are ready to meet at any time to try to agree a way forward.' A woman appears to shout and raises her fist into the air while police officers stand waiting for the crowds to disperse in Soho on Friday nightCrowds jeered and shouted at police officers in Soho as pubs closed on Friday night. One teenager was pictured filming an officer with the camera light turned on on his phoneTwo police officers wore disposable masks as they led one man away after revelers started shouting and jeering at the policeProtestors held up signs, with one man singing and playing the guitar while a friend showed him the lyrics on his phoneOne person help up a sign that read: 'Shut up you fascist Tories. No one tells me what time to go to bed'. Another was pictured holding what looked like a guitarScientists say up to one million Brits could be tested per day before Christmas Britain could be carrying out a million coronavirus tests per day by Christmas with results in just 15 minutes, a scientist working on the testing scheme has said. The source, who was not named, revealed the government is buying new machines capable of processing 150,000 tests per day with the aim of trebling the current capacity of 300,000. Separately, trials of pregnancy-style tests which could provide results in just 15 minutes will begin in northern hotspots from next week. 'Its going pretty well,' the scientist told The Times. 'They have really scaled up their capabilities. By Christmas well be at a million a day, I think. That seems perfectly possible.' Mr Johnson told a No 10 press conference on Friday that the new tests were 'faster, simpler and cheaper' and that work was being done to ensure they could be manufactured and distributed in the UK. AdvertisementDespite talks with Greater Manchester ending in stalemate, a deal was done with Lancashire region's leaders where 1.5million people are now living under Tier 3 to stem the 'unrelenting rise' in cases in the North West. Labour's council leaders in Lancashire said they had been forced to accept the measures, with South Ribble's Paul Foster saying they were 'blackmailed' and Blackpool's Lynn Williams adding they had 'no option' to agree, as they secured an extra 30million of funding. Pubs and bars across Lancashire will close unless they serve food and alcohol as part of a sit-down meal, while stricter restrictions on socialising will also come into force. People will not be able to mix with others in any indoor setting or private garden, as well as in most outdoor hospitality venues. Casinos, bingo halls, bookmakers, betting shops, soft play areas and adult gaming centres will be forced to shut, while car boot sales will also be banned. But gyms will remain open despite them being closed in the Liverpool City Region - the only other area under Tier 3 restrictions. Yesterday 15,650 coronavirus cases were recorded in the UK and 136 more deaths as the country grapples with a second surge of the virus. Sage said the reproduction number, or R value, of coronavirus transmission for the whole of the UK had nudged up to between 1.3 and 1.5. The group also said there had been no change to the course of the pandemic in the last month, suggesting no effect from measures such as the rule of six. However, at the Downing Street press conference, England's chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said the R was not growing as fast as it would be without the measures people were following. The PM said he would try to avoid a national lockdown but was under growing pressure to impose a short circuit-breaker'. Britain's biggest teaching union on Friday rowed in behind Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer in calling for an urgent two-week circuit breaker. The Education Union (NEU) said the move, which would see secondary schools and colleges in England closed for two weeks at half-term, was urgently needed to bolster the test and trace infrastructure. A man appeared to shout as he was grabbed by two police officers and taken away during an outburst in Soho, LondonA man was put into the back of a police van after he was arrested and handcuffed as the pubs closed in Soho on FridaySome revellers took their drinks with them into the street. Taking action now can avoid more disruption later.' On Friday, figures from the ONS showed that the highest rates of infection in England continue to be among young adults and secondary school pupils. Mr Courtney added: 'This should be no surprise to either the Prime Minister or the Department for Education - scientists have consistency told them that secondary students transmit the virus as much as adults, and we have warned them that because we have amongst the biggest class sizes in Europe we have overcrowded classrooms and corridors without effective social distancing. 'Our classrooms often have poor ventilation, leading to airborne transmissions, and in many areas we have also have overcrowded school transport where children are mixing across year-group bubbles. 'These children live in families and are part of communities, so even if they have few or no symptoms themselves they are still part of spreading the virus to others, including to teachers and other school staff.' He added: 'Such a circuit-breaker could allow the Government to get in control of the test, track and trace system, and get cases lower to allow the system to work better.' Mr Starmer has said a complete shutdown lasting two to three weeks could be timed to take place over half-term to minimise disruption but warned 'sacrifices' would have to be made to get the virus back under control. The growing calls come as a raft of statistics published this afternoon showed cases are still surging in England by as many as 28,000 new infections per day, according to ONS estimates for the first week of October. The row continued as people in Tier 2 or 3 areas in England, as well as the central belt of Scotland and the whole of Northern Ireland, were banned from entering Wales from 6pm on Friday. Crowds of revellers teamed out of restaurants and bars at 10pm as the night ended. Roads were covered in tables and chairs as customers were seated outsideRevellers wore coats and jackets to keep warm as they enjoyed drinks outside Bar Soho in the centre of the capital tonightA group of six women all hold blow-up microphones and don sombreros for a night out in Newcastle on Friday nightWomen posed for the camera after a night of drinking in Newcastle on Friday evening. Tier 3 restrictions hang over the cityDuring the peak of the crisis TfL's revenues dropped 95 per cent as people were instructed to work from home and footfall on carriages fell. Should I cancel half-term trip to Cornwall? Your questions answered as Londoners are plunged into Tier 2 lockdown with parts of Essex, Surrey, Yorkshire, Cumbria and DerbyshireBy Mark Duell for MailOnlineNine million people in London are set to face tougher coronavirus restrictions banning households mixing indoors - including in pubs - from 0.01am on Saturday. And London is not the only area which will be hit with the Government's second-harshest lockdown level at midnight tomorrow. Residents in Essex, Elmbridge, Barrow-in-Furness, York, North East Derbyshire, Chesterfield and Erewash will also have the new restrictions imposed on them. Tier 2 rules includes a ban on meeting socially with friends and family indoors and weddings will be limited to 15 and funerals to 30. Gyms, shops, schools, universities and churches will stay open. You can find out the current alert level in your area with the Government's postcode checker by clicking here, but note it may change this weekend. Here, MailOnline looks at what it will mean for all regions under Tier 2 lockdown from Saturday:Can I still go to my friends' house on Thursday or Friday night? Yes. Friday will be the last day when you can visit a friend's house for now, but you must ensure no more than six people gather - and you leave before midnight. Can I have my friends over from Saturday? No. People must not meet with anybody outside their household or support bubble in any indoor setting, whether at home or in a public place. Can I see my friends inside a pub or a restaurant? No. You must not meet socially with friends and family indoors in any setting unless you live with them or have formed a support bubble with them. This includes private homes, and any other indoor venues such as pubs and restaurants. Can I meet my friends in a pub garden? Yes. You can gather in groups of six outside at venues which are following Covid-secure guidance, including pubs, restaurants, shops, leisure and entertainment venues and places of worship. At least one person in the group should give their contact details to the venue or check in using the official NHS Covid-19 app so NHS Test and Trace can contact you if needed. Drinkers outside a pub in Westminster last month. You will only be allowed to have a drink with friends from a different household at the pub outdoors from Saturday - and not indoorsCan I see friends outside? Yes. You may continue to see friends and family you do not live with (or have not formed a support bubble with) outside, including in a garden or other outdoor space. When you do so, you must not meet in a group of more than six. Do children count in the 'rule of six' outdoors? Yes. This limit of six for meeting people outdoors includes children of any age. Can I still meet inside with people from my support bubble? Yes. You will still count as one household who can meet together indoors or outdoors. A support bubble is where a household with one adult joins with another household. Households in that support bubble can still visit each other, stay overnight, and visit public places together. Informal childcare can also be provided via childcare bubbles (see below). Is the support bubble affected by London changing tier? No. Your support bubble is still valid despite London going into a higher tier, so you can continue to function as one household. Can my friends visit if they are from outside London? No. If you live in a 'tier two' area you also cannot meet indoors with people from outside of the area, unless exceptions apply (see final question below). Can I go to stay at a hotel or Airbnb home within London? Yes. You can still travel within high alert level areas to hotels and other guest accommodation, but you should only do this with people in your household or support bubble. You can only stay in a private home - which includes self-catered accommodation such as holiday cottages, apartments or boats - with members of your own household or support bubble. You can stay in a hotel or similar accommodation (for example, a hostel or bed and breakfast) with another household. However you should avoid sharing rooms with people you do not live with or otherwise socialising indoors, for example in each other's rooms, in reception areas, or in restaurants and bars. Can I still go on holiday outside London? Yes, with exceptions. You can still go on holiday outside of high alert level areas, but you must only do this with people in your household or support bubble. Can I still go on holiday to Wales? Probably not. Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford is proposing a travel ban on visits to Wales by people living in areas of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland with high levels of Covid-19 from Friday. He said police in Wales could use number plate technology to catch people from UK coronavirus hotspots who illegally enter the country. Can I still go on holiday to a tier three area like Liverpool? No. You should avoid travelling to any part of the country subject to very high local Covid alert levels. Can I still move home or look at a house in London? Yes. You can still move home. Estate and letting agents and removals firms can also continue to work and people looking to move home can continue to undertake viewings. Do I have to end my current holiday outside London if it's with another household? No. At the time that the new local restrictions are brought in, if you are currently on holiday with another household outside London, but are from London, and are staying in a private home and it is not reasonable for you to curtail your stay, you should finish your holiday as planned. The Government advises that until the end of this holiday you should 'make every effort to reduce socialising indoors outside of your household and follow local regulations and guidance'. Can I still use public transport? Yes, but with restrictions. The Government says you may continue to travel to venues or amenities which are open, for work, voluntary, charitable or youth services, or to access education, but you should 'aim to reduce the number of journeys you make where possible'. If you need to travel, the Government encourages people to walk or cycle where possible, or to plan ahead and avoid busy times and routes on public transport. This will allow you to practise social distancing while you travel. People wearing face masks pass by market stalls at Covent Garden in Central London todayDo the tier two rules follow me if I travel outside my area? Yes. The rules are based on the highest tier level out of a) where you live and b) where you are visiting. Therefore, if you live in London, you must abide by London's rules wherever you go. But if you are from a tier one area and are visiting London, you must abide by the rules for London. Can I visit my parents in an area outside of London? Yes. However you must follow the rules applying to where you live, so you would have to meet them outside and ensure there is not a group of more than six people. Can I still commute into London if I live in a tier one region outside the capital? Yes. The Government says people can continue to travel into a high alert area for work, but should 'aim to reduce the number of journeys you make where possible'. Are the exceptions to the rule of six for children? Yes. There are exceptions from legal gatherings limits for registered childcare, education or training, and supervised activities provided for children, including wraparound care, youth groups and activities, and children's playgroups. This means you can continue to use early years and childcare settings, including childminders, after-school clubs and nannies. Who can provide childcare support in private homes and gardens? Registered childcare providers including nannies, people in your support bubble or people in your childcare bubble. What is the definition of a childcare bubble? A childcare bubble is where someone in one household provides informal (unpaid and unregistered) childcare to a child aged 13 or under in another household. For any given childcare bubble, this must always be between the same two households. Friends or family who do not live with you and are not part of a support or childcare bubble must not visit your home to help with childcare. Childcare bubbles are to be used to provide childcare only, and not for the purposes of different households mixing where they are otherwise not allowed to do so. Can I meet with a household from another flat inside the property where I live? No. The Government's definition of a household is one person living alone, or a group of people (not necessarily related) living at the same address who share cooking facilities and share a living room, sitting room or dining area. A household can consist of a single family, more than one family or no families in the case of a group of unrelated people. Therefore people who live in different self-contained flats cannot meet with each other. Can I visit my grandparent in a care home? No, with exceptions. You should not visit a care home except in exceptional circumstances, for example to visit an individual who is at the end of their life. Will shops still be open? Yes. Non-essential retail as well as essential stores will remain open for customers. Will I be fined if I am caught having a meeting in a group that is illegal? Yes. Meeting in larger groups is against the law, although there are certain exceptions (see final question). The police can take action against you if you meet in larger groups, which includes breaking up illegal gatherings and issuing fixed penalty notice fines. You can be fined 200 for the first offence, doubling for further offences up to a maximum of 6,400. If you hold, or are involved in holding, an illegal gathering of over 30 people, the police can issue fines of 10,000. The newly married Lucy and James Bone after their wedding at St Michael and all Angels Church in Ingram, Northumberland, on July 4 - the day that weddings were once again permittedCan I attend a wedding? Yes, with restrictions. Up to a maximum of 15 people can attend weddings or equivalent ceremonies and receptions where the organiser has carried out a risk assessment and 'taken all reasonable measures to limit the risk of transmission of the virus'. But receptions should be sit down meals to ensure people can keep their distance from each other, and must not take place in private homes. Can I attend a funeral? Yes, with restrictions. Up to a maximum of 30 people can attend a funeral. Wakes and other commemorative events are permitted with up to 15 people present, but these cannot take place in private dwellings. Where food or drink is consumed, this should be in the form of a sit down meal. Anyone working at a wedding, civil partnership ceremony, reception, wake or funeral is not generally counted as part of the limit. People living outside of London in a tier one area can travel to the capital to attend an event, but they must not meet with another household indoors. Can I still go to church? Yes. You can still attend places of worship for a service in London. However, you must not mingle with anyone outside of your household or support bubble. Can I attend an indoor exercise class? Yes, with restrictions. Indoor exercise classes and other activity groups can only continue provided that households or support bubbles do not mix. Where it is likely that groups will mix, these activities must not go ahead. There are exceptions to enable disability and youth sport and physical activity indoors, in any number. Can I still take place in sports activities outdoors? Yes. In line with guidelines from national sporting bodies, you can take part in sport and physical activity outdoors. Can I still have a street party? Yes, but as long as it is outside and no more six people gather, following Covid restrictions. Can a tradesperson come into my house? Yes. A tradesperson can go into a household without breaching the rules if they are there for work. What if I am clinically vulnerable? The Government advises that those aged 70 or over, pregnant women or those with an underlying health condition can go outside as much as they like but 'should still try to keep your overall social interactions low'. Should I share a car with someone from outside my household? No, in most cases. The Government says it is difficult to socially distance during car journeys and transmission of coronavirus can occur in this context. So you should avoid travelling with someone from outside your household or your support bubble unless you can practise social distancing. Does the 10pm curfew still apply to pubs and restaurants? Yes. Certain businesses selling food or drink on their premises are still required to close between 10pm and 5am. Businesses and venues selling food for consumption off the premises can continue to do so after 10pm as long as this is through delivery service, click-and-collect or drive-through. Orders must be made via phone, online or by post. A group of women carry their drinks in London's Soho after the 10pm curfew began last monthAre hospitality venues at motorway services still exempt from the curfew? Yes. Hospitality venues in ports, on transport services and in motorway service areas do not need to close at 10pm, but must not serve alcohol after that time. Can I still go to work in the office? Yes, with exceptions. The Government advises that 'office workers who can work effectively from home should do so over the winter'. It adds: 'Where an employer, in consultation with their employee, judges an employee can carry out their normal duties from home they should do so.' Public sector employees working in essential services, including education settings, should continue to go into work where necessary. The Government also says that 'anyone else who cannot work from home should go to their place of work'. Those classed as clinically extremely vulnerable can go to work as long as the workplace is Covid-secure, but should still work from home wherever possible. Can I still go to school or college? Yes. The Government says it has 'prioritised ensuring all children can attend school safely, to support their wellbeing and education and help working parents and guardians'. Can I still go to university? Yes. Universities have welcomed students back and students are allowed to move home and travel to go there. However those in tier two areas must not move backward and forward between their permanent home and term time address during term time subject to limited exemptions. Students living at their university term time address in a high alert level area should follow the same guidance on meeting other people and travel as others in that area. Pupils wear protective face masks on the first day back to school at Outwood Academy Adwick in Doncaster on September 2 as schools in England reopened to pupils following the lockdownCan I commute into London or another high alert level area to go to university? Yes. Commuter students - defined as those who live at a family home and travel to/from university each day - should be able to continue to travel to/from their university as required, for education purposes. However, you must not meet people you do not live with in their home inside the area, unless they're in your household, childcare or support bubbleYou can also not host people you do not live with in your home, if they live in the affected area, unless they're in your childcare or support bubbleYou must also not meet people you do not live with in their student halls, whether inside or outside of the area, unless they're in your childcare or support bubble. If you move out of, or currently live outside of, an affected area you should not host people you do not live with in your home or student halls if they live in a high alert level area, unless they're in your household, support bubble or childcare bubble. Will Remembrance Sunday at the Cenotaph go ahead? Yes, with restrictions. Remembrance Sunday at the Cenotaph on November 8 will take place but will be closed to the public. Crowds will not be allowed to go to the service and will be asked to mark the day at home. The usual Royal British Legion march past has also been cancelled. It is expected that members of the Royal Family and dignitaries will still attend to lay wreaths to remember the fallen. What are the exceptions on people from different households gathering? The Government must review which areas are subjected to the rules at least once every 14 days, with the first due to be carried out by October 28. The restrictions themselves must be reviewed every 28 days, with the first due to be carried out by November 11. The rules themselves expire in six months. | 2 |
###CLAIM: james and shalleck, president of the montgomery county board of elections, said interest and enthusiasm in this presidential election is really fueling it.
###DOCS: Comment on this story Comment Gift Article Sharecorrection Earlier versions of this article misspelled the last name of Mandi Lindner. Usually, its Katherine Kortums father working long hours at the polls on Election Day. But amid a raging coronavirus pandemic that has disproportionately killed older people, the 70-year-old retiree isnt sure he should still volunteer in his Pittsburgh precinct. Kortum, a 36-year-old transportation engineer in the District, figures its only right she step up. I cant replace my father, said Kortum, who will staff a voting station somewhere in the nations capital Nov. 3. But if I can take the place of somebody elses parent, Im more than happy to. If I can be one extra body helping to make this election work why not?Kortum is one of a record number of residents in their 20s and 30s who have signed up to fill jobs vacated by veteran poll workers, officials say, addressing an urgent need for the upcoming presidential election no one could have anticipated a year ago. AdvertisementIn the Washington region, like across the country, poll workers have typically been older residents who vote at higher numbers and tend to be more civically engaged than their younger peers. This year, however, the threat of the coronavirus caused thousands of these seasoned election judges to drop out. When officials scrambled for replacements, young volunteers came in droves. (Video: The Washington Post)Some never even knew about the job until they saw recruiting efforts from public officials or social media-savvy nonprofits. Others say they were motivated to sign up because of the increasingly polarizing presidential election. An 18-year-old Black woman in Prince Georges County says she was inspired by the national reckoning on race. A 29-year-old former Marine in Fairfax County wants to ensure confidence in the election results. A 38-year-old Native American woman in D.C. wants voters to see more people of color at the polls than she did growing up in rural Wisconsin. AdvertisementThey are willing to take on the risk, and it fits the pattern of young people getting more engaged, said Michael Hanmer, a government and politics professor at the University of Maryland. One of the things that has started to become more apparent to people at a young age is what is at stake.Antonio Pitocco, 24, signed up to work at the polls after being laid off from his job as a brand manager at Nordstrom earlier this year. Were in a generational fight over social issues, and its one we have to win, he said. (Video: The Washington Post)Thomas Dixon, a 35-year-old father of three who is studying construction management at Prince Georges County Community College, said he will work as an election judge in part to serve as a role model for his community. We are kind of at a pivot point, Dixon, of District Heights, said. Its going to make a huge difference what happens in this election if people dont find out about the facts.AdvertisementFor Naomi Bilesanmi, a freshman at the University of Maryland, the need to volunteer could not be more clear. Bilesanmi, who grew up in Bowie, said she started caring about politics after learning about the 2015 death of Sandra Bland, a Black woman who authorities said hanged herself in her jail cell after she was arrested during a traffic stop in Texas. That definitely was a big catapult, Bilesanmi said. When it starts affecting you or people who look like you, that is where the connection came together.Many of the young poll workers say they feel relatively safe from the most devastating effects of the coronavirus, given their age and the precautions local election officials are taking, such as providing protective equipment and implementing physical distancing rules. But they also know being young does not make them immune. AdvertisementIn D.C., Maryland and Virginia, more than 130,000 people under the age of 40 tested positive for coronavirus as of late September, and at least 123 have died. Bilesanmi, who lives with her parents, plans to take every precaution she can on Election Day, including wearing a face shield in addition to a mask. There absolutely is a risk. More exposure is bad we know that, said Nick Mariani, 24, who is volunteering to work the polls in Montgomery County. But the election is also a non-question. Its fundamental to keeping a democracy going.In Anne Arundel County, 27 percent of election judge applicants are under the age of 40, compared to 15 percent two years ago, election director David Garreis said. In Fairfax, officials have had more than 4,000 first-time applicants, 35 percent of them younger than 40. AdvertisementIve been pleasantly surprised . . . to see such a great outpouring from individuals in that younger category, Angie Maniglia Turner, Alexandrias election director, said. The city typically hires 300 poll workers for a general election but was able to double that number this year because of more first-time applicants. Officials across the region have expanded early voting options, added ballot drop boxes and urged residents to vote by mail to avoid crowding at polling sites. But doubts over the ability of the U.S. Postal Service to deliver ballots on time means many are still opting to vote in-person. In Maryland, there was widespread concern this summer about a shortage of poll workers, who were dropping out in the thousands because of coronavirus concerns. It was an emergency, said Garreis, president of the Maryland Association of Election Officials. AdvertisementThe states decision to cut down on polling sites helped ease the problem, along with an unprecedented wave of volunteers. In Montgomery, the states most populous jurisdiction, more than 7,000 people have applied, exceeding the 4,300 needed to service the countys early voting and Election Day sites. The presidential election has really fueled the interest and enthusiasm in this election, said James Shalleck, president of the Montgomery County Board of Elections. Officials in both Montgomery and Prince Georges say they have enough Democratic judges but are still searching for additional Republican judges and those who speak languages other than English. Many election processes, such as the collection of ballots from drop boxes, require bipartisan teams of workers. In the District, elections officials say more than 6,000 people have applied to be first-time poll workers more than enough to meet their needs for the general election. A large percentage are between 25 and 45 years old, which the D.C. elections board attributes to community outreach efforts and national calls to volunteer. About 500,000 people across the county have signed up for election duty through Power the Polls, a social media-focused initiative that is encouraging people nationwide to work on Election Day and is asking businesses to give their employees the day off so they can do so. Among those inspired by the nonprofit is Kelsey Wolfinger, 29, who watched a young influencer promote it on TikTok, a social media app she downloaded to pass the time during Virginias stay-at-home order in April. Wolfinger, a former Marine who now works as a civilian employee for the Air Force, registered to be a poll worker in Fairfax. Im a young, healthy citizen why not?, she recalled thinking to herself. AdvertisementThe president has said that hes worried that if he doesnt win, that it means the election is rigged, she said. Well, I want to contribute to the fact that its not rigged.Power the Polls co-director Scott Duncombe said the effort touted by former president Barack Obama on Twitter and Trevor Noah on The Daily Show is not just focused on young people because they are less likely to become severely ill from coronavirus. It is also because they are more tech-savvy and more diverse than those who have traditionally volunteered as poll workers. When voters see young people working the polls who look like them, it can be a nice way to ease them into voting, Duncombe said. We are hopeful that this is the start of a new civic tradition.Meet Abigail Broussard, a young poll worker hoping to make an impact (Video: The Washington Post)D.C. resident Mandi Lindner said the desire for more diverse representation was a large part of what led her to volunteer. AdvertisementLindner, who is Native American, felt powerless as protests about racial injustice and police brutality broke out nationwide this summer. She remembered seeing primarily older, White residents staffing the polls in her Wisconsin hometown growing up. She wanted this year to be different. I just wanted to be there for other folks who had similar experiences in their lives, she said, that they dont see anyone like themselves that is helping to manage the process.Abigail Broussard, 25, of Fairfax, said similar thoughts ran through her mind. After months of being quarantined at home, doom-scrolling through news articles about the pandemic, protests and wild fires, Broussard, who is biracial, was itching for a tangible way to make an impact. When she saw an Instagram post urging people to sign up as poll workers, she jumped at the chance. She said she hopes to convince her friends to sign up, too. Fairfax officials said they have far exceeded their target for volunteers but are still looking to recruit, worried a fall surge in coronavirus cases may cause some to drop out. For a while now, Ive been frustrated with how on social media, its easy to say a lot but not follow through, Broussard said. This is one simple thing I can actually do to help.Others have less lofty goals. Alex Lloyd, 21, said he signed up as a poll worker in Anne Arundel after learning he could earn up to $190 a day nearly as much as he earns in a week as a contractor for the entertainment site Fandom. I just need it for cash, he said. Lloyd also wants to see for himself what voting will be like this November. He identifies as a political centrist and is skeptical of liberals who have predicted supporters of President Trump might try to intimidate voters at the polls. Lloyd said he does not intend to vote in the general election because he does not feel strongly for either presidential candidate an example of the dispassion that has traditionally led to low turnout among the young. Its Maryland, he said. So no matter what I do, it wouldnt make a difference.On Election Day though, he expects to be working the polls, helping others cast their ballots. GiftOutline Gift Article | 0 |
###CLAIM: the unfounded rumour that wayfair was trafficking children in expensive cabinets started spreading through the social media.
###DOCS: Horror stories about children being abused in evil rituals have been around for nearly 900 years; often falsely accusing Jews, they are updated and adapted as the specific fears of an era shift. In the 1980s, the US was seized by a moral panic over satanic ritual abuse in daycares, and many elements of the QAnon narrative hidden tunnels, the blood of children, and secretive cabals echo those earlier tales. The concept of human trafficking, often discussed as modern slavery, conjures its own demons. The international protocol on human trafficking has only been around since 2000, and according to one of the negotiators, the definition of "trafficking" was a problem from the outset. Writing for the Guardian in 2009, journalist Nick Davies called the story about sex trafficking from policymakers and victims advocates a model of misinformation, and compared it to the lies that were spread about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Much of the Guardian story about limited research, exaggerated statistics, confusion over the definition of sex trafficking, politicians seizing on the supposed crisis, and feminists locking arms with evangelical Christians to fight for the abolition of sex work strikes a familiar chord. And many of those same forces have fed the fervor around sex trafficking in the US that propped up QAnon. Child sex trafficking is a real problem, but discussions about it easily veer into black-and-white formulations that prioritize getting a bad guy and rescuing victims over the hard work of addressing the systemic inequalities that are often at the core. These notions have been dramatized on programs like the NBC reality show To Catch a Predator, and they are often part of the work of anti-trafficking groups, who sometimes engage in vigilante actions to surveil and rescue supposed victims. Who doesnt want to go after child predators? To Catch a Predator host Chris Hansen asked in a 2017 interview. The political power of these stories of abuse was evident by at least 2012. In January that year, more than 40,000 Christian college students gathered in Georgia for a conference focused on the issue, which emerged as an appealing political cause for young evangelicals disinterested in continuing the fight against marriage for same-sex couples. The conference got the attention of then-president Barack Obamas team as they strategized for reelection. A month later, after an adviser met with religious leaders, Obama celebrated young Christians who worship the God who sets the captives free and work to end modern slavery in a speech at the National Prayer Breakfast. Human trafficking stuff has been part of the discourse in the evangelical movement for a long time, said Holt, who was previously a reporter at Right Wing Watch. It kind of goes back to the same thing: Here is this universally agreed-upon evil, and God compels you to fight against it.The issue became central to a new wave of conspiracies, though, during the 2016 election, and the panic over sex trafficking mutated into the threat of real-world violence. Online sleuths who scoured the Clinton campaign emails released by WikiLeaks claimed baselessly that orders for cheese pizza were actually a secret code to discuss child sex abuse materials, and that children were being held captive below a pizza restaurant in Washington, DC. One man was so alarmed by the claims that he traveled to the restaurant with a gun to investigate for himself. He fired several shots without injuring anyone, before he was arrested. QAnon picked up where the incident that came to be known as Pizzagate left off. The online poster claiming to be an anonymous government official with a Q-level security clearance first appeared in October 2017. The first message seized on an unusual comment from Trump about the calm before the storm as a cloaked reference to his alleged efforts to take down a cabal of Satan-worshipping Democrats and Hollywood celebrities running a child sex trafficking ring. In the years since, the false claims have gained momentum. Financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epsteins abuses against young women, and his connections to prominent figures like the Clintons and the UKs Prince Andrew, have been cited for years as evidence of a global child trafficking ring. Another online campaign, Operation Death Eaters, which was an offshoot of the Anonymous hacktivist collective, sought to expose child sex abusers like Epstein in 2014. Epstein had been convicted on charges of solicitation of prostitution and procuring a minor for prostitution in a 2008 sweetheart plea deal that sentenced him to 18 months in jail. His arrest in 2019 on charges of sex trafficking and his suicide while in prison were a major source of validation for QAnon believers, who in these events saw proof of both the cabal and the cover-up that Q described. Politicians also seized on the issue and legitimized the conspiracy. After the Trump administration announced Justice Department funding to organizations that provide housing for human trafficking survivors, QAnon followers seized on the grants as evidence of Trumps fight against the global cabal of child sex abusers, and the news became one of the most-shared stories on Facebook. When asked about QAnon during a presidential town hall in October, Trump refused to disavow it, saying, I know nothing about it. I do know they are very much against pedophilia. They fight it very hard, but I know nothing about it.Sen. Josh Hawley, who raised a fist in solidarity with the rioters on Jan. 6, warned in a 2018 campaign speech of a growing human trafficking crisis that he falsely attributed to the sexual revolution of the 60s and 70s, saying it caused the exploitation of women on a scale that we would never have imagined.The scale of the problem, however, has been difficult to pin down. The International Labour Organization estimates that of the roughly 24.9 million people in forced labor worldwide, the vast majority about 80% are involved in nonsexual labor. In the US, the Department of Health and Human Services said bluntly in a 2018 report to Congress that research on minor-victim sex trafficking does not support estimates of the number of victims.Anyone who is trading sex under the age of 18 is considered a victim of sex trafficking, whether or not they are forced or coerced into it. HHS cited a 2016 study from the Center for Court Innovation, which was based on interviews with about 950 people between the ages of 13 and 24 in the sex trade as one of the most thorough studies. That report estimated that there may be around 10,500 people under the age of 18 in the sex trade in the US. Only about 15% of the people interviewed, though, said they were doing so under the control of another person. HHS suggests that the total number of victims may be higher since the CCI study focused primarily on street-based work, but that is a far cry from many of the claims commonly circulated on social media that hundreds of thousands of children are at risk of sex trafficking. Despite the uncertainty around these numbers and the complex social inequalities that contribute to trafficking, many anti-trafficking advocates continue to promote sensational statistics and awareness campaigns that distort the publics understanding of the subject. Polaris, an advocacy organization that receives funding from HHS to operate the National Human Trafficking Hotline, has spoken out about the dangers of QAnon and misinformation, and signed an open letter to Congress along with dozens of other groups declaring that supporting QAnon conspiracies related to human trafficking actively harms the fight against human trafficking.But it has also been criticized for spreading misleading numbers and promoting harmful policies. The organization says it has identified about 63,000 instances of trafficking with one or more victims since 2007. However, these numbers are based on anonymous calls and include situations where the organization is only moderately certain that trafficking has occurred. Cases coded as Moderate contain several indicators and red flags of potential trafficking situations, or resemble common trafficking scenarios but lack certain core details of force, fraud, or coercion, a spokesperson told BuzzFeed News. In the aftermath of the mass shooting in the Atlanta area last month, where three spas were targeted, Polaris took down a report online that vilified illicit massage businesses and was promoted with a campaign encouraging the public to get involved in shutting them down. The organization told Vice that it was concerned that white supremacists could use the report to justify violence. Other organizations have gone so far as to say some QAnon narratives were, essentially, legitimate. In June 2020, when baseless rumors started spreading on social media that the furniture company Wayfair was trafficking children in expensive cabinets, Tim Ballard, who founded Operation Underground Railroad and was appointed by Trump to cochair an advisory council on human trafficking, told the New York Times he saw the conspiracies as an opportunity; he posted a video on Twitter, saying, Bottom line, law enforcement is going to flesh that out, and well get our answer sooner than later. But I want to tell you this: Children are sold that way. | 0 |
###CLAIM: this article previously stated that 43% of all americans have yet to receive a covid vaccine.
###DOCS: Updated at 5:55 p.m. ET on May 14, 2021. Imagine a Fourth of July 2021 celebration at the White House. America has reached its vaccination goals. A jubilant President Joe Biden rips off his mask, douses it in lighter fluid, and tosses it on a charcoal grill, where it burns for the news cameras. Late afternoon turns to early evening, with the promise of fireworks ahead, but before then, Anthony Fauci, outfitted in goggles and a vintage one-piece, red-white-and-blue-striped bathing suit, climbs into a dunk tank filled with Bud Light. Hes making good on a promise to get dunked on Independence Day if, and only if, 75 percent of Americans have received at least one COVID-19 shot. Joe Rogan strides out, a big bucket of baseballs in hand. Meanwhile, in all 50 states, free Fourth of July concerts featuring the biggest acts in the nation are playing in front of 100 percentvaccinated crowds; many got jabs just so they could attend. Beyonce slays in Atlanta. Luke Combs rocks Nashville. Bad Bunny plays San Juan. Roughly 43 percent of American adults have yet to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, but demand for shots is already falling, with some states cutting back on the number of doses that they are requesting for their residents. *Derek Thompson: 3 explanations for the vaccine slowdownMost of the official responses to this problem have been tepid. Clergy can play a great role as well as your own family doc, Fauci told an interviewer this week, because most people really trust a doctor thats been taking care of their family for a long time. California is running public-service announcements. Boring! Dont blame the public-health officials. They are who they are. But with every passing day, their instincts will yield diminishing returns: The Americans they are best suited to reach have already been vaccinated. Cold, hard cash would sway some of the rest. In a UCLA survey, a third of unvaccinated Americans said they would be more likely to get a shot for $100. Thats a bargain. And in my estimation, a cash-for-shots program would be powerfully complemented by a three-legged stool of free beer, free bacon, and free lottery tickets in exchange for getting two shots of Pfizer or Moderna or the Johnson & Johnson one-shot. Dont woo Americans with mere common sense or cash, but with spectacle. This approach will horrify many a county-health official. I beg them to wring their hands. My targets will revel in whatever irks these bureaucrats, because they view them as smarmy scolds. Smarm is a kind of performancean assumption of the forms of seriousness, of virtue, of constructiveness, without the substance, Tom Scocca wrote in a 2013 Gawker essay. Smarm is concerned with appropriateness and with tone. Smarm disapproves. America needs to reach the subset of its residents whove found pandemic messaging to be off-puttingly smarmy. A small experiment in free beer is already showing promise. In Buffalo, New York, a local brewery offered a pint to anyone who came in for a first shot and ultimately distributed vaccines to more people in a single day than all of the Erie County clinics had, combined, the prior week. If I have any criticism of the effort, its the open enthusiasm of the public-health officials. Grudging acquiescence might be more effective. The typical American has a sense that public-health types want them to eat less salty, fatty processed meat. How powerful, then, if the message from the most dour public-health bureaucrat in each city was Im loath to think of you eating a Baconator at Wendys, but getting a COVID-19 vaccine is so important that well give you a coupon for a free one if you get your jab before July 4.At the Heart Attack Grill in Las Vegas, customers weighing more than 350 pounds eat free and menu items include the Octuple Bypass Burger, which has almost 20,000 calories. ** If I were the face of public health in Clark County, Id be on the local evening news with a representative of the Heart Attack Grill telling him that his establishment embodies everything I find repellent ... but that if Vegas gets to 85 percent vaccinated, Ill order and eat the Octuple Bypass. Free lottery tickets may hold the most promise of all. Vaccine hesitancy and lottery enthusiasm are two sides of the same disregard for statistics. How better to reach people unswayed by expert advice on what is statistically likely to serve their interests than to offer a minuscule chance at $100 million? Forty-five states, plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, already run lotteries. Printing more tickets is basically free. And unlike every other state-lottery initiative, giving free tickets for getting vaccinated would actually leave most participants better off. Juliette Kayyem: Dont want for herd immunityIn fact, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine is putting this idea into practice: This week he announced a spate of million-dollar lottery drawings for anyone in the state who has received at least one vaccine dose. Winners should be feted to spark interest in another round. The pandemic has been a dismal slog. For many, a more appealing message than Get the vaccine to protect your neighbors is Were almost thereget this vaccine and you can have the biggest party in a generation. And no one throwing a party entrusts planning to public-health officials. Populist politicians need to step up. Cash. Beer. Bacon. Lottery tickets. And the promise of Fauci in the dunk tank. Thats all it would take. I can see it so clearly. Pandemic Victory Day would be both a celebration and a spur to additional shots, harnessing vulgar populism to help America surprise the world with its 90-plus percent vaccination rate, even as it exports greater numbers of doses daily to poorer countries in need of help. By embracing that which they find distasteful, elites can prove that they arent just virtue signaling. This really matters. *This article previously misstated that 43 percent of all Americans have yet to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. In fact, 43 percent of American adults have yet to receive a shot. **This article mistakenly referred to the Octuple Bypass Burger as the Quintuple Bypass Burger. | 1 |
###CLAIM: murkowski--albanians at key projects say they are concerned about environmental issues including resource development on public land and questions of the vital role native corporations serve our communities.
###DOCS: The White House is backing off its plan to nominate Elizabeth Klein to be the deputy secretary of the Interior Department, marking the second nominee President Biden has been forced to backtrack on in just over two months in office. A White House spokesperson told Fox News on Tuesday that Klein's nomination was never officially submitted and that she will not be formally nominated to be the Interior Department deputy secretary. Biden's presidential transition organization announced Klein as his pick for the post on Jan. 18. The spokesperson added that the White House is hoping to announce more appointments to the department in the coming weeks. A spokesperson for Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, told Fox News that the senator asked the White House to reconsider the Klein nomination due to her past stances on oil, gas and mineral development in Alaska. "Senator Murkowski does her due diligence in vetting all nominees that come before the Senate," the spokesperson said. "She had concerns with the nomination of Elizabeth Klein to serve as the Deputy Secretary of the Interior, including Kleins demonstrated record opposing resource development in Alaska, which she raised with administration officials. Her ask is that the administration will put forth a nominee who understands and appreciates the value of responsible oil, gas, and critical mineral development, for our national and economic security." Biden's nominee to be the director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Neera Tanden, took herself out of consideration earlier this month after opposition from key senators. There were hearings on her nomination but the votes were abruptly postponed before she later withdrew from the process. Klein previously worked for the Interior Department under Presidents Obama and Clinton and was most recently the deputy director of the State Energy & Environmental Impact Center at NYU School of Law. MURKOWSKI BACKS HAALAND DESPITE 'MISGIVINGS' ABOUT OIL, GAS RESTRICTIONSThat center, funded largely by billionaire Michael Bloomberg, drew controversy for paying the salaries of lawyers who were then essentially farmed out to Democrat state attorney general offices to pursue climate lawsuits. Politico first reported that Klein was no longer being considered to the Interior post. Murkowski was a key vote for the White House in securing the confirmation of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. Murkowski said at the time that she was excited to vote for Haaland to be the first Native American to run the Interior Department but that she had serious reservations about her policies. Alaskans, Murkowski said, "are concerned by her opposition to resource development on public lands, including her opposition to key projects in Alaska and her questioning of the vital role that Alaska Native Corporations serve in our communities." "I am going to place my trust in Representative Haaland and her team, despite some very real misgivings," Murkowski added. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPRepresentatives for Murkowski did not immediately respond to Fox News' questions on Tuesday morning about the Klein nomination. Neither did representatives for Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., a Democrat from an energy state who also reluctantly supported Haaland. Democrats theoretically could still have confirmed Klein without Murkowski's help, as long as Manchin and all 49 other Democratic senators were on board. But it is not clear that Manchin, like Murkowski, would have been ready to support another very progressive nominee to a post that significantly affects his state. Comment on this story Comment Gift Article ShareThe White House is withdrawing its nominee for deputy secretary of the Interior Department two months after touting Elizabeth Klein as one of several women President Biden had selected for top department posts, a concession to centrist senators unhappy about her advocacy to curb fossil fuels. 10 steps you can take to lower your carbon footprint ArrowRight The move, which came after Sens. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) raised objections, shows the challenge the Biden administration faces in advancing its environmental agenda in a closely divided Congress. Four individuals briefed on the matter discussed it on the condition of anonymity to talk frankly. Both Manchin and Murkowski represent states that are closely tied to the fossil fuel industry coal in West Virginia and oil in Alaska and they have emerged as pivotal votes in Congress on issues related to energy and climate change. The Interior Department represents a central battleground in climate policy, as nearly a quarter of the countrys greenhouse gas emissions stem from oil and gas drilled on public lands it controls. AdvertisementThe department declined to comment on the move, which was first reported by Politico. The decision to sideline Klein was made before Murkowski and three other Republican senators voted to confirm Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, an outspoken liberal, last week. Bidens transition team had flagged Klein early on, identifying her as its pick for Interiors No. 2 position before Biden was inaugurated, and had been preparing her for interviews with senators. Klein, who worked at Interior during both the Clinton and Obama administrations, helped challenge several Trump administration environmental rules as deputy director of New York University School of Laws State Energy & Environmental Impact Center. She also worked at the D.C. office of the firm Latham & Watkins. Asked about the apparent reversal, a White House official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a personnel matter said, Liz Kleins nomination was never formally submitted to the United States and will not be nominated to this position.AdvertisementWhite House officials are now eyeing Tommy Beaudreau, a partner at Latham & Watkins, according to several individuals familiar with the nominations process. Beaudreau, who joined Interior in June 2010 to help handle the BP oil spill, headed the departments Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and served as Interior chief of staff during President Barack Obamas second term. Neither Klein nor Beaudreau could be reached for comment Tuesday. One person familiar with Kleins nomination said that opponents including Murkowski and Manchin felt that Haaland and Klein would be a difficult team for the oil and gas industry to work with, as both have prioritized fighting climate change. The person added that the sprawling and complicated Interior Department would also benefit from a deputy secretary with more management experience. AdvertisementThe senators were more inclined to approve Beaudreau, according to this person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations. There was pretty universally a feeling that whether you agreed with him or not on an issue or whether you were winning your argument or not, he was thoughtful, the person said. He listened to what you had to say, would work with you, and all sides got a fair shake.Murkowski has emerged as a critical vote for the administration on a range of policy and personnel issues. While her support for oil and gas drilling and other types of land development often puts her at odds with Bidens agenda, shes more willing to cross party lines than many of her colleagues, especially on the question of nominations. Beaudreau, who moved with his family to Alaska in 1979 when his father got a job working on the North Slope, worked extensively on Alaska issues during Obamas second term. Obamas Interior Department frequently sparred with the Alaska congressional delegation, on matters such as whether to build a road through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge and what sort of drilling could take place on the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska. AdvertisementAdam Kolton, executive director of the Alaska Wilderness League, said he considered Klein an exceptional pick and did not like to see her nomination torpedoed by senators from fossil fuel states. But he added that Beaudreau got an enormous amount done for wild Alaska when he served at Interior. Time and time again he proved himself to be an exceptional conservationist: seasoned, experienced, competent, ran a strong process, listened to all players, Kolton said, adding that if Kleins opponents think that Beaudreau will be better for them, they may have buyers remorse.Because Tommy Beaudreau is a strong conservationist and someone who fully understands the climate and biodiversity challenges were facing and the kind of actions that need to be taken, he said. Asked about Beaudreaus possible nomination, a White House official said, I dont have any additional personnel announcements at the moment, but we are eager to announce additional appointments within the Department of Interior and look forward to doing so in the weeks ahead.AdvertisementEven without a confirmed No. 2, however, Interior is advancing Bidens goals to curb greenhouse gas emissions and scrutinize any new development on public lands and waters. On Friday, according to a memo obtained by The Washington Post, the department issued guidance that requires officials to clear any new major decisions, such as lease sales and land management plans with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Land and Mineral Management. Asked about the matter, an Interior official said the policy was consistent with how past administrations have handled similar issues. GiftOutline Gift Article | 2 |
###CLAIM: the german magazine der spiegel said the military planned to send 27 doctors and paramedics, stationary and mobile ventilators and field hospital beds, initially due to remain in portugal for three weeks.
###DOCS: BERLIN, Jan 31 (Reuters) - Germany's military will send medical staff and equipment to Portugal, where space in hospital intensive care units is running out after a surge in coronavirus infections, the defence ministry in Berlin said on Sunday. Portugal, which said on Saturday that only seven of 850 ICU beds set up for COVID-19 cases on its mainland were vacant, had asked the German government for help. read more"We will support Portugal with medical staff and equipment," a defence ministry spokesman told Reuters, adding that details were expected to be announced early this week. Portugal, which has reported 12,179 COVID-19 deaths and 711,018 cases, has the world's highest seven-day rolling average of cases and deaths per capita, according to data tracker www.ourworldindata.org. German magazine Der Spiegel said the military planned to send 27 doctors and paramedics to Portugal who were initially supposed to remain there for three weeks, as well as stationary and mobile ventilators and field beds for patients. Responding to that report, the defence ministry spokesman said he could not immediately provide any details. Austria will take in intensive-care patients from Portugal, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Twitter. A spokesman for Kurz added that the number was not yet clear and the two countries were liaising. Austria has previously taken in small numbers of intensive-care patients from France, Italy and Montenegro. Reporting by Sabine Siebold; Editing by Catherine EvansOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. BERLIN, Feb 3 (Reuters) - A German military plane carrying over 20 doctors and nurses together with ventilators and hospital beds arrived on Wednesday in coronavirus-stricken Portugal, where a severe rise in cases has prompted several European nations to offer help. The German team will manage a new unit of eight ICU beds in a private hospital in Lisbon, Hospital da Luz, which was equipped but lacked the staff to operate, Health Minister Marta Temido said at the military base where the plane landed. "Eight beds may not sound like much, but it is a lot for a health system under significant pressure," Temido said. "The help Germany extended is of great use for a health system facing the challenges we are - highly specialised health professionals." The medical team, consisting of eight doctors and 18 nurses, brought with them 150 hospital beds and 50 ventilators. "This is a vivid sign of European solidarity and a symbol of hope," German Ambassador Martin Ney said at the military base. Austria has offered to take in 10 to 15 COVID-19 intensive care patients who would be distributed in various hospitals across the country, its ambassador in Portugal told Reuters. [1/6] Staff members enter aboard an A400M military transport plane to COVID-19 stricken Portugal in Wunstorf, Germany, February 3, 2021. REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer 1 2 3 4 5Hospitals across Portugal, a nation of about 10 million people, appear on the verge of collapse, with ambulances sometimes queuing for hours because of a lack of beds while some health units are struggling to find enough refrigerated space to preserve the bodies of the deceased. For most Portuguese, vaccination against the virus is the light at the end of the tunnel. But so far only about 75,000 people have been fully vaccinated with the two required doses. As elsewuere, there has been some controversy around the vaccination process, with some - from mayors to care home managers - jumping the queue to get the shot. The head of Portugal's vaccination task force Francisco Ramos stepped down on Wednesday after he became aware of "irregularities" in the process of selecting which health workers should be vaccinated at the Red Cross Hospital, where he is the chief executive, he said in a statement cited by daily Diario de Noticias and other media. Although daily infections and deaths from COVID-19 in the country on Wednesday retreated further from last week's records, doctors and nurses are still over-stretched and the number of patients in need of critical care remains high. Portugal, which has so far reported a total of 13,257 COVID-19 deaths and 740,944 cases, reported close to half of all its COVID-19 deaths last month as cases accelerated. Reporting by Michael Nienaber in Berlin, Catarina Demony and Victoria Waldersee in Lisbon; editing by Emma Thomasson and Angus MacSwanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. | 2 |
###CLAIM: since apple released ios and 14. 5, advertising spending on the iphone and ipad has dropped in favor of android.
###DOCS: Advertising spend on iPhone and iPad has dropped 32% from its peak in 2021. While in early February advertisers split their spend 56% to 44% in favor of Android, in mid-June the split was 70% to 30%. And as a result, Android apps are getting more profitable. Apples recent iOS 14.5 update essentially deprecated the IDFA, Apples identifier for advertisers, by making it opt-in by consumers. That makes mobile advertising safer and more private, but it also makes it harder to measure and value. Based on a $1.5 billion slice of adspend that I studied last week for marketing measurement firm Singular, advertisers began shifting dollars to Android which is still fully measurable at just about the same time as Apple released iOS 14.5: the week of April 26. (Full disclosure: Singular is a consulting client.) Ad spend on iPhone and iPad has been dropping in favor of Android since Apple released iOS 14.5. SingularAs a direct result of the flood of additional marketing dollars, Android ad rates have caught up and eclipsed iOS ad prices for the first time ever, says AdLibertas. And that in turn has boosted monetization for Android apps significantly: 90-day predictive value of new users for Android apps are up 2.5X in June over Aprils numbers, according to AdLibertas founder and CEO Adam Landis. Meanwhile, 90-day predictive value of iOS users has dropped about 50%. June cohorts of Android app users are worth up to 2.5X more than April cohorts, says AdLibertas. AdLibertasIts hard to over-estimate how big a deal this is, even if its temporary. One of the most basic assumptions in mobile over the past decade is that marketing on iOS is more expensive because iPhone and iPad users and customers are worth more than Android users. At least at this moment in history, thats no longer true. There are some caveats to mention here. Its likely there was a run-up in iOS marketing before the launch of iOS 14.5. App developers and marketers knew the free IDFA party was ending soon, and likely spent more freely in early 2021 than they would have otherwise. And, as marketers adjust their growth technologies to account for new ways of measuring and valuing mobile users that take advantage of Apples SKAdNetwork framework and other tools, the pendulum is likely to swing back in iOS favor. Its simple math: the average iPhone buyer spends easily $400 more for a device than the average Android owner. Ergo: theyre wealthier and more valuable to advertisers. If, however, this signals a sea change in marketing costs and profitability per platform even if the balance swings back somewhat to iOS that could have long-term impacts on developer investments on Android and iOS. In other words: if you can make more money on Android than on iOS, youre more likely to release apps on Android. Even a small shift that just boosts Android profitability by 20% or so will have some bearing on where app developers and publishers invest. And over time, a platform is only as good as the apps it supports. This shift will likely stabilize and somewhat reverse itself. But its a warning flag to Apple that the developers it says it supports 76% of whom depend on ad revenue are at least at the moment earning significantly more on Android. And opt-in rates to IDFA? Globally, theyre tracking at only 23.64%. Since for effective measurement marketers need dual opt-in (advertised app and advertising app), that essentially means that full trackability a la 2010 to 2020 is only available for a vanishingly small percentage of their mobile users. IDFA opt-in rates for top countries globally in iOS 14.5 SingularWith iOS 14.5 global update rates at about 52% and climbing rapidly, iOS developers could be in for significantly more pain over the coming weeks and months. Ultimately, iOS monetization will likely return, with some degree of impairment, however. | 0 |
###CLAIM: the government ordered ofsted to launch an immediate probe into the rape culture scandal sweeping through uk schools.
###DOCS: Ofsted has announced plans for a review into safeguarding policies and practices at state and independent schools following concerns about widespread sexual abuse. The review - which should be completed by the end of May - will establish what current safeguarding guidance is place in schools and colleges and whether it is sufficient to allow them to 'respond effectively' to allegations. It will also examine whether institutions need extra support in teaching students about sex and relationships, and whether current inspection regimes are 'robust enough' around the issue of sexual abuse. The Department for Education had last week ordered the watchdog to launch the probe to understand 'the extent and the severity of the issue'. It comes after more than 10,000 reports were posted on the Everyone's Invited website, where students can anonymously share their experiences of misogyny, harassment, abuse and assault. Ofsted has announced plans for a review into safeguarding policies and practices at state and independent schools following concerns about widespread sexual abuse. Pictured: James Allen's Girls School in Dulwich which has been hit by the scandalPupils staged a protest against rape culture at Highgate School in London on March 25. The school, has been named in allegations among others including Eton and Dulwich CollegeThe website has been central to allegations that a 'rape culture' exists in some of Britain's leading private schools. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has condemned the alleged assaults as 'shocking' and suggested any schools implicated could face government measures. Chief inspector Amanda Spielman said: 'Like so many others, I have been deeply troubled by the allegations of sexual abuse posted on the 'Everyone's Invited' website. 'Many of the testimonies reveal that girls have not felt able to report incidents of sexual abuse to their schools. More than 11,000 testimonies have now been uploaded to the Everyone's Invited website'We hope that by listening to young people's experiences first-hand, this review will provide much needed insight into what these barriers are and how they can be overcome.' Accusations of sexual assault have so far named top public schools including Eton College, Hampton and Charterhouse, with both girls and boys among the alleged victims. Last week, shocked head teachers of girls' private schools said they were talking to current and former students over sex allegations at neighbouring schools. The Girls' Schools Association (GSA), which represents more than 100 top British girls' private schools, said that in some cases they are referring incidents to the police. GSA schools include James Allen's Girls' School (JAGS) - attended by some of the girls making accusations about Dulwich College boys. Last Monday, GSA chief executive Donna Stevens released a statement saying the 'deeply troubling' allegations 'must not be ignored'. She said: 'Our schools are taking this issue seriously and talking with current and former students as well as parents to bring about positive change.' A sign reading 'Educate Your Sons' is attached to a gate outside James Allen's School. The school was protesting rape culture at nearby Dulwich College Boys SchoolThe Department for Education had last week ordered the watchdog to launch the probe to understand 'the extent and the severity of the issue'. Pictured: Education Secretary Gavin WilliamsonHer words came as a former pupil at JAGS revealed herself to be the co-author of a letter making allegations against Dulwich College pupils. But some schools have been accused of trivialising sexual violence by boys, with official figures showing the number of pupils suspended for it has almost halved in a decade. There were 1,866 suspensions for sexual misconduct last year a 44 per cent decrease on the 3,350 of ten years ago. Exclusions also fell. Jane Lunnon, the new head of the 20,000-a-year Alleyn's School in Dulwich, south-east London, suggested the solution should see young men become 'part of the conversation'. 'A gender war helps no one, and pitting girls against boys or 'othering' the opposite gender is no solution,' she told The Times. 'Our young people must learn how to tackle these things head on; how to listen to each other generously and with respect, and how to ex-press their concerns and their hopes openly together.' An investigation by the Mail also found that boys at some private schools embroiled in the sex abuse scandal were having to change out of uniform to avoid street attacks and verbal abuse. Others aged as young as 13 have faced abuse from members of the public and have been branded rapists in the street, prompting some to change out of uniform for journeys to and from school. One boy at a London independent school told The Mail on Sunday: 'A lot of us are worried our association with the school is going to damage our job prospects. People will just look at us and see a rapist.' A 46-year-old mother of boys aged 12 and 17 told The Daily Telegraph: 'This is scaring me. What if it's a case of two different perspectives of an event? What if the accusations are false, or exaggerated? How does a young man get his reputation back? 'I know of boys being 'cancelled' by friends they've had since primary school because nobody wants to associate with them in the wake of allegations. They are being branded as rapists without any opportunity to share their perspective it's frankly terrifying.' 'It's really worrying,' another mother added. 'Very little is said about false allegations and protecting the alleged perpetrator.' A teenager who on arrival at sixth-form college allegedly had girls screaming at him after a story had circulated has not returned since. None of his friends have been in contact with him, fearing they will be 'cancelled' if they break ranks. | 0 |
###CLAIM: delays in first-class mail will be changed from seven percent to five percent for the postmaster general and dejoys, according to a senate report.
###DOCS: WASHINGTON Young voters are backing Joe Biden over President Trump by 20 points or more. Theyre down on Trumps job performance. Theyre not fans of Biden, either. And maybe most revealing of all, these voters arent monolithic, with men and white younger voters much more supportive of Trump than women and younger voters of color. These are the finding of a Quibi and NBC News analysis of more than 2,000 young voters surveyed in the NBC News/Wall Street Journal polls from January through August of this year. Millennial voters (ages 24-39) are backing Biden over Trump by a 55 percent-to-35 percent margin, and Gen Z voters (ages 18-23) are supporting the Democrat, 57 percent to 33 percent. Only 38 percent of millennials and 34 percent of Gen Zers approve of Trumps job performance (versus 45 percent of all voters in the aggregated NBC/WSJ polls). Bidens net fav/unfav rating among millennials is -12 (compared with -25 for Trump), and the former vice presidents rating among Gen Zers is -15 (versus -32 for Trump). But broken down by gender, younger women are backing Biden over Trump by 30 to 40 points, while younger men are essentially split. And broken down by race, young voters of color are breaking big for Biden, but white young voters are slightly backing the Democrat over Trump. One other thing: Gen Z and millennial voters are much more diverse than other generations. Overall, of the thousands of respondents surveyed in the NBC/Wall Street Journal poll so far this year, about one-quarter have been voters of color, one of us writes. But among the youngest cohort, Gen Z, a much larger share 40 percent are people of color.Biden warned about Trump overruling his scientists. And then Trump did exactly thatIn a speech on vaccines yesterday, Joe Biden said, "I trust vaccines, I trust scientists, but I dont trust Donald Trump.Then, just hours later, President Trump contradicted Centers for Disease Control head Robert Redfield, who testified before Congress that a vaccine most likely wouldnt be ready until November or December, with availability to the public not until the summer of 2021. I think he made a mistake when he said that. Its just incorrect information. And I called him, and he didnt tell me that, and I think he got the message maybe confused, Trump said. The president added, No, were ready to go immediately as the vaccine is announced, and it could be announced in October. It could be announced a little bit after October. But once we go, were ready.Every day that Trump elevates the virus and makes his scientists the opponent is a good day for Joe Biden. By the way, this weeks NBC News|SurveyMonkey poll found just 26 percent of Americans trusting Trump on a vaccine, versus 52 percent who dont trust him. Data Download: The numbers you need to know today6,663,464: The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States, per the most recent data from NBC News and health officials. (Thats 47,118 more than yesterday morning.) 198,047: The number of deaths in the United States from the virus so far. (Thats 1,305 more than yesterday morning.) 88.57 million: The number of coronavirus tests that have been administered in the United States so far, according to researchers at The COVID Tracking Project. Seven percent: The share of first class mail that was delayed by Postmaster General Louis DeJoys changes to USPS, according to a Senate Democratic report. 52 percent to 46 percent: Bidens lead among likely voters in Wisconsin, according to a new Washington Post-ABC poll. Lowering the BarrThere was a firehose of news from and about Attorney General William Barr on Wednesday night. The New York Times reported that Barr told prosecutors last week that they should consider charging rioters and others who had committed violent crimes at protests in recent months with sedition.The paper also said Barr told prosecutors to see if they could bring criminal charges against Seattles mayor (!!!) for allowing some residents to establish a police-free protest zone near the citys downtown.Then, at a speech last night, Barr attacked career prosecutors in his own department, equating some of them to preschoolers and "headhunters," NBCs Pete Williams writes. And in the same talk, he said this about stay-at-home orders to combat the coronavirus: "Putting national lockdown, stay at home orders is like house arrest. Other than slavery, which was a different kind of restraint, this is the greatest intrusion on civil liberties in American history. " Tweet of the dayJapanese internment? Jim Crow? Palmer raids? Nothing compared to social distancing reqs, per Barr https://t.co/u3N5bSwtjE Jonathan Chait (@jonathanchait) September 17, 20202020 Vision: Blue state deaths vs. red state onesPresident Trump said yesterday that without blue states, the coronavirus death toll would be far lower. If you take the blue states out, were at a level that I dont think anybody in the world would be at. Were really at a very low level but some of the states, they were blue states and blue state-managed. And by the way, wed recommend they open up their states, Trump said. On the campaign trail todayJoe Biden holds a town hall with CNN at 8:00 p.m. ET from Scranton, Pa. Kamala Harris stumps in Philadelphia. Ad Watch from Ben KamisarTodays Ad Watch heads out of the Lower 48 and to the Last Frontier, where an interesting Senate race is shaping up between Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and independent Al Gross. This week, Alaska tweaked how it handles independent candidates on its ballots, a move that will end up listing Gross as a Democrat because he won that partys nomination (Gross isnt a registered Democrat, but has been backed by the state party and the DSCC). Thats not how the state handled things in 2018, when independent candidates were listed as such, so the move has drawn criticism from independent candidates and Democrats. Independent House candidate Alyse Galvin (who also won the Democratic nomination) is suing, and the Anchorage Daily News says a ruling is expected Thursday. That decision could be significant, as the dynamic plays into the battle already brewing between Gross and Sullivan. Republicans have been attempting to wrest the independent label from Gross on the airwaves, running ads claiming hes just another liberal. But Gross has been fighting back against that framing, particularly in a recent ad where he criticizes liberal ideas like the Green New Deal and Medicare for All. The Lid: Shot, chaserDont miss the pod from yesterday, when we did a deep dive into what Americans are saying about their faith in a coronavirus vaccine. (Spoiler: Its not going great.) ICYMI: What else is happening in the worldA whistleblower says that federal and military officials tried to obtain a sound cannon or a type of heat ray to disperse protesters at Lafayette Square. Michael Caputo is taking a leave of absence from HHS after a Facebook rant that floated CDC conspiracy theories. Some Republicans want a quixotic vote to oust Pelosi. Is Trumps economic pitch landing with some Latinos? Democrats continue to warn that Biden may not be doing enough on the trail to excite voters. | 0 |
###CLAIM: nine pairs of skate shoes marking the entrance to a private property are hung from a clothesline above a gravel driveway apron.
###DOCS: NORTHVILLE, N.Y. One by one, the hockey players drove down a dark road in the foothills of the Adirondacks in search of fresh ice on a recent Friday night. The regulars knew where to turn. Nine pairs of skates dangled from a clothesline above the apron of a gravel driveway, marking the private propertys entrance. Lights affixed to trees illuminated a snow-covered lawn. Wood burned in an old barrel. Christian Klueg welcomed the invited guests players ranging from teenagers to 50-somethings to his backyard hockey rink. For 27 years, he had built smaller versions. But when he realized indoor rinks in New York would be closed or have restricted hours because of the coronavirus pandemic, he went all-in on upgrades. He drove 172 miles north to the Canadian border in December to purchase a 1987 Olympia ice-resurfacing machine. His playing surface measured 71 feet by 125 feet (an N.H.L. rink is 85 feet by 200 feet), and it was enclosed by boards four feet high that a minor league team once used. Klueg kept the resurfacing machine next to a seven-foot stack of firewood. Only one thing was missing as he grabbed a stick and skated from his house to his dream rink. | 1 |
###CLAIM: mohammad and jazil wrote that the suggestion that the state’s extension was not adequate without any evidence to the contrary is rhetoric that is empty and that the department of state’s and desantis’s deputy general counsel, bradley and mcvay, wrote:
###DOCS: Lawyers for the DeSantis administration, relying on statements from state and local election officials, said reopening voter registration rolls would cause confusion in the final weeks before Election Day, when President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden will be on the ballot and officials predict record turnout in the battleground state. Another extension under the circumstances will serve to reinforce the confusion and mistrust voters have surrounding this election, further strengthening the rampant misinformation and disinformation campaigns that are already undermining the November general election, Leon County Supervisor of Elections Mark Earley said in a declaration accompanying the state filing. Attorneys for the state said election supervisors need time to prepare and sought to undercut the groups bringing the lawsuit because they relied on testimony from two people who already are registered to vote. The states online voter portal crashed on Oct. 5 under a surge of heavy traffic, prompting Secretary of State Laurel Lee to extend the deadline for registration from Oct. 5 to 7 p.m. on Oct. 6. Seven civil rights and left-leaning groups sued Lee and DeSantis, both Republicans, seeking to push the deadline back at least another two days. The groups admonished state officials for the sites failure, saying online registration was crucial due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The lawsuit filed Tuesday by The Advancement Project National Office, Demos, New Florida Majority, and others said Broward County resident Augusta Sandino Christian Namphy, was unable to register Monday because the site kept crashing. The DeSantis administration, it its filing, said Namphy has been registered to vote for three years and has been issued voter identification cards in the past. A spokesperson for The Advancement Project did not immediately respond to questions about Namphys registration. Floridas voter registration deadline, 29 days ahead of the election, is one of the earliest in the country. Lee in a tweet said that the site was only dark for 15 minutes Monday, but a surge of heavy traffic resulted in people getting error messages into the evening. State officials told the court early Wednesday that at its height the site hit with 1 million visits an hour, a stunning number given that Florida currently has roughly 14 million in the voters. In its filing, the state said about 50,000 Floridians were able to register Tuesday and slightly more than 70,000 registered Monday, the day the portal crashed. The volume was comparable to 2018, when nearly 86,000 voters registered through the website in the two days before that years deadline. To suggest that the States extension was inadequate without any contrary evidence is thus empty rhetoric, wrote attorney Mohammad Jazil, Department of State general counsel Bradley McVay, and James Uthmeier, deputy general counsel for DeSantis. After a review by law-enforcement officials, Lee said in a statement on Tuesday that there was no sign of outside interference or malicious activity that contributed to the sites failure. Democrats viewed the portals crash suspiciously, noting that the site has had problems before during periods of peak voter interest. All 13 Democratic members of Floridas congressional delegation sent a letter late Tuesday to DeSantis calling on him to extend voter registration by one day, calling the initial extension welcome but inadequate.Those that logged on to the website on Monday, within the legal deadline for voter registration, should not be silenced because of this breakdown, the delegation wrote. Nor should those who seek to vote in November be penalized for failing to become aware of an altruistic, though hastily-crafted remedy consisting of just several added hours of registration availability. Without a robust, well-publicized extension remedy, this situation has the superficial appearance of being another example of the voter suppression tactics that Florida has sadly come to be synonymous with in recent years. | 0 |
###CLAIM: the bank, which has paid out 300 million special dividends, reserve and funds to ensure that they can be paid out in case of future crises, also said the bis and the board had proposed it.
###DOCS: [1/4] Customers drink, eat and talk at well-spaced tables on Almanac Taprooms former-parking lot-turned-pandemic-beer-garden in Alameda, California, U.S. June 4, 2021. REUTERS/Ann SaphirLONDON, June 29 (Reuters) - An uneven global recovery from the COVID-19 crisis will make recalibrating the fiscal and monetary stimulus a "daunting" challenge for policymakers, the Bank for International Settlement's annual report said on Tuesday. Dubbed the central bank to world's central banks, the Swiss-based BIS said its main scenario was one of a solid global pick-up, albeit at varying speeds across countries. The bank set out two alternative scenarios. One where large fiscal stimulus and a drawdown of accumulated savings results in stronger growth but also higher inflation and a substantial tightening in global financial conditions. In the other, growth disappoints as the virus proves harder to control. "While the recovery is under way and the central scenario is relatively benign, we are not out of the woods yet," BIS head Agustin Carstens said. The uneven recovery could leave emerging market countries at the sharp end of any difficulties, especially in the higher inflation scenario, where major central banks like the U.S. Federal Reserve start looking to raise interest rates. Carstens, who headed Mexico's central bank before joining the BIS, said it was healthy that some emerging markets were already raising rates in response to rising inflation, but stressed he expected advanced economies to wait. "It would not be appropriate to tighten monetary policy today just to reduce measured inflation and sacrifice a recovery of the economy," Carstens told Reuters. "Is that something (major) central banks would want to do today? I don't think so." Instead he predicted more periods of "noisiness" for financial markets after volatility in bond and equity prices between January and March, when vaccination programmes prompted investors to try to pre-empt a tapering of Fed support. "The main challenge (for the rest of the year) is how to co-ordinate market expectations with the conduct of policy." Carstens said. "I think one of the hiccups we saw in the last months was the market going ahead of the Fed." The key question is whether recent strong increases in inflation will be temporary or more persistent. "As of today, we at the BIS consider that it will most likely be temporary," Carstens said, citing base effects and that supply bottlenecks that have also pushed up prices should dissipate. 'DAUNTING'In the longer-run, many challenges lie ahead and normalising fiscal and monetary policies will not be easy. Public debt is at a post-World War II peak. Likewise, central bank balance sheets have only rarely reached similar heights, and then only during wars. "The uneven recovery creates daunting challenges for policymakers," the BIS report said. "The sustainability of debt can change if interest rates start increasing, Carstens added. "you don't want to be surprised." The BIS also threw its full weight behind central bank digital currencies and stepped up criticism of cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, warning that they were "speculative assets rather than money." read moreThe report also looked at how COVID's disproportional damage to lower-paid workers and the leap in stock markets driven by trillions of dollars of stimulus was intensifying concerns about inequality. These concerns have been increasing since the financial crisis more than a decade ago. The current surge in global house prices - another of the BIS's main macro economic concerns at present - typically favours the old at the expense of the young. "It would be unrealistic, and indeed counterproductive, to gear monetary policy more squarely towards tackling inequality," the BIS said, as it could reduce some of the flexibility needed to help economies and control inflation, both of which should help to reduce inequality longer-term. The BIS's annual accounts which were released alongside its report, showed the bank had made a 1.23 billion SDR net profit for the year. SDRs or Special Drawing Rights are the IMF's reserve asset and the amount roughly works out $1.75 billion or 1.5 billion euros. The pandemic meant the BIS scrapped it 2020 "dividend" it pays out to the central banks that are classed as its members but this year it paid a bumper 520 SDR per share to make up for it. The bank said the BIS board had also proposed paying 300 million SDR into a Special Dividend Reserve Fund to ensure payouts can be made during future crises. (1 euro = $1.1909)Reporting by Marc Jones. Editing by Jane MerrimanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. | 0 |
###CLAIM: the highest court in new york cleared the way for a former contestant on the apprentice to sue donald and the donald trump for defamation over sexual assault accusations after the former u. s. president called her a liar.
###DOCS: An ex-contestant on The Apprentice can sue Donald Trump for defamation after the former president called her a liar for accusing him of sexual assault, New York state's highest court rules. The state's Court of Appeals on Tuesday cleared the way for Summer Zervos to file a defamation lawsuit against Trump. Trump had argued before leaving the White House that Zervos could not pursue her case because a sitting president could not be sued. In a brief order, the court found 'the issues presented have become moot'. The order likely means Zervos' case will return to a Manhattan trial court and give her lawyers an opportunity to question Trump under oath. New York's Court of Appeals on Tuesday cleared the way for Summer Zervos to file a defamation lawsuit against Donald TrumpA lawyer for Trump did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Zervos' lawyers did not immediately respond to similar requests. Zervos came forward during the 2016 presidential campaign with accusations that Trump subjected her to unwanted kissing and groping after she sought career advice in 2007. She alleges the assault occurred two years after her appearance on his reality television show The Apprentice. She claims Trump forcibly kissed her at a job interview in Manhattan's Trump Tower in early December 2007 and then aggressively groped weeks later at a professional dinner in Los Angeles. Zervos sued Trump in January 2017 after he branded such allegations by women 'lies' and retweeted a post calling Zervos' claims a 'hoax'. She has been seeking a retraction or an apology ever since, as well as compensatory damages and punitive damages. Trump has denied Zervos' claims and called her case politically motivated. She also claimed she came forward with her allegations prior to Trump launching his campaign for presidency. In court documents related to the case, Zervos says she contacted Fox News about the alleged assault in August 2015 but the outlet ignored her. Zervos also allegedly contacted multiple lawyers about taking legal action back in 2011, including acclaimed women's rights lawyer Gloria Allred - who represented her at the time she went prior to the election but later withdrew from the case without explanation. Zervos was one of several women who came forward to accuse Trump of sexual misconduct in the weeks leading up to the 2016 presidential election as he came under fire for bragging about grabbing women's genitals in a now-notorious Access Hollywood clip with Billy Bush. Former Elle magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll is also suing Trump for defamation after he denied having raped her in the Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan in the mid-1990s. Trump has denied claims by several women of improper sexual conduct. NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York states highest court on Tuesday cleared the way for a former contestant on The Apprentice to sue Donald Trump for defamation, after the former U.S. president called her a liar for accusing him of sexual assault. Slideshow ( 2 images )Trump had argued before leaving the White House on Jan. 20 that Summer Zervos could not pursue her case because a sitting president could not be sued, but the state Court of Appeals said in a brief order that the issues presented have become moot.Zervos case will now return to a Manhattan trial court, where her lawyers may have an opportunity to question Trump under oath. The case had been on hold during Trumps appeal. Now a private citizen, the defendant has no further excuse to delay justice for Ms. Zervos, and we are eager to get back to the trial court and prove her claims, Beth Wilkinson, a lawyer for Zervos, said in an email. Lawyers for Trump did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Zervos came forward during the 2016 presidential campaign with accusations that Trump subjected her to unwanted kissing and groping after she sought career advice in 2007, two years after her appearance on his reality television show. She sued Trump in January 2017 after he branded such allegations by women lies and retweeted a post calling Zervos claims a hoax.Zervos has sought a retraction or an apology, plus compensatory damages and punitive damages. Trump has denied Zervos claims, and called her case politically motivated. Former Elle magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll is also suing Trump for defamation, after he denied having raped her in the Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan in the mid-1990s. Trump has also denied claims by several other women of improper sexual conduct. | 3 |
###CLAIM: malika explains how the handling changed when ace changed from a high chair to a low chair because of scratches and then a pacifier calming down.
###DOCS: Kim Kardashian gave insight into the latest developments in her split from Kanye West on Thursday's episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians. The reality star, 40, who filed for a divorce from her estranged husband last month, was seen speaking to the camera about the split, as she revealed the rapper, 43, has been residing at their Wyoming ranch while she remained at home. The scenes came amid Kanye's infamous social media meltdown, in which he penned a series of hurtful tweets about his wife, who said on camera that she found the scenario 'frustrating' and urged him to meet with her to discuss his woes. She said: 'Kanye's been in Wyoming and he's been posting a lot of things on social media. That is a little bit frustrating, but you just have to kind of separate yourself from what's going on at home and what's going on on the internet.' Heartache: Kim Kardashian gave insight into the latest developments in her split from Kanye West on Thursday's episode of Keeping Up With The KardashiansIt then seemed that Kim was reaching out to aides in a bid to contact her husband, as she was seen speaking on the phone and pleading for a meet. She said: 'I am happy to come tomorrow, I am happy to come to Wyoming next week, whenever he wants. I'm still happy to come there and be supportive and chill with him and hang out with him and I know he needs that.' At the time of filming, the rapper had posted a series of insulting tweets about the Kardashian family. In the posts, he accused Kim's mother Kris of 'white supremacy' and said he would 'go to war' with her. The episode didn't disclose if these were the posts Kim was referring to. Shock: The reality star, 40, who filed for a divorce from her estranged husband last month, was seen speaking to the camera about the split, as she revealed the rapper, 43, has been residing at their Wyoming ranch while she remained at home (pictured in 2019)Kanye and Kim began dating in 2012 and were engaged in 2013 before marrying in a lavish ceremony in May 2014. The divorce is the first for Kanye and third for Kim, who was previously married to Damon Thomas from 2000 to 2004 and Kris Humphries from 2011 to 2013. Kim filed for divorce from Kanye last month and shares four children with the rapper: daughters North, seven, and Chicago, three, and sons Saint, five, and Psalm, one. The pair are said to remain amicable ahead of the divorce's finalisation and the splitting of their $2B fortune, especially as a prenuptial agreement is in place which neither party is said to be contesting. Help: It then seemed that Kim was reaching out to aides in a bid to contact her husband, as she was seen speaking on the phone and pleading for a meetHowever sources have also pointed out that West has refused to speak with Kardashian directly, preferring to communicate via staff and security. Kim appears to be keeping her married name, Kim Kardashian West, as it corresponds to two of her brands, KKW Fragrance as well as KKW Beauty. Earlier this week, Kim's mum Kris spoke out for the first time about the split during a chat on Friday's The Kyle and Jackie O Show in Australia. When asked by host Kyle Sandilands how the two are doing, Kris said: 'Well, I think it's always going to be hard anytime... there's a lot of kids, and Kim and Kanye. Behind the scenes: Kanye and Kim began dating in 2012 and were engaged in 2013 before marrying in a lavish ceremony in May 2014 (pictured in 2019)'The good thing about our family is that we are there for each other and supportive, so all I want is for those two kids to be happy. That's what you want as a mum.' While vague on the details, she went on: 'I think we all want that for our families, just to be able to have the love and appreciation of one another, and that everyone's OK.'When asked by Jackie 'O' Henderson if viewers will see details of the divorce in the final season, she said: 'You might. I don't know what they have decided on in the finale, as we haven't even seen the first show yet. 'I'm sure they're putting some final touches. But I think it's just a private time - Kim wanted to deal with this with her own family in her own time, so when she feels like it I'm sure she'll say what she needs to say.' CNN We are now getting some insight into what led up to the Kimye split. Thursday nights episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians featured Kim Kardashian West dealing with some incendiary tweets her husband Kanye West wrote regarding her and her family. Those tweets were later deleted. Her family expressed concern, including momanger Kris Jenner. I just feel like shes struggling a bit with all the stuff going on, Jenner said during the episode, while encouraging daughters Khloe and Kourtney to do something to try and cheer her up. Theres a lot going on in the media right now and Kim is going through a really, really hard time, Khloe Kardashian said later. Shes dealing with a lot internally. I think my moms idea to get Kim to have a good time is really cute.The trio of sisters take a trip to the familys Malibu home and Kourtney Kardashian reveals that Kanye West had reached out to her. He said, It would be nice to be able to say things, she said. I said, Yeah, say what you want to say. Maybe itll start people thinking a certain way or getting a thought in their head, but did you have to say those tweets publicly?She said the rapper/mogul agreed that going public may not have been the best thing. A night of drinking ensues (Kardashian West tweeted Thursday My sisters got me so drunk this night! LOL), but Kardashian West seemed stalwart in her determination to deal with her marriage privately. My sisters got me so drunk this night! LOL Kim Kardashian (@KimKardashian) March 26, 2021My life with Kanye, I got this. Like, Im dealing with it on my own, she said. Its gonna be ok.Kardashian West filed for divorce in February. They are the parents of four children. | 2 |
###CLAIM: an official spokesman for the prime minister insisted there was no plan to leave sports out of the draconian restrictions.
###DOCS: Downing Street today dismissed calls for golf courses and tennis courts to be exempted from the second lockdown in England. The Prime Minister's official spokesman insisted there are no plans to leave the sports out of the draconian restrictions. The hard line comes despite senior Tories joining the backlash against the measures covering organised activities outdoors - where coronavirus is considered far less likely to spread. The PM's spokesman said guidance sets out that individuals can exercise in a public space with one other person or with their own household. 'It's not the intention, however, for tennis courts or for golf courses to remain open,' he said. Pressed why the Government is shutting them, he said: 'People are able to use public spaces or walk or run in the park. 'The purpose of the tougher regulations, which I expect are going to be difficult for very many people, are to significantly reduce social contact.' Stricter measures are set to come into force from Thursday in an effort to limit the spread of the virus, and will include indoor and outdoor sports facilities such as driving ranges being ordered to close. Downing Street today dismissed calls for golf courses and tennis courts to be exempted from the second lockdown in England. West Essex Golf CourseJulian Knight, the Tory chair of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) committee, criticised the blanket approach to sportsJulian Knight, the chair of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) committee, criticised the approach. 'A blanket ban is not the correct way of going about things,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. 'Perhaps there needs to be some reflection on the work that was done in the spring by these institutions. 'I know one golf club for instance that spent 5,000 on sanitising, I know another one that tested staff at a cost of 400 a week. 'Don't forget many of these courses are related to hotels and there they have had a real problem haven't they, because they have been unable to really open at any sort of capacity for most of the pandemic.' Knight added: 'There are health benefits, both physical and mental. These sports are uniquely built for social distancing. They opened safely in the spring in a limited way, no clubhouses, changing rooms. 'We need to acknowledge the enormous expense and efforts from both these sports in order to make them Covid-secure.' The Government's guidance on the new lockdown measures state that indoor and outdoor leisure and sports facilities including gyms, swimming pools, golf courses and driving ranges, climbing walls and climbing centres and archery and shooting ranges will be ordered to close. The restrictions are initially set to remain in place until December 2, but Cabinet minister Michael Gove admitted yesterday that they could be extended. The chief executive of England Golf, Jeremy Tomlinson, said in a letter that his organisation had not been consulted over the new restrictions and that closing golf facilities would be 'counter-productive'. Tim Hollingsworth, the chief executive of grassroots sports funding body Sport England, also told the Today programme: 'We do still need to make sure that people find ways to be active outside and benefit their physical and mental well-being. 'That really is the most critical thing in relation to helping to tackle the pandemic.' The Football Association is awaiting guidance over how the new measures affect the FA Cup first round ties involving clubs below National League level. | 1 |
###CLAIM: a retired high court judge last night urged the home secretary to order an independent criminal investigation into five cleared detectives and a watchdog over the nick scandal.
###DOCS: Priti Patel refused to back under-pressure Met Police chief Cressica Dick today as the UK's top cop faced pressure over a botched probe into a VIP paedophile ring. In a radio phone-in the Home Secretary was asked to back the commissioner over the Operation Midland investigation into senior politicians including Leon Brittan. The former home secretary was one of the men falsely accused by now convicted fantasist Carl Beech - then known as 'Nick' - and died in January 2015 without knowing there was insufficient evidence to prosecute him. The Met chief is facing calls to quit after Lady Brittan used a Daily Mail interview to attack a 'culture of cover-up' at the force. But repeatedly questioned on LBC Radio whether she has confidence in the Scotland Yard supremo, Ms Patel responded: 'I work with the commissioner. 'The commissioner does a lot of great work and she oversees the largest police force in the country. 'There are still questions, rightly so - some questions have been put to me today, actually, very publicly in newspapers, and it's right that I also look at these questions.' It was only after the uncomfortable grilling that a spokesman for the Home Secretary came out and gave the Commissioner her full backing. The spokesman said: 'As the Home Secretary said, she works with Cressida Dick every day. The Home Secretary has full confidence in her to do her job.' Downing Street later said Boris Johnson joined the Home Secretary in having 'absolute confidence' in Dame Cressida. The Met chief is facing calls to quit after Lady Brittan used a Daily Mail interview to attack a 'culture of cover-up' at the force. Former home secretary Leon Brittan was one of the men falsely accused by now convicted fantasist Carl Beech - then known as 'Nick' - and died in January 2015 without knowing there was insufficient evidence to prosecute himA Number 10 spokesman said of the Met's bungled investigation into false claims of a VIP sex abuse ring in Westminster: 'This was a deeply concerning case and the PM's thoughts are with Lady Brittan, her late husband (Leon Brittan) and others affected. 'The Prime Minister has complete confidence in the Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick, as does the Home Secretary. 'They are working together to reduce crime and protect the public from the threats posed by serious criminals, terrorism and the coronavirus pandemic. 'Both the Prime Minister and the Home Secretary have absolute confidence in her as we work together with the police to make our streets safer.' The hunt for justice Four inquiries have attempted to deal with the fallout yet no-one directly involved in Operation Midland has been held responsible... Henriques review: In 2016, the Met's then-commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe asked Sir Richard to carry out a review into Operation Midland. The report identified 43 failings, and five officers were referred to the watchdog. The IPCC: The Independent Police Complaints Commission cleared the two most senior officers within four months, without interviewing them. Its successor, the Independent Office for Police Conduct, later announced that all the officers had no case to answer. Only one was spoken to face-to-face. Priti Patel: In 2019, the Home Secretary Patel ordered Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary to investigate whether lessons had been learned. Published last March its report was highly critical, saying the Met had made 'slow progress'. House of Commons: The Home Affairs Select Committee opened a probe into the IOPC in October 2019 following criticism over its 'whitewash' report into the five Midland officers. Following a pandemic-related delay, it is currently accepting submissions from interested parties such as Lady Brittan. The committee is due to hear live evidence soon. AdvertisementA retired High Court judge last night urged the Home Secretary to order an independent criminal investigation into five detectives at the centre of the 'Nick' scandal and the watchdogs who cleared them. In an open letter to Ms Patel, Sir Richard Henriques says confidence in the criminal justice system has been 'gravely damaged' by the failure to hold officers to account following the disastrous VIP child abuse inquiry. He adds that the 'apparent condoning of police criminality by its notional watchdog, will inevitably give rise to allegations of political manipulation of the police', 'an orchestrated cover-up' and 'corruption at the highest level'. Sir Richard spoke out after Leon Brittan's widow attacked a 'culture of cover-up and flick away' at the Metropolitan Police. Sir Richard Henriques says confidence in the criminal justice system has been 'gravely damaged' by the failure to hold officers to account following the disastrous VIP child abuse inquiryBeech, a serial liar and paedophile, was eventually jailed for 18 years after being convicted of perverting the course of justice. Sir Richard spent several months investigating the Met's shambolic Operation Midland in 2016 before recommending five officers face a misconduct probe. He attacked not only the conduct of those officers but officials at the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), previously known as the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), who cleared them. Sir Richard said a district judge was 'knowingly misled into issuing search warrants' to raid the homes of Lady Brittan, D-Day hero Lord Bramall and former Tory MP Harvey Proctor. He urged Miss Patel to order an investigation by an independent police force 'so that public faith in our police service, our judicial processes and our rule of law can be fully and finally be restored'. His letter to the Home Secretary will place more pressure on Dame Cressica, who sanctioned the setting up of Operation Midland in November 2014. She has previously refused to call in an outside force to investigate the officers at the centre of the scandal. The most senior of the five former deputy assistant commissioner Steve Rodhouse also faces an uncertain future. Now deputy head of the National Crime Agency, with a salary package of around 300,000, he was cleared of misconduct after four months, without even being interviewed. Among Sir Richard's questions for Miss Patel is how the promotion came about. Others facing scrutiny include IOPC chairman Michael Lockwood, an accountant who previously ran a suburban London council. A House of Lords debate yesterday saw peers question why no officers involved in Operation Midland have been disciplined. Lord Garnier, a former solicitor general, said any officers who had perverted the course of justice by misleading a district judge should be prosecuted. Yesterday the Mail revealed detectives used the infamous words 'credible' and 'true' to persuade a judge to let them raid Lady Brittan's homes in March 2015. Dame Cressida had claimed a senior officer 'mistakenly' used the words to describe Beech at a notorious press conference in December 2014. The Metropolitan Police has insisted there was 'no cover up' in the botched VIP child sex abuse investigation after confidence in Dame Cressida Dick was called into question. Pressure has mounted on the Met Commissioner to step down after the force was criticised over its handling of Operation Midland, with sources claiming this week that she will 'go gracefully' in 2022. Dame Cressida was in the firing line after Lord Brittan's widow said Scotland Yard lacked a 'strong moral compass' and had a culture of 'cover up and flick away'. Deputy Commissioner Sir Stephen House today apologised again for failings made by the force after political aides maintained the Prime Minister and Home Secretary had 'absolute confidence' in the UK's most senior police officer. It comes after Priti Patel declined to express her confidence in Dame Cressida when questioned over Operation Midland during a live interview this morning. The Metropolitan Police has insisted there was 'no cover up' in the botched VIP child sex abuse investigation after confidence in Dame Cressida Dick (pictured) was called into questionThe exchange on LBC Radio prompted her spokesman to afterwards insist she had 'full confidence' in the police chief, with Downing Street later asserting the same for Boris Johnson. Sir Stephen later said in a statement: 'I want to say clearly that the Metropolitan Police Service is truly sorry for the harm caused by the mistakes made in Operation Midland, and we fully understand why many of those people directly affected by the lies of Carl Beech and the investigation which followed remain deeply unhappy.' He described the probe as 'without doubt one of the most scrutinised investigations in policing history', adding: 'There is no cover up and nor has there been one.' While there were 'undoubtedly very serious mistakes made', this does 'not in itself mean that there was misconduct by the officers involved', he said. Sir Stephen added: 'What we must now do is continue to ensure that our learning prevents similar cases from occurring in the future and this is something the Met is absolutely committed to.' When repeatedly questioned during the interview on whether she has confidence in Dame Cressida, Ms Patel responded: 'I work with the Commissioner. 'The Commissioner does a lot of great work and she oversees the largest police force in the country. After the interview, Ms Patel's spokesman said: 'The Home Secretary has full confidence in her to do her job', but declined to say why Ms Patel refused to express this during the interview. Later, Downing Street said both Mr Johnson and Ms Patel have 'absolute confidence' in Dame Cressida. It comes as former High Court judge called on Ms Patel to launch a criminal inquiry into the failed probe. In an open letter, Sir Richard Henriques said Scotland Yard's disastrous Operation Midland has 'gravely damaged' confidence in the justice system. He heavily criticised the Met's bungled investigation into false claims of a VIP sex abuse ring in Westminster in a 2016 report, which identified 43 police failings. Former home secretary Leon Brittan was one of the men falsely accused by fantasist Carl Beech (pictured) - then known as 'Nick' - and died in January 2015 without knowing there was insufficient evidence to prosecute himBut the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) watchdog found no evidence of misconduct or criminality by the officers during the operation. Former home secretary Leon Brittan was one of the men falsely accused by fantasist Carl Beech - then known as 'Nick' - and died in January 2015 without knowing there was insufficient evidence to prosecute him. His home was raided, along with those of D-Day veteran Lord Bramall and former Tory MP Harvey Proctor, before it emerged that all the claims were based on lies by Beech, who was jailed for 18 years in 2019 for perverting the course of justice. Mr Proctor has previously described the police watchdog's probe into five officers involved in the investigation as 'a whitewash'. A review by Chief Inspector of Constabulary Sir Tom Winsor also criticised the Met for waiting three years before acting on Sir Richard's recommendations and found bosses were more concerned with 'restricting access' to the report. Sir Richard said a district judge was 'knowingly misled into issuing search warrants', in his letter published in the Daily Mail. 'There are reasonable grounds to believe that criminal acts have been committed,' he said. Downing Street previously said the Met must 'learn from its failings' amid Lord Brittan's widow accusing Scotland Yard of having a culture of 'cover up and flick away'. Dame Cressida Dick will 'go gracefully' in 2022 as the Met continues to be hammered over its handling of the botched VIP paedophile scandal, it was claimed today. The Met Commissioner is in the firing line after Lord Brittan's widow said Scotland Yard lacked a 'strong moral compass' and had a culture of 'cover up and flick away'. Diana Brittan has not pointed the finger directly at Dame Cressida, Britain's most senior officer, but said the 'buck stops' with the force's leadership as they blindly followed the false claims made by fantasist Carl Beech - better known as 'Nick' - to pursue her husband as he was battling cancer. Dame Cressida's five-year contract ends in 2022 - and she would need to ask for an extension to stay on - but she is 'willing to step down gracefully', a source told the Daily Telegraph. Her predecessor Bernard Hogan-Howe presided over the Operation Midland scandal and had his request for a contract extension rejected in the aftermath. Scotland Yard declined to comment on the current Commissioner's contract and whether she'll go next year. Met Chief Dame Cressida Dick is predicted to leave in 2022 as more revelations about the VIP paedophile inquiry run by her force emergedDetective Superintendent Kenny McDonald used the phrase 'credible and true' at a press conference in December 2014Detectives used the infamous words 'credible' and 'true' to persuade a judge to let them raid Lady Brittan's homes, the Daily Mail reveals today. Scotland Yard chief Cressida Dick has insisted that a senior officer 'mistakenly' used the phrase to describe sex abuse liar 'Nick'. But the Mail has obtained a copy of the application used to justify the raids and police used the same words to describe the twisted fantasist, who is now serving 18 years in jail. The document states that police believed Nick, real name Carl Beech, was 'credible' and 'telling the truth'. It led to Lady Brittan's homes in London and North Yorkshire being searched by police six weeks after the death of her husband Leon, the former home secretary. Detective Superintendent Kenny McDonald used the phrase 'credible and true' at a press conference in December 2014. At the time Dame Cressida was an assistant commissioner in the Metropolitan Police with oversight of the shambolic VIP abuse inquiry, Operation Midland. The phrase was criticised for destroying the presumption of innocence and supporting Beech's wild accusations of murder and child sex abuse against Lord Brittan and other high-profile figures. But Dame Cressida has insisted it was said mistakenly. Today's revelation leaves the Met chief under pressure to explain the wording of the search warrant and deepens the controversy around Scotland Yard's entire handling of Operation Midland. It follows Lady Brittan's searing interview in yesterday's Daily Mail in which she attacked a 'culture of cover-up' at the Met. Last night the son of former Armed Forces chief and D-Day hero Field Marshal Lord Bramall also falsely accused of sex abuse by Beech backed Lady Brittan. Nick Bramall said: 'There should be a public inquiry into Operation Midland. The officers were seduced by the idea of getting people in high places. They didn't investigate properly and consequently these people got tossed to the wolves.' Lady Brittan has accused the leaders of Britain's biggest police force of lacking a 'moral spine' and expressed her frustration that no officers involved in the shambolic VIP abuse inquiry had been held to account over the multi-million pound fiasco. The Mail has now obtained a copy of the search warrant application used to justify the raids on the houses of Lord Brittan's widow (pictured) - in which police used the same words to describe the fantasist's credibilityA search warrant application, revealed for the first time today, reveals the decision to raid her homes had been 'considered at DAC [deputy assistant commissioner] level', a reference to the gold commander of the bungled inquiry, Mr Rodhouse. By the time the raids took place, Dame Cressida had left the Metropolitan Police to take up a job at the Foreign Office. In 2019, she told LBC radio that she knew straight away that Det Supt McDonald blundered by calling Beech a 'credible and true' witness at the press conference. She said she realised the senior detective had made 'a mistake' and she 'felt for him'. Yesterday leading politicians called for a fresh review of the disastrous Operation Midland investigation. The Prime Minister's spokesman said the case raised 'serious issues' as to the conduct of the Met. An earlier report by retired High Court judge Sir Richard Henriques was scathing about Scotland Yard's handling of the case but none of the officers he criticised faced any sanction. Lady Brittan's late husband was among a number of notable figures falsely accused of child sexual abuse and murder by paedophile Carl Beech (pictured)Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said: 'It is appalling that after all this time and after the desperate circus unfairly put on Lord Brittan that nothing has happened to anybody. We need a proper and full inquiry into what happened. 'The original report was damning. Why has nothing been done since then? 'The answer is to go back to the original inquiry and hold a full new one into what went wrong.' Norman Lamont, a former chancellor and friend of Lord Brittan, said: 'Lady Brittan has been treated appallingly. The timing is extraordinary that after the strong criticism by Sir Richard Henriques of the Metropolitan Police Service that people have not been disciplined in connection with Operation Midland. 'It was always to me astonishing that people believed these incredible rumours which have destroyed people's lives. 'There is certainly a case for another inquiry. It's extraordinary that no police officers have been disciplined.' Scotland Yard yesterday declined to answer questions about Dame Cressida's previous defence of the 'credible and true' press conference. Last year she was cleared of any wrongdoing over her role in the disastrous VIP paedophile ring investigation. Beech was jailed for 18 years after being found guilty of perverting the course of justice, fraud and child sex offences. Warrant of untruth: Application to raid Lord Brittan's homes shows devastating falsehoods from police... leaving his widow 'speechless' with shockBy Stephen Wright for the Daily MailLord Brittan's widow was left 'speechless' on seeing the secret court document that persuaded a judge to grant search warrants for her two homes. She expressed her astonishment at the information provided by police to justify the raids and at the fact no officers faced misconduct charges. The document, which the Mail can reveal today, shows that the decision to seek a warrant had been 'considered at DAC [deputy assistant commissioner] level'. This is a reference to Steve Rodhouse, 'gold commander' of the bungled VIP sex abuse inquiry into high-profile figures, including Lady Brittan's husband, the former home secretary. Lord Brittan's widow was left 'speechless' on seeing the secret court document that persuaded a judge to grant search warrants for her two homesThe application makes clear that police sought the warrants because they believed she would not allow them entry when they arrived at her homes in London and North Yorkshire in March 2015. In yesterday's Mail, Lady Brittan said the raids were a 'violation' that left her feeling like a criminal. Authorised by Detective Inspector Alison Hepworth, the warrant states: 'Given the status of the individuals involved in these applications, it is not felt that the occupants would allow search of their premises on a voluntary basis. 'Given the nature of the material sought, any delay or pre-warning of an intention to search would allow the removal or destruction of such material with minimal effort.' Critically the document includes the wholly incorrect claim that 'Nick', the fantasist Carl Beech, was 'credible' and 'telling the truth'. It states: 'The victim in this matter has been interviewed at length by experienced officers from the child abuse investigation team. His account has remained consistent and he is felt to be a credible witness who is telling the truth.' That sentence helped persuade District Judge Howard Riddle to grant the warrants at the centre of the Operation Midland scandal. The Daily Mail has now obtained a copy of the search warrant application used to justify the raids on Lady Brittan's homesLady Brittan, 80, a former long-serving magistrate, said: 'This is the most extraordinary search warrant I have ever seen. The information that might support the application is not there. 'Judge Riddle presumably believed the fact that the application had been signed off at a very senior level. 'And he would have taken, I suppose, some comfort in that. And he had no reason, I suppose at the time, to believe that he was not being told the entire story.' The secret court document obtained by the Mail was part of a two-stage process that gave police permission to raid the homes of Lady Brittan, six weeks after her husband died. Pictures of police vehicles during two-day search at Lord Brittan's North Yorkshire home in March 2015The first involved a detective completing a confidential form and the second involved three murder squad officers going before court to get official permission to storm her houses. The document also shows that when asked if there was anything that might undermine their request, the Metropolitan Police simply answered 'N/A' not applicable. In fact, police were aware of several factors that raised questions about the claims made by Beech. In an article for the Mail in July 2019, former High Court judge Sir Richard Henriques, who wrote a scathing report about Operation Midland, insisted Beech had 'not been consistent', dating back to when the liar had first made claims of child sex abuse. Sir Richard said: 'His allegations made to the Wiltshire Police in 2012 were fundamentally inconsistent with those made to the Metropolitan Police in 2014 and with Beech's blogs also published in 2014. 'The identities of subsequent named alleged rapists were inconsistent. The alleged locations were inconsistent, persons allegedly present were inconsistent, the alleged accompanying acts of violence were inconsistent.' Judge Riddle, now retired, has said he was misled over warrants for raids on the homes of Lady Brittan, former Armed Forces chief Lord Bramall and Tory ex-MP Harvey Proctor. Officers' rewards for failure: Operation Midland saw lives ruined, homes ransacked and reputations trashed on the bogus testimony of a fantasist... but five years after the probe was shut down not one officer involved has received an official sanctionBy Glen Keogh and Stephen Wright for the Daily MailIt is widely regarded as one of the worst police investigations in living memory. Operation Midland saw lives ruined, homes ransacked and reputations trashed on the bogus testimony of a fantasist who was not properly challenged until it was too late. In a post-Jimmy Savile culture of automatically 'believing' victims, police officers and politicians saw the 'Nick' case as a career-defining coup, seemingly rendering them blind to inconsistencies in Carl Beech's accounts. He is now serving an 18-year prison sentence for his lies. But what of those who helped the lies take root, and initially failed to conduct the most basic inquiries to determine their veracity? The answer is that five years after Midland was shut down not one officer involved in the scandal has received an official sanction or punishment. As head of Scotland Yard during Operation Midland, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe regularly defended the probeLORD HOGAN-HOWE: ENOBLEDAs head of Scotland Yard during Operation Midland, Hogan-Howe regularly defended the probe, refusing to apologise for home raids in 2016. He commissioned Sir Richard Henriques' review of the scandal but announced his retirement that September, weeks before the judge's scathing findings were made public. He was elevated to the House of Lords where the register of interests reveals 14 paid posts including advising a legal firm and the Cabinet Office. Accrued an estimated 5million pension pot and owns an apartment in the Swiss ski resort of Valais. STEVE RODHOUSE: PROMOTED'Gold commander' and in overall charge of Operation Midland, then-deputy assistant commissioner Rodhouse approved decision to seek search warrants to raid homes and briefed superiors. Accused of prolonging Operation Vincente probe into Lord Brittan to keep Midland going. Cleared by police watchdog and now at the National Crime Agency on a pay package of nearly 300,000. 'Gold commander' and in overall charge of Operation Midland, then-deputy assistant commissioner Steve Rodhouse approved the decision to seek search warrants to raid homes and briefed superiorsDIANE TUDWAY: RETIREDAs senior investigating officer in charge of Operation Midland, the detective chief inspector reviewed and accepted the search warrants despite being aware of discrepancies in Nick's account between his Met and Wiltshire Police interviews. Made a superintendent in 2018 while under investigation by the police watchdog and the only officer to have a face-to-face interview. Retired on a full pension in 2019 on eve of Nick trial. Replaced as head of Midland in October 2015 but was cleared by the watchdog of any wrongdoing. Mr McDonald retired on a full pension in 2019 after 30 years of service. Made no comment yesterday. In day-to-day charge of Operation Midland when it was launched, former Detective Superintendent Kenny McDonald infamously told reporters in December 2014 that he, and senior officers specialising in both child abuse and murder, believed Nick's allegations to be 'credible and true'PATRICIA GALLAN: RETIREDAs a Met assistant commissioner at the time of Operation Midland, Miss Gallan received briefings from Mr Rodhouse. However she has appeared to blame him for blunders, saying he had 'operational control'. Formerly the highest-ranking black female in British policing, she said she did not approve raids on the homes of Lord Brittan, Lord Bramall or Harvey Proctor. She was cleared in a judge-led inquiry and retired in 2018. She is now a non-executive director at HMRC. As a Met assistant commissioner at the time of Operation Midland, Patricia Gallan received briefings from Mr RodhouseDAME CRESSIDA DICKHad oversight of Operation Midland when it was set up, as well as Operation Vincente, a probe into a bogus rape claim against Lord Brittan. Left the Met for a job at the Foreign Office but returned as 230,000-a-year commissioner in 2017. Dame Cressida Dick had oversight of Operation Midland when it was set upALISON HEPWORTH: RETIREDThe detective inspector authorised the applications used to raid homes before they were submitted to the court. Told investigators that despite her 'extensive' knowledge of Operation Midland, she could not recall what she knew about inconsistencies in Nick's claims at the time, and insisted the decision to apply for warrants was made 'at a higher level'. Had already retired on a full pension before the IOPC inquiry started. Provided a written statement to watchdog. Detective Inspector Alison Hepworth authorised the applications used to raid homes before they were submitted to the courtERIC SWORD: RETIREDA detective sergeant working on Operation Midland, Mr Sword made the applications for search warrants used to raid homes and attended Westminster Magistrates' Court to answer questions when they were granted. He indicated he had no information that might undermine the application. He admitted he had been provided with a summary of Nick's interviews with Wiltshire Police, which could have highlighted discrepancies, but said he did not read it. Months later he became the first Scotland Yard officer to interview 'Nick', where he was taken in by the fantasist's preposterous claims. DS Townly became Nick's liaison officer and took him on drives through central London to see whether he 'recognised' anything, insisting the star witness was the 'real deal'. Avoided a misconduct probe. Still serving. WATCHDOG THAT DIDN'T BARKMichael LockwoodA former council leader and accountant, he became the first director-general of the Independent Office for Police Conduct in 2017. The 185,000-a-year executive ultimately presided over the 'whitewash' report exonerating all five Operation Midland police officers referred over alleged misconduct. He defended the report in a Guardian newspaper article, maintaining 'shortcomings' were found, but no misconduct. A former council leader and accountant, Michael Lockwood became the first director-general of the Independent Office for Police Conduct in 2017He was accused of cronyism in 2019 when it emerged he hired his former Harrow council colleague as his taxpayer-funded 140,000-a-year deputy. The IOPC said that Mr Lockwood 'declared that he knew the candidate, in accordance with policy'. Mr Lockwood declined to comment on Lady Brittan's interview yesterday. Kimberley WilliamsKimberley Williams was appointed lead investigator of the IPOC probe into Operation MidlandAppointed 'lead investigator' of the IOPC probe into Operation Midland just a few years after leaving university. In her 20s at the time, Miss Williams admitted when taking statements that she had no legal training and was not fully aware of the process for obtaining search warrants. She is thought still to be in IOPC employment. Pressure grows for Tom Watson to lose his high-ranking music job as fallout from false 'VIP paedophile ring' claim rages onBy Paul Revoir, Glen Keogh and Claire Ellicott for the Daily MailLeading musicians last night called for Tom Watson to step aside from his role as chairman of UK Music over his involvement in the VIP paedophile inquiry. Concerns over the former Labour deputy leader's position grew yesterday after Lord Brittan's widow spoke out about the devastating impact of his involvement in false claims made against her late husband. Lady Brittan said Mr Watson had carried out 'the most despicable thing I think a human being could do to another' by joining the accusers. One singer questioned how the former MP could have any 'credibility' in his role at the industry group given his 'disgraceful and overly eager support' of sick fantasist Carl Beech. Carol Decker, of 80s chart-toppers T'Pau, said she and fellow musicians had questioned Mr Watson's suitability even without the Beech scandal. Leading musicians last night called for Tom Watson to step aside from his role as chairman of UK Music over his involvement in the VIP paedophile inquiry'It stinks like a rotting fish,' she added. 'And after his disgraceful and overly eager support for the totally discredited Carl Beech how can he have any credibility in the position and do any good whatsoever for the membership? 'Who would want to deal with him? His position as chair makes no sense on any level morally or actually.' Mike Batt, who was behind The Wombles pop group and wrote the number one Bright Eyes, said it was a mistake for UK Music to 'even to entertain him as a candidate'. He added: 'It was a risk too far to bring him into this position and I do hope that UK Music sees sense and takes this opportunity and this moment to ask Mr Watson to step down or that Mr Watson might even have the decency to resign.' Mitch Murray, whose songs include How Do You Do It? for Gerry and the Pacemakers, said he considered Mr Watson 'unsuitable' to chair the music body. The criticism comes amid broader concerns over the way the job was awarded to Mr Watson, the former shadow culture secretary, last year. It has been suggested that Mr Watson's support for Beech, who was jailed for his lies as well as for child sex offences, helped create an environment in which figures such as Radio 2 host Paul Gambacinni and Cliff Richard were falsely accused. Daniel Janner QC founded FAIR, Falsely Accused Individuals for Reform, after his late father Lord Janner was wrongly accused by Beech. He said the pressure group's key supporters, including Sir Cliff, 'can't comprehend that Tom Watson remains in his role at UK Music'. 'He is representing people who have been severely wronged,' he said. 'His position has become untenable in that organisation.' Lady Brittan yesterday used an interview with the Daily Mail to accuse Mr Watson of being 'despicable' and 'a coward' for making false sex abuse allegations against her husband in a newspaper column just three days after he died. A UK Music spokesman said: 'Tom Watson is focused on getting the music industry back on its feet and fighting for greater support for the thousands of musicians, creators and many others who have been unable to work for a year due to the devastating impact of Covid-19.' | 3 |
###CLAIM: on february 24, the house passed the equality act banning discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation, a victory for gay rights.
###DOCS: In a victory for LGBTQ rights, the House passed the Equality Act, a bill that would ban discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation, on February 24. All House Democrats and three House Republicans Reps. John Katko (NY), Tom Reed (NY), and Brian Fitzpatrick (PA) joined together to pass the bill, 224-206. Now, the legislation moves to the Senate, where it faces tougher opposition because it will need all 50 Democrats plus 10 Republican senators to pass it. The bill, which has been introduced four times in its current form but has existed since 1974, passed the House in 2019 but was blocked by the then-Republican-controlled Senate. The Equality Act would amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act to explicitly enumerate LGBTQ+ Americans as a class protected from discrimination. While the Supreme Court ruled in Bostock v. Clayton last year that discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity was unconstitutional under the sex provision in the Civil Rights Act thereby extending protections in housing, education, and employment to LGBTQ people the Equality Act would go further, banning discrimination for all federally funded programs and public accommodations, like stores, stadiums, rental establishments, and hotels. That last feature has been a sticking point for religious groups because it would prohibit businesses from claiming religious freedom to deny service to LGBTQ+ Americans, in turn explicitly superseding 1993s Religious Freedom Restoration Act. To use a famous example, a bakery would no longer be able to deny its wedding cake services to a same-sex couple based on the owners religion if the Equality Act were passed. LGBTQ groups lauded the bills passage in the House, noting the Equality Act was the culmination of decades of work from LGBTQ activists. At the Trevor Project, our crisis counselors constantly hear from LGBTQ young people who are negatively impacted by discrimination and stigma in their everyday life and want nothing more than to be treated with the same dignity and respect as everyone else, Amit Paley, executive director of the Trevor Project, which provides crisis services to LGBTQ people under 25, told Vox. We hope the Senate will act swiftly and send a strong message to LGBTQ young people that they deserve to be able to live their lives openly, proudly, and without fear.LGBTQ House Democrats also said the bill was a long-overdue step toward guaranteeing equal protection under the law. Today we send a powerful message to LGBTQ people around the country, and indeed around the world, that they are seen, that they are valued, that their lives are worthy of being protected, said Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-NY), one of the first openly LGBTQ Black members of Congress..@RepMondaire, one of the first openly LGBTQ Black members of Congress, supports the #EqualityAct on the House floor:"To grow up poor, Black and gay is to not see yourself anywhere. It is also to feel completely unseen as so many people around invalidate your very existence." pic.twitter.com/xWzF9jrsmY Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) February 25, 2021In a press conference, Democrats made direct appeals to their Republican colleagues in the Senate, saying the bill just extends the same protections to LGBTQ Americans as other protected classes. We want no more, nor should we accept any less, Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), one of two openly LGBTQ senators, said. They emphasized religious exemptions would apply the same way they do to race and sex. But a number of religious groups are lobbying against the bill, including the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Coalition for Jewish Values, which represents over 1500 Orthodox Jewish rabbis, and the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. Religious opposition has been the crux of the GOPs opposition, but Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has put Republicans in an awkward spot with her transphobic comments and actions over the vote this week, while Sen. Rand Paul spread transphobic misinformation at Dr. Rachel Levines confirmation hearing. Now, Republicans like Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) say the GOP needs to be more intentional in its anti-Equality Act messaging making clear they are tangentially opposed to LGBTQ+ equality because of purported religious freedom arguments rather than explicitly homophobic and transphobic. GLAAD, the worlds largest LGBTQ media advocacy group, countered that narrative, saying in a press release that majorities of all faith groups which have significant LGBTQ+ populations support anti-discrimination laws, including Catholics, Jews, and non-white Protestants. In the Senate, there are a few Republicans who may vote in support of the bill. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) cosponsored the bill in 2019, though she said she will not do so this time because certain provisions need revision. Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) have been supportive of LGBTQ+ rights before, though Portman said he could object on religious grounds. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) has already said he will oppose the bill. When asked how the Senate plans to get 60 votes, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) said he hopes the process will be like the 2013 Employment Non-Discrimination Act, a narrower bill that Democrats lobbied their Republican colleagues for to eventually get the requisite votes. Correction, March 31: An earlier version of this piece misidentified Sen. Jeff Merkley. | 0 |
###CLAIM: another allegation centres around a christmas party thrown by a well-known music company where a female victim of an abusive incident went home in tears.
###DOCS: The music world has been rocked by claims of bullying and abusive conduct towards women by powerful men at some of Britain's top record labels. Several women, including female artists and staff working in the multi-million-pound industry, have come forward with allegations of harrowing abuse by top executives. One well-respected senior female figure in the business even suggested last week that inappropriate behaviour by men in senior positions in the music business was 'endemic'. Insiders close to one of the UK's most influential music figures say crisis talks have already taken place to discuss how to handle the impact of a potential 'MeToo' scandal erupting within the industry. The Mail on Sunday can reveal that Rebecca Ferguson (above), who found fame on the X Factor in 2010, went to the Metropolitan Police earlier this month to report allegations of harassment and coercive control against a senior male industry figureWe can also reveal that Lily Allen (pictured) will use her forthcoming album to turn the tables on those she says have abused her. The title of each track will be the first name of a man within the music industry who she claims mistreated herThe Mail on Sunday can reveal that Rebecca Ferguson, who found fame on the X Factor in 2010, went to the Metropolitan Police earlier this month to report allegations of harassment and coercive control against a senior male industry figure. Ms Ferguson, 34, claims she was targeted while working to build her career after coming runner-up on the ITV show. The singer, who has agreed the MoS can reveal the complaint she made to police, has also met Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden to discuss problems within the industry. We can also reveal that Lily Allen will use her forthcoming album to turn the tables on those she says have abused her. The title of each track will be the first name of a man within the music industry who she claims mistreated her. Friends say that the move by Ms Allen, 36, who wrote about an alleged sexual assault by an industry figure during a work trip to the Caribbean in 2016, is a way of dealing with her trauma and is designed to send a message to the men about their behaviour. Meanwhile, multiple sources have cited an incident involving a married executive who is alleged to have aggressively approached and molested a junior member of his staff at a party after the Brit Awards ceremony in 2015, forcing her to flee in tears. A senior female executive also claims that she was sacked after years of being bullied, undermined and manipulated by her powerful line manager, who then made her sign a non-disclosure agreement preventing her from speaking out. Following scandals within the TV and film industries, the music industry is now braced for its MeToo reckoning. 'This is a ticking timebomb,' said a source. 'The things that have been going on for years are quite unbelievable. It is all showbiz glamour to the general public but the way that powerful men are treating women is abhorrent, and that is not an understatement. 'There are men who are very afraid of this coming out. It really is only a matter of time now.' The claims come three years after the MeToo and Time's Up movements exposed abuses in America, with film producer Harvey Weinstein revealed as a sexual predator and rapist. Yet the abuse continues with non-disclosure agreements often used to silence women. The claims come three years after the MeToo and Time's Up movements exposed abuses in America, with film producer Harvey Weinstein (above) revealed as a sexual predator and rapistOne insider said: 'This is very, very scary stuff. Someone I know talks about a very violent male rapist who is in the industry and working around women. Some of the stories are absolutely shocking.' In the 2015 Brit Awards incident, witnesses were left feeling 'extremely uncomfortable' as they watched a man employed by one of the world's most successful record labels 'get far too close' to a junior member of staff. She was distressed but fearful of losing her job. Another allegation centred on a Christmas party thrown by a well-known music company where the female victim of an abusive incident went home in tears. Another senior industry figure is said to have become so concerned by the behaviour of one of his employees that he had to intervene on behalf of women who were being bullied and harassed by him at work. Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Front Row programme last month, Naimi Pohl, Assistant General Secretary of the Musicians' Union, was asked why the industry was yet to have its MeToo moment. 'I think we've only scratched the surface to be honest,' she said. 'We've had about a hundred reports to our Safe Space service at the Musicians' Union. Reports have ranged from sexism to sexual assault.' | 1 |
###CLAIM: kim and rupert, managing director of the san francisco organization action and economics, said the resurgence of the virus was more worrying because mutant strains and strict locks weighed on growth more than previously hoped.
###DOCS: Drugmaker Merck ending its COVID-19 vaccine program as well as doubts resurfacing about whether the Biden administration's proposed $1.9 trillion stimulus plan could push through in Congress, also weighed on U.S. yields. Yields on benchmark 10-year, 20-year, and 30-year securities fell to three-week troughs. The yield curve also flattened on Monday, in line with the fall in long bond yields, with the gap between U.S. two-year and 10-year notes dropping to 91.50 basis points, its narrowest spread in three weeks. "There have been more concerns about the resurgence in the virus: the mutant strains, and the more strict lockdowns are weighing more on growth than was hoped for previously," said Kim Rupert, managing director of global fixed income analysis at Action Economics in San Francisco. U.S. coronavirus deaths surged to nearly 420,000 late on Sunday, with 25 million known cases, according to a Reuters tally. Tom di Galoma, managing director at Seaport Global in New York, also said the rally in Treasuries extended after Merck pulled out of its COVID vaccine plan. Merck & Co said on Monday it would stop development of its two COVID-19 vaccines and focus pandemic research on treatments, with initial data on an experimental oral antiviral expected by the end of March. In early afternoon trading, the U.S. benchmark 10-year yield fell to 1.044%, from 1.091% late on Friday. It earlier fell to 1.038%, its lowest since Jan. 7. U.S. 30-year yields slid to 1.8% from Friday's 1.856%, after earlier dropping to a three-week low of 1.791%. U.S. 20-year bond yields also weakened to a three-week trough and were last down at 1.608%. "Technicals have capped the upside in rates," Action's Rupert said. "Rates have been under pressure for a while, so we saw long-term rates pop up to their highest level in nearly a year. So we're still kind of retreating from those levels." On the front end of the curve, U.S. two-year yields were down slightly at 0.12%, from 0.125% on Friday. The break-even inflation rate on 10-year TIPS, meanwhile, which measures expected annual inflation for the next 10 years, dropped to its lowest since late December. It was last at 2.015%, down from Friday's 2.017%. Also on Monday, the Treasury's $60 billion auction of U.S. two-year notes showed decent results. The high yield of 0.125% was below the "when-issued" level or consensus estimate at the bid deadline. The bid-to-cover ratio, a gauge of demand, was solid at 2.67 versus an average of 2.52. Indirect bidders, which include foreign central banks, took 56.6% of supply, compared with an average of 50.6%. Investors are also on focused on this week's Federal Open Market Committee meeting. "Given the consistent refrain from policymakers of rates at the effective lower bound and QE (quantitative easing) continuing at the current pace, there is limited scope for any hawkish surprise," BMO wrote in Monday's note. | 0 |
###CLAIM: in his address to the nation, ramaphosa said the arrival of this vaccine `` contains the promise that we can turn the tide on this devastating disease which has caused so much devastation and hardship in our country and across the world. ''
###DOCS: JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African President Cyril Ramaphosa hailed the arrival of the first doses of COVID-19 vaccine on Monday as a chance to turn the tide on a disease that has devastated the country. FILE PHOTO: President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers his State of the Nation address at parliament in Cape Town, South Africa, February 13, 2020. REUTERS/Sumaya HishamOnce testing of the batches is completed, the first shots will be given to health workers, who have been stretched during a second wave of infections and have been critical of the government for not securing supplies sooner. Ramaphosa and other top officials were at the OR Tambo international airport to receive the 1 million shots of the AstraZeneca vaccine, produced by the Serum Institute of India (SII). The arrival of these vaccines contains the promise that we can turn the tide on this disease that has caused so much devastation and hardship in our country and across the world, Ramaphosa said in an address to the nation. South Africa has recorded the most COVID-19 infections and deaths on the African continent, at more than 1.4 million cases and over 44,000 deaths to date. Since late last year, it has battled a more contagious virus variant called 501Y.V2 that has also been detected in countries in Europe, the Americas and Asia. The shots that arrived on Monday will be checked over roughly 10 to 14 days before inoculations can begin. The SII is due to send another 500,000 doses later this month, but more will be needed to cover South Africas 1.25 million health workers, as the AstraZeneca/Oxford University vaccine is administered in two doses. BEEFED UP SECURITYOfficials say the country has secured more than 50 million vaccine doses via bilateral negotiations with pharmaceutical companies, the COVAX vaccine distribution scheme co-led by the World Health Organization and an African Union arrangement. That is almost enough to vaccinate its target of 40 million people, or two-thirds of the population, this year, given that a sizeable portion of the shots it expects to receive are of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which is administered in one dose. Other African countries are more reliant on COVAX or the AU to deliver doses, and the majority are yet to receive their first vaccine shipments. The Biovac Institute, the company that will store and distribute the first 1 million doses, has beefed up security and made backup plans in case there are power outages, its Chief Executive Morena Makhoana told Reuters. A random sample of vaccine vials will be sent to Bloemfontein for quality assurance by medical regulator SAHPRA, Makhoana added. Ramaphosa said COVAX would release 2 million doses by March, while shots developed by Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson doses will start to be delivered in the second quarter. The National Treasury estimates it could cost up to 24 billion rand ($1.6 billion) to vaccinate 40 million South Africans. | 0 |
###CLAIM: saltley highfield junior and infant school closed to pupils and staff after a number of unconfirmed cases.
###DOCS: AdvertisementThousands of students are having their return to school curtailed because of coronavirus outbreaks in the classroom amid a fiasco over testing. Headteachers have warned that schools which were closed for months because of the pandemic will 'grind to a halt' if teachers and pupils can't get tested quickly to avoid whole-school closure. At least 30 schools have closed completely already because of cases and one headteacher in Preston said this morning that he already has two staff self-isolating at home and struggling to get tested, along with 10 children. Another 300 in England and Wales have sent class groups home after receiving positive test results. Pupils in Scotland had all returned by August 12, and they are also dealing with a number of outbreaks. And Northern Ireland schools were back in classrooms on August 31, despite a survey from NI's largest teaching union saying a majority of staff 'feel anxious and stressed' about returning. Jim Blakely, head at Garstang St Thomas' School, told the Today programme: 'At the moment I've got two members of staff not here. My Year 4 teacher was sent home last Wednesday due to Covid symptoms, a persistent cough, but there were no tests available on Wednesday. 'So he kept trying to book during the day and in the evening, and there was some test available in some strange places, and these are the same places that parents in my school have been directed to like Aberdeen and Llandudno. 'Not only are they miles away, but they are in Wales and Scotland. There is very little local testing.' Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said disruption to pupils' education could worsen in the months to come. 'While only a small number of schools have had to close because of outbreaks, we are regularly hearing reports of groups of pupils and staff having to self-isolate in response to positive cases. The concern is that this disruption will worsen as winter approaches.' Downing Street have said that the vast majority - around 99 per cent - of schools have reopened as planned this month. 'There is a very small number of schools which have asked some or all of their pupils to remain at home,' they said. 'Children who are self-isolating continue to receive remote education from home.' Here is a list of all schools in England and Wales known to have been affected by a positive coronavirus test:More than 330 schools in England and Wales have either shut completely or sent some class groups home after receiving positive test results. Pictured: Blackfordby St Margaret's CE Primary School, Derbyshire is closedEnglandNORTH WESTAccringtonMount Carmel RC High School told every Year 7 pupil to remain at home after a pupil in the year group tested positive for Covid-19. A pupil also caught the bug at Accrington Academy - students who were in 'very close and prolonged proximity' to the infected pupil were told they needed to quarantine for 14 days at home. St Christopher's CE High School confirmed on September 7 that two pupils had the disease, but said it would remain open. A class at St Anne's and St Joseph's school were told to self-isolate for two weeks following a case. It is not known if it is a pupil or member of staff that has been affeted. BarnoldswickCoates Lane Primary School confirmed a positive case Covid-19 - a number of individuals who may have been in close contact have been asked to isolate. BlackburnTwo students and one teacher at Blackburn College tested positive for coronavirus. Students and staff who have been in direct contact with the teacher and two pupils are being asked to self-isolate at home for 14 days. At Blackburn High School three year groups have been sent home due to a coronavirus case in each - year 10, year 9 and year 7. Lammack Primary School contacted parents after positive cases of coronavirus were confirmed among pupils. A class at the Blackburn school has been advised to take precautionary measures and self-isolate following instructions from Public Health England. A year 9 pupil tested positive at Witton Park Academy and the whole year group were sent home. The parents of Year 7 students at Pleckgate High School were contacted following a positive case in that year group. BoltonThree schools in Bolton have had outbreaks. They are:St Bernard's RC, Bolton - (Year 5 bubble)Beaumont Primary, Bolton - (Reception)Clarendon Primary, Bolton - (Year 6 bubble)Downing Street have said that the vast majority - around 99 per cent - of schools have reopened as planned this month. Pictured: St Mark's Primary School, Swanage, Dorset which also closed due to an outbreakBurnleyA Year 7 at Unity College caught the bug on the first day back to school. He had shown no symptoms but was immediately collected by his family and told to self-isolate. All other 25 students in the Year 7 'bubble' were sent home on Wednesday afternoon and will also self-isolate for 14 days. BuryFive schools in Bury have had coronavirus outbreaks. They are:Heaton Park Primary School, Bury - (Class 2W and Year 3)Lowercroft Primary School, Bury - (Year 6)Prestolee Primary School, RadcliffeSt Bernadette's RC Primary, Whitefield - (Nursery, Years 1, 2, 5 and 6)St Gabriel's RC High School, Bury - (Year 11)Cheshire'Several' cases of coronavirus were reported in unspecified Cheshire West schools this week, Cheshire West and Chester Council said. All schools affected have successfully completed contact tracing, while all staff and pupils who have been in contact with those suffering symptoms have been advised to self-isolate for 14 days. CarlisleA pupil at Stanwix School tested positive for the bug, prompting some pupils there to self-isolate. LeylandAn entire class of primary school pupils and their teacher was told to self-isolate after a pupil tested positive at Leyland Methodist Infant and Junior Schools. Parents of Year 1 pupils have been asked to keep their children at home after the school was notified of a positive Covid-19 case. LongridgeSt Cecilia's Roman Catholic High Schoo has asked 13 members of staff to self-isolate for 14 days after a teacher tested positive. Years 7, 8 and 9 will not return to school until September 17 and have been told to access learning from home. 160 pupils at Two Mile Hill Primary School in Bristol are at home self-isolating following an outbreakManchesterTwelve schools in Manchester have had coronavirus outbreaks. What has gone wrong with coronavirus testing in the UK? People across England are struggling to get access for swab tests which are used to confirm whether or not they have Covid-19. These should be available on the day at drive/walk-through centres or by mail order but many have reported being unable to get them, and instead being met by a 'service busy' message on the booking website. This is even reportedly a problem in areas with local lockdowns, where testing is crucial and mobile test sites are set up to speed up the process. Why are tests not available for everyone who wants them? The Government's testing system is still not set up to cope with the surging demand now being placed on it. It was never advanced enough to offer everyone a test, which is why only people with symptoms are supposed to book the swabs. Numbers of people catching the virus are rising across the country and the number of people wanting tests is increasing as a result. Although the Department of Health claims it can process 243,817 swab tests per day, the system is stalling at a lower level 205,659 were done on Thursday, September 10, the most recent data. Health officials have blamed laboratory capacity for the shortage, and the testing chief at NHS Test & Trace apologised for this last week. Is a lack of staff in labs really to blame? One suggestion is that labs may not have enough technical staff able to operate the machines that process the swabs. More labs are being set up and more staff employed, but this could take weeks or months to translate to big gains in testing capacity. One of the scientists who helped set up the system, however, has rejected this and said labs are operating normally and 'there are problems elsewhere in the chain'. The University of Birmingham's Professor Alan McNally said on BBC Breakfast: 'The labs are still fully staffed, they are still churning through huge amounts of samples per day - the same number as they were a couple of months ago - so there are problems elsewhere in the chain... 'I think this is multi-factorial. I think you almost have a perfect storm of events that have come together to almost essentially crash the testing system. 'I think there is a surge in demand [and] I think our stated capacity is very different from actually how many tests can be run in a given day.' What is the impact of growing pressure on test labs? A large workload for testing labs around the UK means that people's results are taking longer to process many people have to wait more than the target 24 hours to find out their result. This means that the government is throttling the number of tests that are sent out, to avoid completely overwhelming the system, so people in some areas are finding it difficult to access swabs. There are concerns that a system that is frustrating or slow to use will put people off and members of the public will stop bothering to use it. Should people still be ordering tests? Yes, anyone who has symptoms of coronavirus (a cough, fever or lost sense of taste/smell) must order a test however they can. People who do not have symptoms, and have not been instructed by a medical professional to get tested, should not order a test. AdvertisementMerseysideWest Derby School was the first in the city to send children home after a confirmed case. A total of 56 pupils and three staff members will now spend 14 days self isolating at home following the positive test. Half of all pupils at Sudley Junior School were sent home after it recorded two positive coronavirus cases, with pupils in Years 3 and 5 now isolating. A member of "the school community" at Broad Square Primary School tested positive, meaning they are their bubble are in self-isolation. Pupils in Year 11 at Liverpool College have to isolate for two weeks after a positive coronavirus tests. In Everton Hunts Cross Primary School and Our Lady of Immaculate School had to send some pupils home after an outbreak. English Martyrs Catholic Primary Year 5 pupils have to spend a fortnight at home after a member of staff got the bug where as Litherland Moss shut entirely after Year 3 pupils tested positive. Woodchurch High School and Co-op Academy Bebington have collectively have to tell hundreds of students to self-isolate after pupils at the former and staff at the latter caught the disease. Ridgeway High School, Brackenwood Infant School and Bidston Village Primary School have been affected to an unknown extent after reported cases. Meadow Park School - a pupil referral unit - closed after an outbreak among staff. All Saints Catholic High School remains open despite two pupils testing positive for coronavirus last week. Parents of children at Longton Lane Primary School received an email on Tuesday morning informing them there had been a confirmed case of Covid-19 at Kidzone, the neighbouring private nursery that also provides Longton Lane's after-school club. Holly Lodge Girls college in Liverpool has confirmed three cases of coronavirus, with those testing positive now self-isolating. A school manager told MailOnline that Public Health England was 'satisfied' there was no risk of an outbreak and the school could remain open. OldhamThirteen schools in Oldham have had coronavirus outbreaks. PrestonDozens of students were sent home from Cardinal Newman College after a positive case of coronavirus on September 7. Students who share classes with the infected student must self-isolate for 14 days. RochdaleTen schools in Rochdale have had coronavirus outbreaks. Pictured: Royal Wootton Bassett Academy near Swindon, Wiltshire where 284 students are self isolatingSalfordFive schools in Salford have had coronavirus outbreaks. They are:Harrop Fold, Salford - (Year 11)Buile Hill Academy, Salford - (Year 7)Co-op Academy Swinton - (Year 7 and Year 10)Ellenbrook Primary School, Walkden, Salford - (One class from Year 3)Salford City Academy, Eccles - (Small number in Year 11)SkelmersdaleA member of staff at Our Ladys Queen of Peace College tested positive for Covid-19, leaving them and four of their colleagues to self-isolate for 14 days. StockportThree schools in Stockport have had coronavirus outbreaks. They are:St Winifreds RC Primary, Heaton MerseyDidsbury Road Primary School, Stockport - (Year 1)Adswood Primary, Stockport - (Year 1, Year 2, one class from Y5/6TamesideThree schools in Tameside have had coronavirus outbreaks:Great Academy Ashton, Tameside - (part of Y10)St Stephen's RC Primary School, Droylsden - (Confirmed case in Key Stage 2)St Anne's Primary School, Denton - (One class in Year 5)TraffordFour schools in Trafford have had coronavirus outbreaks. They are:Gorse Hill Primary School, Stretford - (Year 1)Brooklands Primary School, SaleSeymour Park Community Primary, Old TraffordUrmston Grammar - (Part of Year 12)WiganSix schools in Wigan have have coronavirus outbreaks. They are:St John Vianney RC School, Stretford - (Small number self-isolating)St Mary's Catholic High School, Astley, WiganSt Michael's CE Primary, Atherton, WiganWestleigh Methodist Primary School, Leigh - (Year 3 and Year 4)Dean Trust Wigan - (Year 8)Hawkley Hall High, Wigan - (Small number in Year 7)WhitworthAlthough its identity is not currently known, a Rossendale Borough Councillor has confirmed that several cases have been traced back to one school in Whitworth. The latest case in Rossendale's coronavirus outbreak that has seen its infection rate spike to become one of the worst in all of England. NO TESTS AVAILABLE 'IN 10 OF ENGLAND'S COVID-19 HOTSPOTS' No walk-in, drive-in or postal coronavirus tests are available for people with symptoms of the disease in England's 10 outbreak hotspots, it was claimed yesterday. Swabs are not available in Bolton, which is fighting the largest outbreak of the virus in the country with an infection rate of 122 cases for every 100,000 people. The Government website where testing slots are booked also shows there are no tests available in Salford, Bradford, Blackburn, Oldham, Preston, Pendle, Rochdale, Tameside and Manchester, according to LBC radio. When postcodes in each area are put into the testing system it allegedly comes up with the message: 'This service is currently very busy. More tests should be available later.' The leader of the council in Bolton, which has Britain's highest infection rate, said there were 'major flaws' with the online booking system and that it was out of the council's control because the Government runs it. He said the issue was 'unacceptable'. AdvertisementNORTH EASTBarnsleySt Helen's Primary Academy confirmed that a teacher tested positive for the virus, meaning all students in that teacher's class must now self-isolate for two weeks. On September 6, Athersley South Primary School confirmed that a positive case of the virus had been identified at the school. Students in Year 8 and 9 only were advised to stay home for two weeks and have been told they can return to school on September 17. On September 8, Wellgate Primary School confirmed they had one confirmed case of the virus within the school. On September 7, Barugh Green Primary School closed two of its class bubbles after a child in each was confirmed to have the virus. On September 10, two departments at Barnsley College were closed after three members of staff tested positive for coronavirus. ConsettConsett Academy told parents a child had tested positive on Tuesday. It said the school remains open however and that a small number of students are self-isolating. DarlingtonFour days after children returned to school Hummersknott Academy confirmed a Year 7 student had its first case of Covid-19. On Monday, Staindrop Academy told parents the school had a confirmed case. DurhamLaurel Avenue Primary School told parents on Monday that a pupil had tested positive. The day after that Belmont School confirmed that a member of non-teaching staff had tested positive for Covid-19, with Coxhoe Primary School following closely behind. There has been a confirmed case of Covid-19 at Seaham Trinity Primary School in County Durham, meaning Year 1 pupils have to stay home. GatesheadSt Thomas More Catholic School sent pupils home after a Year 9 student contracted the disease. HartlepoolSt Aidan's primary school saw a pupil or staff member test positive. Head teacher Lynn Chambers told parents that after taking advice from Public Health England, there was no need to close parts of the school or ask any children to self-isolate. Houghton le SpringShiney Row Primary School closed both Year 1 and Year 6 groups after a confirmed case within the school. Easington Lane Primary School shut its nursery after a member of staff tested positive for Covid-19 at the weekend. LanchesterThe whole of Year 8 at St Bede's Catholic School and Sixth Form Centre were told to self-isolate after an infection was confirmed at the Lanchester school. North ShieldsMarden High School's headteacher said a pupil had tested positive for the virus. RyhopeSt Patrick's Primary School is asking all children in reception to self-isolate for 14 days. StocktonStockton Riverside College confirmed a member of non-teaching staff had tested positive for the virus last week. Their symptoms developed overnight and they did not come in the following day. On Wednesday Thornaby Primary School told parents a member of non-teaching staff had tested positive for the virus. Ian Ramsey CE Academy confirmed a second positive Covid-19 case within the school. All Year 8 pupils must self-isolate at home for 14 days. Whitley BayMarine Park First School told children in some class to self-isolate on September 7 after a "small number" of coronavirus cases were detected in the primary school. YORKSHIRE AND HUMBERBradfordDixons Academies Trust, which runs 12 academies in Bradford and Leeds, has confirmed that two staff members and one student have tested positive for the virus at three academies. While the Trust has not named the schools, two of them are understood to be Dixons Trinity Academy and Dixons Kings Academy. A small number of staff and students have been asked to self-isolate. On September 8 , Bradford Academy wrote to parents informing them that a member of staff had the bug. The school said that Public Health England's advice was to keep the bubble that the teacher taught in open, as he had socially distanced while teaching. On September 12, Parkside School closed after two members of staff tested positive for coronavirus. CleethorpesA teacher at Cleethorpes Academy tested positive for Covid-19. However, because of the strict social distancing measures in place on the site, the school remains open to all other staff and pupils unless they fell unwell. Coulby NewhamThe King's Academy confirmed a positive test of a Year 7 pupil, prompting the entire year group to self-isolate. KeighleyA staff member at Beckfoot Oakbank School tested positive for the virus and was asked to stay home for two weeks. Three other members of staff were also asked to self-isolate after coming into close contact with the staff member, though the school's head teacher said that no students have been affected. LeedsBardsey Primary School will only welcome back Years 5 and 6 on September 8 after a member of staff tested positive. The rest of the school are now set for another week of home learning. On September 11, Castleton Primary School asked a small number of children to remain at home until September 21 after someone tested positive for the virus. MarsdenA child in Year 6 at Lisle Marsden Church of England Primary Academy tested positive. Parents of other Year 6 children who have been in close proximity to the pupil have been contacted, but all other children are continuing to attend. MiddlesboroughOutwood Academy Ormesby school leaders said in a short statement that a confirmed case had been found within the school community earlier this week. The person who tested positive did not contract the virus at the secondary school. On Tuesday a Year 7 pupil had tested positive for the virus at Kings Academy. Their whole year group will now have to self-isolate. Nunthorpe Academy confirmed it had seen a Covid-19 case. All those with close contact to the affected pupil were told to self-isolate until September 22. Hemlington Hall Academy is to close for 14 days after five staff members tested positive for coronavirus. OrmesbyOrmesby Primary School told its parents that all Year 5 pupils would need to self-isolate due to a confirmed case. RedcarA positive case had been recorded at St Benedicts RC primary school. Ings Farm Primary School has also seen a positive case, although it remains open to all but those directly in contact with the student. Manchester's High School for Girls is one of 12 in the city to have had a coronavirus outbreakMIDLANDSBeechdaleRobert Shaw Primary and Nursery School has told Year 5s to self-isolate after a teacher caught the disease. BicesterYear 2 pupils and some staff at Five Acres Primary School were told to stay at home for 14 days following an outbreak. BilboroughGlenbrook Primary School partially closed after a member of staff tested positive. BinghamRobert Miles Junior School sent a Year 5 bubble home after a member of staff tested positive. BirminghamPupils in Year 11 student at Greenwood Academy tested positive after showing symptoms of Covid-19, sparking a 14-day quarantine for classmates. A class of students at Erdington Academy have been sent home after a positive case. Year 8 and 11 bubbles at King Edward's Five Ways were told to self isolate after one pupil in each year group reported they had received a positive test result over the weekend. Hall Green Infant and Junior School sent home its Year 4 and 5s after positive cases, while a Year 1 class from Lakey Lane were sent home. All pupils and employees in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 at Prince Albert Primary School were told to stay home for 14 days. Yardley Primary School sent home pupils today after a positive case. BlabyBarlestone Primary School sent several pupils home after they came into contact with a student who tested positive for Covid-19. A Year 3 pupil caught the bug at Blaby Stone Primary, meaning everyone in the year had to self-isolate for 14 days. BlackfordbyBlackfordby Church of England Primary has been shut for a deep clean after an outbreak. A member of staff at St Cecilia's RC High School (pictured) tested positive on September 5. No pupils have been affected but 12 members of staff have been advised to self isolate for 14 days. BlythNewsham Primary School has sent its Year 1s home after a child tested positive. A reception class of 30 children at Bede Academy in Blyth have been advised to self-isolate until September 18 after a confirmed case. BraunstoneA teacher tested positive at Fullhurst Community College, leading Year 10 pupils to a period of self-isolation. BromfordPupils in Years 4 and 6 at Firs Primary Academy have been told to isolate for a fortnight following two confirmed cases at the school. Chapel HillA member of staff at St Cecilia's RC High School tested positive on September 5. No pupils have been affected but 12 members of staff have been advised to self isolate for 14 days. ChesterfieldParents of Year 5 students at Newbold Church of England Primary School in Cranborne Road were told to collect children on Thursday. CoalvilleA school visited by Boris Johnson on August 26 temporarily shut after a member of staff caught the disease. The Castle Rock School hosted the Prime Minister as he went on a press tour when schools reopened after months of lockdown. Only those staff and students who came into direct contact with the person infected will be made to stay home for two weeks, with Castle Rock due to open its doors on September 15 to everyone else. CorbyStudfall Junior Academy said a Year 4 pupil had tested positive for Covid-19. They are the only person that has had to self-isolate. A member of AYear 5 group at Hazel Leys Primary Academy tested positive, meaning their bubble has been told to home school for the next 14 days. CountesthorpeFour members of staff have had to isolate after a teacher caught the bug at Countesthorpe Leysland Community College. CoventryA child in Year 1 at Parkgate Primary School has caught the bug. Parents of all children in Year 1 at the school have been told that their child must self-isolate for 14 days as a precaution. Elsewhere in the city Longford Park Primary School, Foxford Community School, John Gulson Primary School, Park Hill Primary School and West Coventry Academy have reported cases. Before the weekend there were 23 confirmed cases in the city's school system. Croxton KerrialCroxton Kerrial Primary School has been closed after a positive case was reported. DesfordLast weekend at Bosworth Academy pupil found out they had the bug. They did not go to school on the Monday, meaning class can continue as normal. DudleyThe Wordsley School confirmed there had been a positive case on September 8. GranthamAll Year 7 pupils, along with four staff, have been sent home from Kings School. GrobyThree members of staff at Brookdale Groby Learning Campus must self-isolate after catching the virus. EvingtonJudgemeadow Community College pupils in Year 10 and 11 have been sent home after a student got the bug. HarlowThe Freshwaters Primary Academy closed on Tuesday after a number of students displayed coronavirus symptoms. The school announced it will stay shut until negative test results come back. Handsworth WoodParents were told to pick their children up from school as soon as possible on September 10 after a case was confirmed in Year 2 at Cherry Orchard Primary School and Nursery. HeanorSenior staff at Heanor Gate Science College confirmed that a year 10 pupil had contracted the disease. But because the youngster had not been in lessons since last Friday, no other students need to self-isolate. Howitt Primary Community School sent a number of children home, who were in the same "bubble", after a Year 6 pupil also tested positive for coronavirus. Robert Shaw Primary and Nursery School in Beechdale, near Nottingham has told Year 5s to self-isolate after a teacher caught the diseaseHucknallA member of staff at Holgate Primary and Nursery School tested positive, meaning they and 29 children were sent home. HumberstoneA single pupil has tested positive at Merrydale Infants School. A teacher has been infected at Falcons Primary, leading Year 4 students to self-isolate. A Humberstone Junior Academy child also has the bug, meaning they and their bubble have to self-isolate. KibworthA Year 10 student was sent home after one day back at Beauchamp College having tested positive. KingshurstTudor Grange Academy sent a letter to parents informing them that a Year 7 pupil had tested positive for Covid-19. The pupil was not in school whilst symptomatic but in accordance with guidelines, the pupils tutor and support bubble will be required to self-isolate. LeicesterThe Winstanley School has recorded a case. Parents have been urged to watch their children and get them to self-isolate if they begin showing symptoms. A member of staff and a teacher have tested positive for the bug at New College. A class bubble worth of pupils at English Martyrs School in Year 9 have been made to self-isolate after a pupil caught the disease. A single case at Wyvern Primary has seen several staff and pupils embark on a period of self-isolation, while a member of staff at Ellesmere College also has the bug. One student has been confirmed as having the virus at each of Orchard Mead Academy, Mowmacre Hill Primary, Catherine Infants School, Crown Hills Community College, City of Leicester College, Shenton Primary, Medway Primary, Overdale Infant School and Lancaster Academy. LoughboroughWoodbrook Vale School has had to send several dozen pupils home for a fortnight after a single pupil caught the bug. MansfieldTwo pupils at Berry Hill Primary School caught the bug, meaning two classes were put in self-isolation for two weeks. Market HarboroughA pupil at Ridgeway Primary Academy has tested positive for the coronavirus. They have been asked to self-isolate for 10 days. Other pupils who were in close contact with the child have been asked to self-isolate for two weeks. NorthamptonGreenfields Specialist School for Communication has recorded a case. Because the school is separated into zones to stop everyone mixing, only limited numbers have been sent home. Northampton International Academy sent one bubble of students home after a teacher caught the bug. NuneatonA pupil at Chetwynd Junior School tested positive. They have been told to self-isolate for 14 days along with people close to them. NottinghamMellers Primary School has been forced to close after a teacher tested positive for coronavirus. The school confirmed a Year 1 teacher had tested positive for Covid-19 in a statement on its website. OadbyBrocks Hill Primary School has told two Year 3 classes worth of pupils to stay home for 14 days after two children tested positive. A Year 10 pupil at Gartree High School tested positive, prompting the rest of the year being told to stay home until September 21. The whole of Year 8 at St Bede's Catholic School and Sixth Form Centre were told to self-isolate after an infection was confirmed at the Lanchester schoolOldburyPupils at Oldbury Academy were told they must self-isolate for 14 days on Friday, September 11. The rest of the school remains open, with children not directly affected by the case urged to attend as normal. RadfordMellers Primary School saw a Year 1 and Year 3 teacher test positive for coronavirus at the start of last week. All Year 1 and Year 3 pupils were been told to stay at home for 14 days and register for a test if they feel unwell. The school cannot currently reopen for the remaining pupils "for the time being" as too many staff members are either self-isolating or getting tested. QuintonYear 4 pupils at World's End Junior School have been ordered to remain at home. PRITI PATEL DENIES THERE ARE A LACK OF TESTS IN BADLY-HIT AREAS Home Secretary Priti Patel said it was 'wrong to say' that there were no tests available after she was quizzed about the long delays in trying to book a test in Bolton where the infection rate is the highest in England. Speaking on BBC Breakfast, she said: 'Tests are available, youve heard me say, particularly in local lockdown areas, Ive seen this myself, Ive seen the teams that have been working on this. 'Mobile testing is going in, capacity is going into local areas where lockdowns have been undertaken and are taking place. 'I think it is wrong to say tests are not available, new book-in slots are being made available every single day, mobile testing units are being made available. 'And on top of that home testing kits are being issued across the country but specifically in local lockdown areas.' The Government is 'surging capacity' in local lockdown areas and tests are available within a 10-mile radius, she added. Ms Patel said: 'Clearly there is much more work that needs to be undertaken with Public Health England and the actual public health bodies in those particular local areas. 'As a Government we work with Public Health England to surge where there is demand in local hotspot areas and we continue to do that. On access to testing, she said the majority of tests are available within a 10-mile radius. 'It seems to me therell be extreme cases where people cant get to test locations within that radius but that doesnt mean that Public Health England are not working night and day to boost capacity,' she added. AdvertisementRetfordA group of pupils from Carr Hill Primary School were sent home and told to self-isolate for 14 days after there was a positive case on-site. The school remains open. RocesterThe JCB Academy confirmed a positive case after being one of the first schools in England to reopen in August. It was closed on Friday September 4 as a precaution but reopened the following on Monday with around 100 students self-isolating. RothwellA Year 10 student in Montsaye Academy has caught the bug, meaning people in their bubble were told to self-isolate. RugbySt Matthews Bloxham Primary and Bilton High Schools have also both had positive cases. Neither of them have closed. SaltleyHighfield Junior and Infant School in Saltley closed to pupils and staff in Year 4 and 5 after an unconfirmed number of cases. SandwellThirty students at Moat Farm Junior School were told to self-isolate on September 10, the day after Year 4 pupils and teachers from Ocker Hill Academy were sent home. Foxyards Primary School has had to send two year groups home after an outbreak. A bubble has been told to self-isolate following a case in Year 9 at Stuart Bathurst Catholic High School. Wodensborough Ormiston Academy confirmed a student had tested positive, leaving 27 students and one staff member in self-isolation. SapcoteA child tested positive at All Saints Church of England. ScamptonScampton C of E Primary School sent a class load of pupils and a teacher home after a student tested positive. ScunthorpeSt Lawrence Academy took precautionary measures after a member of staff tested positive for coronavirus. SheffieldOn September 6 Birkdale School confirmed that sixth form students would be staying at home for two weeks following one of them testing positive for the virus. The school's head teacher said that sixth formers were in a bubble and, as such, only came into contact with one another. On September 7, Chaucer School confirmed that there had been a positive case of the virus at their school. The school said that a small number of children will have been in prolonged contact with the person who tested positive and have been asked to stay home for two weeks. SilebyHighgate Primary has had one confirmed case, meaning a small number of their close contacts are now in isolation. ShepshedA pupil from Oxley Primary School caught the bug, meaning their classmates were sent home for two weeks. ShrewsburyA member of staff at Shrewsbury Academy tested postive for Covid 19 and has immediately isolated. The school has not shut, despite parents worried by reports on social media queueing outside the school in the middle of the day to collect their children. Four days after children returned to school, Hummersknott Academy in Darlington confirmed a Year 7 student had its first case of Covid-19SkellingthorpeA member of staff at the Holt Primary School tested positive, meaning they, three colleagues and 30 children have to self-isolate. The school currently remains open to all other pupils. SolihullColeshill Heath School informed parents of a positive case on September 9. It was not confirmed whether a pupil or staff member was the confirmed case and the affected class bubble has been shut. A person also tested positive for coronavirus at Light Hall School. SECOND WAVE TO BLAME FOR LACK OF TESTS, TOP EXPERT CLAIMS An Oxford University expert who has been overseeing the government's antibody testing programme and advising ministers blamed a second wave for the testing fiasco. Sir John Bell, regius professor of medicine at Oxford, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that a spike in Covid-19 cases had led to a surge in demand for tests. He said: 'I think what's going wrong is the second wave. 'A month ago they had spare capacity in testing - significant spare capacity - but I think what has been underestimated was the speed at which the second wave would arrive, but also the pressure put on the system from children returning to school, and the testing demands associated with that, and people increasingly out and about. 'So, I think they are definitely behind the curve in terms of getting the necessary tests for what we need today." Sir John said there would be a 'significant increase' in testing capacity over the next two weeks. 'But this will get worse because of course we haven't hit winter yet - we haven't all started to sniffle, get fevers, get colds, and that's going to add additional confusion to the problem,' he said. 'The demand will go up. The real question is whether they can get supply in a position where it can outpace demand, and that's the challenge at the moment.' AdvertisementSouthwellLowe's Wong Junior School sent 31 children home following a positive case of coronavirus on site. SpaldingA student tested positive at Spalding High School, leaving the establishment to undertake a deep clean. The school remains open as usual. SparkbrookA Year 6 class is closed to pupils at Conway Primary School after a pupil tested positive for coronavirus. All pupils and staff in the affected class are now self-isolating for 14 days. StamfordThree cases of coronavirus affecting pupils at the Stamford Endowed Schools were confirmed. Stourport-on-SevernSome pupils at Burlish Park Primary School have been told to isolate after a coronavirus case was reported. TamworthThe Rawlett School said that the staff member and a Year 8 student are self-isolating along with all other pupils in the bubble. Approximately 200 pupils were being sent home last week. TelfordA primary reception pupil at Hadley Learning Centre contracted the virus, meaning children in the same class must stay at home until further notice. TowcesterOne Year 9 pupil from Sponne School caught the bug, landing 15 of their classmates in self-isolation. TrowellA teacher at Trowell Church of England Primary School was sent to hospital but is said to be "in good spirits" having tested positive for coronavirus. Public Health England instructed that the school close for 14 days. WaingroveBlackthorns Primary School confirmed that 32 pupils and five members of staff were told to self-isolate on September 11. WalsallGrace Academy Darlaston had to send some Year 7 students home after an outbreak. A Year 7 student at Aldridge School also caught the bug, but they had not been in school. WednesburyA total of 27 pupils at Wodensborough Ormiston Academy have been forced to self-isolate following a positive case. Parents of children in Year 9 attending Stuart Bathhurst Catholic High School in Wednesbury received a letter telling them to enforce isolation for 14 days after an outbreak. WellingboroughSir Christopher Hatton Academy econdary school has confirmed a single case of coronavirus. All year groups remain open, with a small number of students self-isolating as a precaution. West BridgfordHeymann Primary and Nursery School has told several pupils to self-isolate after two confirmed cases. WigstonA Year 12 pupil tested positive at Wigston College, meaning the year must now isolate for two weeks. WolverhamptonCodsall Community High School confirmed that two students, one in Year 11 and one in the Football Academy, had tested positive for Covid and their classmates had been told to self-isolate. 'Following an in-depth analysis of our mitigation measures in school... we have been advised that the school can remain open and, providing your child remains well, they can continue to attend school as normal,' the headteacher said in a letter to pupils. One mother with a 15-year-old son at the school told MailOnline that he was 'terrified' of going back, but added that 'if you dont send your child to school they will fine you 80 per day'. Pupils at Springdale Primary School in Year 6 have been asked to self-isolate after a pupil tested positive for coronavirus, with Year 3s at Whitgreave Primary School also sent home. Thirty pupils in Woden Primary School's Year 6 were told to self-isolate after a student tested positive for coronavirus on September 8, three days before Codscall Community High School had a confirmed case. All Year 11 pupils at Highfields School have had to go home, as with Year 8s at Bilbrook Middle SchoolAmethyst Sixth closed to its 250 students after a teacher tested positive for coronavirus, while East Park Academy sent home two different year groups after two students tested positive for coronavirus. A member of staff at Royal Primary School caught the bug, meaning around 100 people had to self-isolate. Two members of staff at Ormiston SWB Academy caught the disease. Wyre ForestPupils in two reception classes at Burlish Park Primary School have been told to self-isolate following a positive case. WythallA Year 7 class at Woodrush High School is self-isolating for 14 days after a pupil tested positive for coronavirus. EAST ANGLIAHaverhillFive members of staff tested positive at Samuel Ward Academy. The school closed on Monday for a deep clean to be carried out and so the headteacher can establish who the staff members have been in contact with. It reopened on Wednesday. HitchinHitchin Boys' School closed after a member of staff tested positive. A 'significant number' of other staff are having to self isolate and a 'few cases' where pupils had closer contact with the staff member. Head teacher Fergal Moane confirmed the school is looking at a mixture of remote and on-site learning for the two week period. Kings LangleyThere has been a positive Covid-19 test of a Year 5 student at Kings Langley Primary School. The year five bubble were told to self-isolate for 14 days. NorwichA pupil or member of staff at George White Junior School was told to self-isolate for 14 days after testing positive for the coronavirus. Old BuckenhamOld Buckenham High School closed last week after a member of staff tested positive. RadlettA 'small number of pupils' tested positive at the Hertsmere Jewish Primary School and three classes have been self-isolating as a result. Welwyn Garden CityA student at the Stanborough School tested positive for Covid-19. The whole year 8 cohort was told to self isolate for 14 days as a result. SOUTH EASTAylesfordA Year 6 pupil from Valley Invicta Primary School tested positive and the whole year group were told to self isolate. AylesburyA student at Aylesbury Grammar School has tested positive for Covid-19. One form group from Year 8 has been told to isolate as a result. AshfordThere has been a case reported at Echelford Primary School. BattleClaverham Community College has had a confirmed case of Covid-19 but remains open. BracknellParents of students at Garth Hill College, Edgbarrow and The Brakenhale School have received letters warning that there have been outbreaks. Four students from Garth Hill's sixth form are in isolation as are an unspecified number from Brakenhale's Year 13. It is not known what year has been affected from Edgebarrow. BromleyBromley College has been deep cleaned after a staff member tested positive for coronavirus - though students have been told to still attend. Red Hill Primary School confirmed an individual at the school has coronavirus and that everyone who was considered a 'close contact' has been asked to self-isolate for 14 days. BusheyTwo members of staff tested positive at the Bushey Meads Academy and were sent home immediately. No students have been in close contact with the staff members. The headteacher says the school is safe and all necessary Public Health England advice is being followed. ChelmsfordThe head teacher of Great Baddow High School in Chelmsford confirmed that one of the pupils at the institution has received a positive diagnosis for Covid-19. CheshamAn unknown number of pupils at Chesham Grammar School caught the virus last week. Most of them are said to have been infected abroad during the school holidays. The school had not reopened when the cases were confirmed. ChobhamA pupil at Valley End C of E Infant School caught the bug. CroydonA staff member at Ridgeway Primary School and Nursery tested positive last Saturday - a couple of days before pupils returned for the new academic year. Dartford'A number of staff' at Longfield Academy have been told to self-isolate after a member of support staff is unwell with a suspected case of Covid-19, a spokesman has said. Given the circumstances of the case it is being treated as a confirmed case. DidcotHadden Hill Nursery was be closed until September Friday 11 following an outbreak. The nursery has not specified whether it is a child or a member of staff who has coronavirus. EnfieldWilbury Primary School welcomed back children on Monday but on Tuesday the school was forced to close a 'bubble class' after a child tested positive for the virus. GuildfordSandfield Primary School wrote to parents on September 7 to confirm it had sent the Year 3 bubble home after a positive case. HershamBell Farm Primary School sent letters to parents informing them that pupils in Year 1 have contracted the virus. HoveSix people have now tested positive for the coronavirus at Cardinal Newman Catholic School since the start of term. It is thought the cases are linked to an eighteenth birthday party, also attended by a Brighton, Hove And Sussex VI Form College student. A further three students at the college contracted the disease, with nine people in total now in isolation. HounslowHeston Community School has suffered one positive case. The school has sent home one tutor group to self-isolate 'as a precautionary measure' but will remain open for everyone else. Cranford Community College announced a 'new female student' had received a positive test. A total of 27 students and two teachers who had been in contact with her have been told to self-isolate. Isle of WightCowes Primary School sent letters to parents saying an individual had coronavirus. The council said the school is following the advice of Public Health England and has asked the other children in that class bubble, the teacher and teaching assistant to self-isolate for 14 days. MaidenheadManor Green School is the latest school to see positive test result. Headteacher Joolz Scarlett said: "Opening the school in an international pandemic is not without risk, and were a special school, so so some pupils have very complex special needs which make them vulnerable. So we have given parents the option to continue home schooling. Very few parents have taken us up on that offer and most pupils are in." MarlowThere has been an outbreak amongst Sir William Borlase's Grammar School pupils. It is not known how many pupils were affected. MedwayA Strood Academy employee and three other members of staff have been advised to self isolate after a positive case at the school. OxfordThe Cherwell School advised pupils and parents that an unnamed employee had contracted Covid-19 and was self-isolating. Students are still expected to come to school. ReadingA "class bubble" at Katesgrove Primary School, 30 pupils plus a teacher and an assistant, were sent home after a positive test this week. They must now self-isolate for a period of 14 days. RayleighA member of staff at Sweyne Park School tested positive for the virus. Any other staff member or pupil who came into close contact with the affected person has been sent home. SittingbourneFive schools in Sittingbourne have been hit with coronavirus outbreaks. SloughIt has been confirmed Upton Court Grammar School in Slough has had a pupil test positive for the virus. SnodlandAn entire primary school class was sent home after several children fell ill with symptoms of coronavirus at St Katherine's School. An entire primary school class was sent home after several children fell ill with symptoms of coronavirus. StainesAshford Park Primary School wrote to parents on September 4 saying: "We have been advised by Public Health England that there has been a confirmed case of COVID-19 within the school." It is not yet known whether the confirmed case was a pupil or member of staff at the school. There has also been a confirmed case at Laleham Primary School. SuttonThe whole of Year 2 at Devonshire Primary School has been told to stay at home for two weeks following an infection. SydenhamParents of pupils in Year 4 at Adamsrill Primary School received an email informing them of a positive Covid-19 test and were told to keep their children home. ThatchamKennet School confirmed on September 10 that a student has contracted the virus just days after schools reopened. TottenhamA school in Tottenham has closed for two days after confirming two cases of coronavirus. The two positive cases at Duke's Aldridge Academy are in Year 7 and Year 8, and all pupils in those years have been sent home 'until further notice'. Virginia WaterTrumps Green Infant School has had a positive case amongst either the students or teachers. WandsworthSt Michael's Primary School parents were told on Tuesday that a case had been recorded. Children in the bubbles affected were sent home and told to self-isolate for 14 days. WokingWinston Churchill School has had a teacher or student test positive. SOUTH WESTBristolOne Year 6 child has been diagnosed with the bug at Shirehampton Primary School. The entire year group is self-isolating for 14 days. Two Mile Hill Primary School tested positive leading 160 students of mixed ages to self-isolate. John William Oasis Academy saw one confirmed case, leading all of Year 7 to isolate. Kings' Forest Primary School had one Year 1 pupil test positive, with the result being their 27 class mates being put in isolation. CalneSt Margarets Preparatory School has asked all 27 pupils and three staff in Year 3 to self-isolate for 14 days. PlymouthA student at Plymouth College tested positive for coronavirus. The private school, located in Ford Park, confirmed a Year 11 day pupil has received a positive result for Covid-19 and the whole Year 11 "year group bubble" will isolate at home for a quarantine period of 14 days. SherborneThe Gryphon School said that staff and students who had been in close contact with a Year 13 student who tested positive have been identified and advised to self-isolate. SturminsterYewstock School is now undergoing a deep clean meaning classrooms are remaining shut to students. SwanageSt Mark's Primary School said it would shut for two weeks after a staff member caught the bug. SwindonA pupil tested positive for Lainesmead Primary School, meaning their Year 5 bubble has been made to self-isolate. TrowbridgeOne pupil and four members of staff at St Augustine's Catholic College tested positive, landing 160 people with two weeks of self-isolation. Western-super-MareHans Price Academy will stay open after a teacher tested positive over the weekend. WinscombeChurchill Academy has asked 57 pupils to stay home for a fortnight after one student caught Covid-19. WimborneMerley First School, near Bournemouth has reported confirmed cases. Queen Elizabeth school confirmed that two Year 9 students had contracted the virus, and two tutor groups would be isolating for 2 weeks. Royal Wootton BassettA pupil at Royal Wootton Bassett Academy has tested positive for coronavirus, leaving 284 Year 9s to self isolate until 25 September. WalesBridgendBridgend council has confirmed a case at two schools this week. Both Ysgol Bryn Castell in Brynmenyn and Maesteg School have been affected by staff having tested positive. Pupils are to return as planned on Monday, aside from Key Stage 4 students at Ysgol Bryn Castell who will come back on September 21. CarmarthenThere was one positive test recorded at Ysgol y Dderwen primary in Carmarthen. The council said the school were dealing with the case "in line with its test, trace and protect procedures". CwmbranTorfaen council confirmed a staff case at Woodlands Community primary in Cwmbran. The member of staff did not come into contact with pupils. | 0 |
###CLAIM: the affidavit said lucas placed a sterilizing bin inside the female victim's classroom and placed a dolly device inside the classroom and the girl was the classroom wheel.
###DOCS: A Utah teacher has admitted having an inappropriate relationship with a 14-year-old pupil even sneaking her into their school in a large storage bin, according to an affidavit. Father of four Lucas Sloan Talley, 38, had personal contact via text message and email with multiple young girls during his 12 years at South Hills Middle School in Riverton, according to the affidavit obtained by Deseret News. That increased when the school shut down because of the pandemic and he struggled with no longer getting the girls validation that he thrives on, he told investigators, according to the affidavit. He started to think of being a couple with one 14-year-old girl, with multiple emails, text messages and video messages showing him telling the teen he loves her and misses her, the affidavit said. Lucas began taking treats to the young females home and spending time (hours) inside the girls home with her, admitting to hugging and inappropriately touching the girl multiple times, police said. The girl was scared something sexual was about to happen and felt uncomfortable and her mother warned the teacher to stop contacting her daughter, the Deseret News said. But he persisted and even smuggled her into their school when it was closed because of the pandemic, the affidavit said. Lucas told the girl to get into a large black and yellow Sterilite bin. Lucas placed the Sterilite bin (with the female victim inside of the bin) on a dolly device and wheeled the girl into his classroom, the affidavit said. He told cops that he named the bin after the girl, and put a note inside reading, Hope your box is comfortable.Talley said the girls parents didnt know he had put her in a bin and admitted he does not feel a girl at the age of 14 is able to consent or even choose to be put into a bin and wheeled into his classroom, the report said. Talley resigned from the school a week before he was arrested and charged with two counts of kidnapping Friday, the paper said. He is being held without bail, jail records show. Lucas told detectives he has had other parents reach out to him and tell him to stop talking to their young daughters, the affidavit said. Detectives are still actively investigating other cases which will be linked to Lucas, police said, according to the Utah paper. Jordan School District spokeswoman Sandy Riesgraf confirmed that Talley is no longer employed by the district but declined further comment, citing the ongoing police investigation, the paper said. A former teacher was arrested Friday in Riverton, Utah, for allegedly kidnapping a girl and sneaking her into his classroom inside a large bin. According to probable cause statements, detectives with the Riverton Police Department were notified over Thanksgiving weekend about a middle school teacher having inappropriate conversations and relations with multiple teenaged students, KUTV reported. Thirty-eight-year-old Lucas Sloan Talley worked at South Hills Middle School for the past 12 years and was allegedly in personal contact with multiple girls during that time. He told police he has anxiety and panic attacks so he reached out to young girls to see if they could talk him through his anxiety. He told police his ego thrives on validation from the girls, the Salt Lake Tribune reported:According to police, Talley began grooming a 14-year-old girl last year. He told the girl about his marriage and depression and said he loved and missed her, according to the probable cause statement. He took treats to her house and spent hours there with her. The teacher told police he thought about having a relationship with the girl, but said he knew he would have to wait six or seven years. | 3 |
###CLAIM: when we can afford it, we expect it to be a beacon of learning, fun and civic expression for all district residents in all eight wards.
###DOCS: Comment on this story Comment Gift Article ShareTHIS IS historically an unloved building that people are ambivalent about. Its never been a friendly building. That is what D.Cs chief librarian, Richard Reyes-Gavilan, once said about the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library. Dirty, dark, unpleasant . . . a kind of negative space, Dutch architect Francine Houben said after her visit to a building that had been the subject of a heated decades-long debate. Some thought the aging steel-and-glass building should be sold or turned into offices or even, at one point before it got landmark status, bulldozed. Instead, the District undertook an ambitious modernization and that effort has paid off with a stunning new central library that promises to be a hub for learning, cultural expression and civic engagement for residents of every part of the city. After a 312-year renovation, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library has opened its doors at 9th and G Streets NW, albeit with services severely limited by safety restrictions put in place because of the coronavirus pandemic. For the moment, access is limited to the main level for quick book checkouts, returning materials, printing services, computer use and new library card applications. But the muted reopening shouldnt detract from what the architects (Ms. Houbens Mecanoo and OTJ Architects) and officials have accomplished. When were able to do programming, we expect it to be a beacon of learning, fun and civic expression for District residents of all eight wards. Whether one is nearing a GED or seeking a PhD, this building will have something for them, said Gregory McCarthy, the Washington Nationals vice president and chair of the librarys board of trustees. Officials hope that when fully functioning, the library will become a destination attraction with 1 million visitors a year. The librarys completion caps an extraordinary 14-year period in which library officials built, modernized or funded the rejuvenation of 24 of the librarys 25 branches. In many places that would take a generation, said Mr. McCarthy. It speaks to our residents love of libraries and our elected leaders dedication to fulfilling the original vision.Read more:GiftOutline Gift Article | 1 |
###CLAIM: the rangers ' second unit is designed to play in power with alexis and lafreniere up front and two other forwards at the point along with adam and fox and jacob and trouba.
###DOCS: Its the dots. Substituting Brett Howden for Filip Chytil as center on the Rangers second power-play unit was among the most dramatic changes directed by David Quinn in Saturday nights 5-0 victory over the Islanders. Howden, who got a total of 20:17 on the power play last year (but 90:19 the previous year as a rookie), played 3:48 with the man-advantage while Chytil scooped up only three seconds of time on the night. A big part of that is faceoffs and weve talked to Filip about it, the coach said following Mondays practice. Its hard when youve got your center out there and youre losing all those draws. Hes getting better at it, so, Fil Chytil will be back on the power play, as will Kaapo [Kakko]. This is a short-term thing, Fils been doing a great job working on his faceoffs and you might see him in there [Tuesday] night.Chytil, who had a 38.4 percent success rate at the dots both last season and for his career, went 1-6 on opening night before winning three of eight Saturday. Howden, 48.2 percent last year and 48.3 for his career, went 7-4 on Thursday before a 6-7 night in Game Two. Filip Chytil NHLI via Getty ImagesKakko also got only three seconds with the man-advantage on Saturday as Quinn went with Brendan Lemieux in that spot to team with fellow straight-liner Howden. Quinn also flipped Pavel Buchnevich and Ryan Strome on the clubs late third period four-minute advantage, moving the Russian winger onto the first unit while the center skated on the second power-play unit. That was done to enhance Buchnevichs chance at recording a hat trick, but it is also something the Blueshirts could come back to at some point. Thats certainly on the table. Buch has continued to move forward and play at a level we all know hes capable of, Quinn said. But with that being said, I like both units. Last year we had the seventh best power play in the league, but certainly the way guys play, switching guys out, were fortunate to have a bunch of power-play guys. But you could [make that switch]. Thats certainly something thats on the table.This, too: The Rangers second power-play unit was designed to include Adam Fox and Jacob Trouba on the points with Alexis Lafreniere and two other forwards up front. But Fox moved up to the first unit Saturday in Tony DeAngelos absence, leaving the second unit with four forwards. That will be the circumstance against New Jersey as No. 77 is destined to sit again. Kevin Rooney, who missed Saturdays game with an undisclosed upper-body injury after being clobbered in open-ice by Ross Johnston in the opener, skated with the taxi squad prior to Mondays main practice. Alex Georgiev, who was technically strong and economical in his 23-save shutout Saturday, will get the starting assignment against the Devils. According to Naturalstattrick.com, the Rangers did not surrender a single high-danger chance on Saturday after yielding 13 in the opener. Per the website, that represents the first time the Blueshirts had not allowed a high-danger chance since Feb. 28, 2017, when the team nevertheless conspired to lose 4-1 to the Caps. It marked the 10th time in the 13-plus seasons the website has been tracking NHL games that the Blueshirts registered a zero in that column. At the risk of disrupting his teams current groove, their very first of the season, Rangers coach David Quinn has a crucial decision to make regarding who will be in nets against the Islanders on Monday night at Madison Square Garden. Quinn could opt to ride with rookie Igor Shesterkin, who is coming off his third-straight win and a convincing one at that. Or, he could turn to Alexandar Georgiev, whose turn was skipped in Quinns initial alternating plan because he wanted to rest the Bulgarian netminder Thursday after an eventful 48 hours. As of Friday, Quinn said he hadnt made a final decision, but that the coaching staff was taking all factors into consideration. Obviously, the games on Monday, so we havent really talked much about it, Quinn said after Fridays practice. Well talk more about those things on Sunday with [goaltending coach Benoit Allaire] and I and the staff. Shesty, hes played really well the last few games and, you know, but Georgie, weve all talked about Georgies had an awful lot of success against the Islanders and he certainly has played well during his time here in New York. So thatll be a decision well make on Sunday.After starting the season 0-2-1, Shesterkin appears to have finally found some confidence following wins against the Sabres, Penguins and Capitals. Thursdays 4-2 victory over Washington, in which he made 31 saves on 33 shots, was easily his most impressive performance of the season. Igor Shesterkin Getty ImagesThe 25-year-old stymied six of seven shots from Alex Ovechkin and three from Tom Wilson. He tracked the puck well, and for the first time all season, truly gave the Rangers a chance to win the game. The question now is: Will Shesterkin need to continue playing in order to keep his hot hand ablaze? Thats a prediction Quinn will have to make while deciding who will get the starting nod on Monday. Following Thursdays win, Shesterkin was asked if he feels he needs to keep playing to remain sharp. Whether I start every game, or every other game, thats the coachs decision, he said. Im always going to be ready when called upon and Im going to try and put my best performance on the ice once called upon.With any other opponent on the horizon besides the Islanders, Quinn may have had a no-brainer decision on his hands to continue riding Shesterkin. But Shesterkin was lit up for five goals in the season-opening loss to the Islanders, while Georgiev has been a personal nightmare for the Rangers New York rivals nearly his entire career. Georgiev followed up the 4-0 season-opening loss with a shutout over the Islanders in the second game of the season. It was the second time he had blanked them in his career, following a 29-save performance during the 2018-19 season. Last year, Georgiev went 3-1 against the Islanders with a 2.81 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage. His only other loss to Barry Trotzs team was when he relieved Henrik Lundqvist in a 7-5 defeat in 2018-19, bringing his career record against them to 6-2. Its no guarantee that Quinns goalie decision will make or break the Rangers on Monday, but it certainly can affect the good thing theyve got going right now. And Shesterkin has made quite a case that he currently owns that net. Personally I have not changed anything, Ive been working diligently with my coaches, each and every practice on small details, Shesterkin said. And were going to continue working, and hopefully having success and moving in the right direction. | 2 |
###CLAIM: the suburban shift away from republican to republican politics began the real political realignment that would last through truman's presidency.
###DOCS: In the agonizing days after the 2018 election, Christine Marsh, a Democratic candidate for state senate in a traditionally Republican suburban Phoenix district, watched her opponents lead dwindle to a few hundred votes, with thousands of ballots left to be counted. In the end, just 267 votes separated them. Marsh lost. But the result was ominous for Republicans, in a corner of Phoenixs ever-expanding suburbs where Barry Goldwater, the long-serving Arizona senator and conservative icon, launched his presidential campaign in 1964 from the patio of his famed hilltop estate in Paradise Valley. In the decades since, population growth and shifting demographics have transformed the cultural, political and economic complexion of the region. And the election of Donald Trump has exacerbated these trends across the country, perhaps nowhere more dramatically than in diverse, fast-growing metropolitan areas like Phoenix, where the coalition of affluent, white suburban voters that once cemented Republican dominance is unraveling. Weve seen a huge shift in my district, even in just the last two years, said Marsh, a high school English teacher who is challenging the Republican incumbent, Kate Brophy McGee, again this year. The district, which includes the prosperous Paradise Valley and parts of north central Phoenix, is now at the center of the political battle for Arizonas suburbs. Over the last four years, Republicans have watched their support collapse in suburbs across the country, as the presidents divisive rhetoric and incendiary behavior alienates women, college graduates and independent voters. But as Trump continues to downplay the seriousness of the coronavirus pandemic, even after more than 225,000 deaths nationwide and as cases continue to climb, his conduct is imperiling not only his own re-election campaign, but his entire party. Hikers tell Marsh that they have already voted for her. Photograph: Caitlin OHara/The GuardianGround zeroThe depth of Trumps problems with suburbanites is magnified in Maricopa county, one of the largest and most suburban counties in the nation, with a population of almost 4.5 million. In 2016, the suburbs helped deliver Trumps narrow victory here. But polling shows the president has lost significant ground with these voters, threatening his prospects in a state that has voted for a Democratic presidential candidate only once since 1952. If the president loses Arizona, itll be largely because he lost Maricopa county because he lost the suburbs, said Jeff Flake, the former Arizona senator and a conservative critic of the president who has endorsed his Democratic opponent, Joe Biden. The political dividing line in America now runs directly through suburbs like the ones around Phoenix, rare ground where Trump inspires both fierce loyalty and deep revulsion. Here, across desert sprawl of stuccoed housing developments and saguaro-scattered foothills, is ground zero, said Mike Noble, the chief pollster at OH Predictive Insights in Phoenix. Not only are these voters poised to deliver a referendum on Trump next week, they will also be decisive in determining control of the US Congress and the state legislature. Kyrsten Sinema was the first Democrat in more than 30 years to win a US Senate seat in Arizona. Photograph: Alexander Drago/ReutersIn his analysis of precincts that voted for Trump in 2016 yet backed the Democratic Senate candidate Kyrsten Sinema two years later, the vast majority were in suburban parts of Maricopa county. Sinema, who cast herself as an independent voice willing to break with her party, became the first Democrat in 30 years to win a US Senate seat in the state, beating the Republican Martha McSally, who had tied her fate to the president. The big story of the last four years is the shift of white, college-educated independents and self-identified moderates, he said. Independents, or unaffiliated voters, make up roughly a third of Arizonas electorate. In 2016, they broke narrowly for Trump, but this year, polling suggests these voters are swinging heavily away from the president. According to an October Monmouth poll, independent voters in Arizona favor Biden by 21 percentage points. The survey also found that most of the states independent voters believe McSally, who was appointed to fill the unexpired term of the late Republican senator John McCain after losing to Sinema in 2018, is too supportive of the president. She now faces an uphill battle to keep the seat, after months spent trailing her Democratic challenger, Mark Kelly. Unlike McSally, McGee the Republican state senator who is trying to hold on to her seat in Phoenix has carefully cultivated a reputation as a moderate, breaking with her party on legislation related to Medicare expansion and school vouchers. Yet like many Republicans running in increasingly formidable terrain, McGee faces strong national headwinds after four years of anti-Trump activism and resistance in the suburbs. Arizonas Red for Ed movement, which led to a week-long teacher walkout in 2018, galvanized parents and students alike and helped build support for Marsh who was the 2016 state teacher of the year. This year, education, compounded by the coronavirus, is a top priority for Arizonans, and, on this issue, voters favor Democrats. A ballot measure imposing a surtax on the highest earners to increase public education funding is poised for approval, with polling showing support from a majority of Democrats and independent voters. I really do think its frustration, Marsh said. Voters are really fed up with the lack of leadership and they realize that the only way were going to change anything in Arizona is by changing the balance of power.Suburban women, will you please like me?Trump has attempted to woo back suburban voters by casting himself as the protector of a certain suburban lifestyle dream who would forestall an invasion of low-income housing and keep their neighborhoods safe from the crime and chaos of Americas dysfunctional cities. His appeals, intended to stoke the racist fears of white voters, conjures a decades-old image of suburbia that is completely detached from the racially diverse and economically prosperous communities growing around Americas biggest cities. Polling suggests the entreaties have not worked. Cyclists ride past Camelback Mountain in Paradise Valley, Arizona, on 15 October. Photograph: Caitlin OHara/The GuardianUnlike four years ago, Trump is trailing by significant margins among white women, a group that includes independents and moderate Republicans likely to be turned off by Trumps inflammatory speech. Suburban women, will you please like me? Trump pleaded at a recent rally in Pennsylvania. Please? Please!Lisa James, a veteran Republican strategist in Phoenix, said a public safety message had the potential to resonate with conservative suburban women, who were upset by scenes of rioting and violence that occurred alongside largely peaceful protests against racism and police brutality this summer. These voters are concerned about the safety and security of their families and their communities, James said. Events like that will lead many of them right back to the Republican party.The October Monmouth poll found that nearly 60% of Arizona voters, including a majority of voters in Maricopa county, worried a lot about the potential breakdown of law and order. The issue was more of a concern for voters than the coronavirus pandemic and other financial matters. However, it hasnt reshaped their opinion of the president. The same survey found that Arizonans preferred Biden over Trump, even though they trusted Trump more to maintain law and order. Other national polls show Trumps standing on the issue even more diminished, with voters saying Biden was better suited to handle crime and public safety. In a national Fox News survey released earlier this month, 58% of voters agreed that the way Trump talks about racial inequality and policing had lead to an increase in acts of violence. In 2016, Karie Barrera said, she was an independent who cast her ballot for Hillary Clinton. Four years later, the recently retired educator said she was still not enthralled by the president. But she became increasingly alarmed after the Black Lives Matter protests led to calls for making school curriculums more inclusive. I dont like that youre going to mess with our real history, Barrera said. The president has claimed that schoolchildren are being taught a twisted web of lies about systemic racism in America and called for a return to patriotic education. Barrera agrees: You dont rewrite our history.Yet the very rhetoric that reassures Barrera is jeopardizing a coalition that once cemented Republican dominance in states like Arizona. The more that Trumps rhetoric is designed to appeal to a white, male, working-class set of voters, the more alienated these college-educated, right-leaning independents and Republicans start to feel, said Sarah Longwell, a Republican consultant who has spent the last several years studying suburban voters. A sign reads Truth over lies. Biden for president in Scottsdale, Arizona. Photograph: Caitlin OHara/The GuardianThis was personalIn 2016, women in Arizona narrowly favored Clinton over Trump. In the latest New York Times/Siena College poll of Arizona voters, Biden held a daunting 18-point lead among women in the state. From the outset, it was clear that many of the women Longwell convened in her focus groups didnt like Trump: they didnt like his tweets, his treatment of women, his conduct or his leadership style. But they took a chance on him in 2016 because they believed the alternative wasnt any better. These were often the voters who bolted first, helping Democrats retake the House in the 2018 midterm elections. Among those who didnt, Longwell said many have grappled with their discomfort over Trumps behavior and their allegiance to the Republican party. She said that despite the tumult of the last four years, little moved these women until the pandemic arrived. Suddenly there was a shift, she said. Voters started talking about the stakes being too high. They were suffering personal consequences, which is very different from an abstract foreign policy issue. This was personal.Longwell, who founded Republican Voters Against Trump, said the suburban shift away from the Republican party could be the beginning of a meaningful political realignment that will outlast Trumps presidency. It will depend who the Democrats are in the future and it will depend who the Republicans are in the future, she said. But these voters have no interest in a Trumpy Republican party.Yasser Sanchez, a lifelong Republican, is supporting Joe Biden this year. Photograph: Ross D Franklin/AP FileAdios TrumpIn 2008 and 2012, Yasser Sanchez worked to elect John McCain and Mitt Romney to the White House. But this year, for the first time in his life, the lifelong Republican is voting for a Democratic presidential nominee and has no qualms about it. Sanchez, an immigration lawyer in Mesa, a conservative Phoenix suburb with more than half a million residents, said he was appalled by Trumps conduct, his vilification of immigrants and his disdain for American institutions. But equally disappointing, Sanchez said, was the near-unwavering loyalty he received from Republican leaders. The Republican party used to stand for certain principles, he said. Now it stands for defending whatever the president tweets that morning.The Trump presidency has forced Sanchez to reconsider his political identity. He isnt a Democrat, but he also doesnt see a place for himself in the party he had supported all his life. This year, Sanchez is doing everything he can to ensure Arizona elects Biden. He hosted a voter registration drive in the parking lot of his law firm and placed an Adios Trump billboard along the busy Interstate 10 in Phoenix. For now, Im comfortable being an independent, he said. Unless theres a reckoning within the Republican party, I will not be going back. | 0 |
###CLAIM: the new york and the yorker published an interview earlier this week in which powell admitted that the woman wielding a bullhorn in the widely-seen video of the riot was a prostitute.
###DOCS: A woman who federal prosecutors say was directing a mob with a bullhorn during the riot at the Capitol last month was arrested on Thursday and charged with multiple federal crimes. Rachel Marie Powell was arrested in Pennsylvania, according to documents posted on the Department of Justices website. Powell is facing five charges, including depredation of government property, entering a restricted area with a dangerous weapon and obstruction of an official proceeding, an offense that carries a possibility of up to 20 years in prison. According to a CBS affiliate in Pittsburgh, Powell was arrested Thursday night in New Castle, Pa. The FBI identified Powell as a woman who was seen in viral social media and news footage blaring instructions to rioters who were breaching the Capitol building on January 6. According to an affidavit from an FBI investigator, Powell was identified with the help of an anonymous tip after the bureau posted images of her from the Capitol riot on a wanted poster. The affidavit shows pictures of a woman wearing a pink hat helping to use a large pipe as a battering ram to break into the Capitol building. Its unclear whether Powell has an attorney. Earlier this week, The New Yorker magazine published an interview with Powell in which she admitted that she was the woman wielding the bullhorn in the widely-seen videos of the riot. She told the outlet that she had not been part of any conspiracy to break into the Capitol. I was not part of a plotorganized, whatever, Powell said. I have no military background. ... Im a mom with eight kids. Thats it. I work. And I garden. And raise chickens. And sell cheese at a farmers market.Listen, if somebody doesnt help and direct people, then do more people die? she added when asked about her conduct during the incident. Thats all Im going to say about that. I cant say anymore. I need to talk to an attorney. The mother-of-eight dubbed the 'Bullhorn Lady' who gave instructions to her fellow MAGA rioters with a megaphone has been arrested for her part at the Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6. Rachel Powell, 40, was charged with obstruction, depredation of government property, entering a restricted building with a dangerous weapon and disorderly conduct. An arrest warrant was issued for the Pennsylvania woman on Feb. 3 and she was arrested the following day. Police raided the woman's home Thursday but local reports indicate that she was not at the residence at the time. Rachel Powell, 40, was charged with obstruction, depredation of government property, entering a restricted building with a dangerous weapon and disorderly conduct for her role in the Capitol riotsCharging documents say that Powell was a part of the group of rioters who used a large pipe 'as a ramming device to breach windows of the Capitol to gain access.' According to a criminal complaint that included several grabs from video and cell phone footage, Powell 'is clearly seen speaking through a bullhorn and giving very detailed descriptions about the layout of the Capitol building to others inside the room.' Powell was described as being 'within close proximity to epicenter of visible assaults directed towards law enforcement officers protecting the Capitol.' The charging documents also say that Powell was a part of the group of rioters who used a large pipe 'as a ramming device to breach windows of the Capitol to gain access.' The window cost $1000 and Powell is later seen crawling over a breached window to gain entry to the Capitol. Powell was described as being 'within close proximity to epicenter of visible assaults directed towards law enforcement officers protecting the Capitol'The criminal complaint issued against the mother of eightBookstore worker Rachel Powell appeared on FBI wanted posters in a distinctive pink hat after joining the violent mob that invaded the halls of Congress on January 6. Powell, whose name was given to the FBI by a tipster, was also heard on a recording telling her fellow intruders: 'People should probably co-ordinate together if you're going to take this building.' In an interview with the New Yorker, the 40-year-old acknowledged her role in the insurrection but denied being part of any 'organized' plot and claimed that more people might have died if 'somebody doesn't help and direct people'. After not even voting for Donald Trump in 2016, she became more politically active during his presidency and turned into a Covid-denying conspiracy theorist who latched onto the spurious fraud claims spouted by the likes of Alex Jones and Rudy Giuliani. During Trump's first campaign, Powell had written on Facebook that she was 'uncomfortable' about him and 'disturbed' by how many people supported him. But she gradually became a Trump loyalist over the course of his presidency, attending rallies that involved various far-right groups and conspiracy theorists. Powell seen entering the Capitol with a large group of riotersPhotos taken from Powell's social media during the investigation into her role at the riotAn arrest warrant was issued for the Pennsylvania woman on Feb. 3 and she was arrested the following dayDuring 2020, according to the New Yorker, her Facebook posts turned from harmless musings about yoga, baseball and organic food into hardline political statements. Powell insisted she did not share the far-right's racist views, but defended using the N-word on social media by saying: 'My favorite book is Gone with the Wind and it uses that term freely'. She also attended anti-mask rallies during the pandemic, raged against lockdowns and was banned from some events for refusing to wear a mask. Accusing health officials of exaggerating the number of virus deaths, she says she will not get a vaccine and has described herself as 'unashamedly a super-spreader'. Powell appeared on an FBI wanted poster because of her role in the January 6 riot, and her name has now been given to the bureauThe November election, in which she voted for Trump, brought her into another world of conspiracy theories that falsely claimed that the vote count was rigged. She described one of Giuliani's post-election appearances, at a legislative committee hearing in Gettysburg, as being 'pretty moving to me'. 'I learned a lot from Giuliani and peoples testimonies,' she said, after the former NYC mayor falsely claimed that Biden's victory in Pennsylvania was marred by fraud. After Trump failed to persuade state legislatures, the Electoral College or the courts to support his lie of a stolen election, attention turned to the joint session of Congress on January 6 were the results were certified once and for all. Trump urged his supporters to come to Washington that day and whipped them into a frenzy by repeating his falsehoods in a speech near the White House. Powell had driven to Washington the day before with an activist she had met at a rally in Gettysburg on July 4, who says he did not join in the invasion of the Capitol. Powell, pictured during the events of January 6, acknowledged her role in the insurrection but denied being part of any 'organized' plotPowell said she had watched what she called 'pretty moving' remarks by Rudy Giuliani at a Pennsylvania legislative hearing on November 25 (pictured) where he made baseless claims about the election resultsAs the mob attack unfolded, Powell could be seen among a crowd of intruders at a Capitol entrance who were clashing with security services. She said she was tear-gassed and beaten with a baton as the Trump fanatics forced their way inside, and did not deny shattering a window in the halls of Congress. In one video, she was heard speaking through her bullhorn, saying she had 'been in the other room' and giving directions to her fellow insurrectionists. 'We got another window to break to make in-and-out easy,' she said, after talking openly about 'taking this building' where Congress was trying to certify the election. While she spoke, rioters were picking up chairs and overturning furniture in a room inside the Capitol while others were still packed outside the building. The footage led to her being nicknamed 'Bullhorn Lady' by amateur sleuths trying to identify the MAGA rioters. A tipster who gave Powell's name to the FBI saw the recording and concluded that she was likely a 'ringleader' of a planned attempt to storm the Capitol. But Powell said: 'Anything that was said was figured out as time went on. It wasnt like there was a map or anything.' Powell was part of the mob that stormed the Capitol while the House and Senate were putting the final seal on Trump's 2020 election defeatShe also defended her actions in giving instructions to the rioters, suggesting that more people might have died if somebody 'doesn't help and direct people'. Powell said she did not meet with any 'militias' after the building was finally secured, but would not say how she had got back to Pennsylvania or with whom. While Powell's mother said the family was 'devastated' by seeing her face on an FBI poster, Powell herself said her only regrets were about what might happen to her children. Dozens of people have already been charged in connection with the riot, including off-duty police officers and a retired Pennsylvania firefighter. Federal law enforcement, journalists and amateur investigators have all pored over the hours of footage from the Capitol to identify the culprits. A business consultant who gave Powell's name to the FBI and a University of Toronto researcher both said they had independently worked out her identity. A week after the riot, Trump became the first president in US history to be impeached for a second time, with even some Republicans backing the move. The article of impeachment accused him of 'incitement of insurrection' and quoted Trump's own speech from the day of the riot, where he said: 'If you dont fight like hell youre not going to have a country anymore'. Trump initially said the rioters were 'very special' even as he urged them to 'go home', and only later said he condemned the attack on the Capitol. His historic second impeachment trial - the first ever for an ex-president - is due to begin next week. An improbable two-thirds majority would be needed for a conviction, which could theoretically lead to Trump being barred from holding office again in the future. | 2 |
###CLAIM: during the waning days of the trump administration, secretary of state mike wuhan's wuhan, pompeo and institute of virology issued a fact sheet stating that in the autumn of 2019, several researchers became sick with symptoms consistent with individual, car, and budget names and common seasonal illnesses.
###DOCS: China did "little" to investigate the origins of COVID-19 in Wuhan during the first eight months of the pandemic, according to an internal World Health Organization report from August that was reviewed by The Guardian. "Following extensive discussions with and presentation from Chinese counterparts, it appears that little had been done in terms of epidemiological investigations around Wuhan since January 2020," the report said, according to The Guardian. Some WHO researchers returned from a fact-finding trip in Wuhan this month partially disappointed that China refused to share raw data about the first patients to get COVID-19. Dominic Dwyer, an Australian infectious diseases expert who was on the trip, told Reuters that the WHO team requested raw patient data on 174 people who caught COVID-19 in December 2019, but Chinese authorities only gave them a summary. JOHNSON & JOHNSON COVID-19 VACCINE HAS 'FAVORABLE SAFETY PROFILE,' FDA STAFF FINDSThe frustrations come as the Biden administration ramps up pressure on China to be more transparent about the origins of the pandemic. "We need a credible, open, transparent international investigation led by the World Health Organization," national security adviser Jake Sullivan told CBS Sunday. "We do not believe that China has made available sufficient original data into how this pandemic began to spread, both in China and then eventually around the world." As the WHO and other researchers continue to investigate the origins of the pandemic, they are juggling multiple competing theories. COVID-19 is widely believed to have jumped from a bat to an unknown intermediary animal, then to humans. Researchers initially believed that the Huanan Seafood Market may have been where humans were first infected, as the market sold wild animals that are susceptible to viruses, but the discovery of earlier cases elsewhere has discredited this theory. WHO researchers also investigated this month whether COVID-19 could have jumped from frozen food products, but many experts have downplayed this idea. HOUSE TO VOTE ON BIDEN-BACKED CORONAVIRUS RELIEF PACKAGE FRIDAY, STENY HOYER SAYSIn the waning days of the Trump administration, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's press ofiice issued a fact sheet that stated: "several researchers inside the [Wuhan Institute of Virology] became sick in autumn 2019, before the first identified case of the outbreak, with symptoms consistent with both COVID-19 and common seasonal illnesses." Furthur in the document, the State Department noted that the "U.S. government does not know exactly where, when, or how the COVID-19 virusknown as SARS-CoV-2was transmitted initially to humans," Pompeo wrote Jan. 15. "We have not determined whether the outbreak began through contact with infected animals or was the result of an accident at a laboratory in Wuhan, China." The WHO has repeatedly thrown cold water on the theory that COVID-19 escaped from a lab in Wuhan though. Peter Ben Embarek, the leader of the most recent WHO mission to China, said on Feb. 9 that the "laboratory incidents hypothesis is extremely unlikely to explain the introduction of the virus to the human population." CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGEDespite that, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said recently that all options remain on the table. "Some questions have been raised as to whether some hypotheses have been discarded," Ghebreyesus said at a press conference on Feb. 12, according to Reuters. "Having spoken with some members of the team, I wish to confirm that all hypotheses remain open and require further analysis and study." The Associated Press contributed to this report. | 0 |
###CLAIM: under m rules, teams heading for practice or games are under stringent safety lock-ins.
###DOCS: North Carolina State head coach Wes Moore cuts down the net after his team defeated Louisville in the championship of the Atlantic Coast Conference NCAA women's college basketball game in Greensboro, N.C., Sunday, March 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)North Carolina State head coach Wes Moore cuts down the net after his team defeated Louisville in the championship of the Atlantic Coast Conference NCAA women's college basketball game in Greensboro, N.C., Sunday, March 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)UConn is in its normal spot with a No. 1 seed for the womens NCAA Tournament. Familiar territory for Stanford and South Carolina, too. Its a brand new day for North Carolina State. And the Huskies, while used to their position in the bracket, are facing some uncertainty after coach Geno Auriemma tested positive for the coronavirus . N.C. State is a No. 1 seed for the first time, joining Stanford, South Carolina and Connecticut on the top lines for the San Antonio-themed regions for the womens tourney. The Cardinal earned the overall No. 1 when the field was revealed Monday night. ADVERTISEMENTThe No. 1 seed is a is a great honor, obviously, N.C. State coach Wes Moore said. Yall know me, Id rather just stayed a No. 2 and laid low.Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer downplayed being the top choice. What I really tell our team is seeds do not matter, she said. Its not like you get any extra points when you show up at the gym.VanDerveer said being healthy and excited to play was most important. Teams basically will be locked down in hotels except to head to practice or games as part of the stringent COVID-19 safety protocols. Auriemmas Texas arrival will be delayed. He will remain in isolation for 10 days and can rejoin the team on March 24. The other members of UConns travel party have tested negative for COVID-19. Auriemma will miss the Huskies opening game against High Point one of four first-timers in the NCAAs and a potential second-round matchup against either Syracuse or South Dakota State. Im an innocent bystander right now. Im going to sit back and watch them do their thing, he said. (Assistant coach Chris Dailey) is undefeated in tournament play. I dont think you can get a coach who has a better record in the tournament than she does.While the coronavirus caused many disruptions to the schedule throughout the regular season, it looks as if most of the teams in the field made it to the tournament healthy. Stanford, which will open against Utah Valley, had quite the odyssey this season because of the coronavirus. It had to play on the road for nine weeks after Santa Clara County health officials announced they were prohibiting all contact sports in late November. The Cardinal, who are looking for their third national championship, are the top seed in the Alamo region. The Hemisfair, Mercado and River Walk are the other region names. For the past few years, earning one of the top 16 seeds would put a team at home in the tournaments first two rounds, but thats not the case this March. Every game will be played in the San Antonio area because of the pandemic, with the last four rounds tipping off at the Alamodome. This could be one of the most wide-open tournaments, with a dozen teams capable of winning the title. There were five No. 1 teams in The Associated Press womens basketball poll this year, including the Huskies, who finished the season at No. 1 . The national semifinals take place on April 2, and the championship game will be held April 4. Tennessee continued its streak of making the NCAA Tournament all 39 years. Joining High Point as NCAA rookies are Stony Brook, Utah Valley and Bradley. Notre Dames run of 24 straight NCAA appearances came to an end. The Irish were one of the first four teams out of the tournament. They were joined just outside the field by Houston, DePaul and Oklahoma. Even without Notre Dame, the ACC is well represented with eight teams. The SEC and the Big Ten each had seven schools. The Pac-12 had six, and the Big 12 had five. With no tournament played last season because of the virus, Baylor is still the defending champion. Coach Kim Mulkeys team is very different from the one that won the title, but still is quite talented, winning the Big 12 regular season and conference tournaments. The Lady Bears are a No. 2 seed in UConns region. Like Baylor, the other three two seeds Louisville, Texas A&M and Maryland at some point were in consideration for the one line. We did have a lot of teams, a lot of discussion around who are the four who were just right for the one line, NCAA selection committee chair Nina King said. ___More AP womens college basketball coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball | 1 |
###CLAIM: it took me two days and two jobs to write a paper saying the tom cotton op-ed was short of publishing because our standards are so low, but that it touched on important aspects of jaffa's makeup and history of travel stories.
###DOCS: Dear A.G.,It is with sadness that I write to tell you that I am resigning from The New York Times. I joined the paper with gratitude and optimism three years ago. I was hired with the goal of bringing in voices that would not otherwise appear in your pages: first-time writers, centrists, conservatives and others who would not naturally think of The Times as their home. The reason for this effort was clear: The papers failure to anticipate the outcome of the 2016 election meant that it didnt have a firm grasp of the country it covers. Dean Baquet and others have admitted as much on various occasions. The priority in Opinion was to help redress that critical shortcoming. I was honored to be part of that effort, led by James Bennet. I am proud of my work as a writer and as an editor. Among those I helped bring to our pages: the Venezuelan dissident Wuilly Arteaga; the Iranian chess champion Dorsa Derakhshani; and the Hong Kong Christian democrat Derek Lam. Also: Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Masih Alinejad, Zaina Arafat, Elna Baker, Rachael Denhollander, Matti Friedman, Nick Gillespie, Heather Heying, Randall Kennedy, Julius Krein, Monica Lewinsky, Glenn Loury, Jesse Singal, Ali Soufan, Chloe Valdary, Thomas Chatterton Williams, Wesley Yang, and many others. But the lessons that ought to have followed the electionlessons about the importance of understanding other Americans, the necessity of resisting tribalism, and the centrality of the free exchange of ideas to a democratic societyhave not been learned. Instead, a new consensus has emerged in the press, but perhaps especially at this paper: that truth isnt a process of collective discovery, but an orthodoxy already known to an enlightened few whose job is to inform everyone else. Twitter is not on the masthead of The New York Times. But Twitter has become its ultimate editor. As the ethics and mores of that platform have become those of the paper, the paper itself has increasingly become a kind of performance space. Stories are chosen and told in a way to satisfy the narrowest of audiences, rather than to allow a curious public to read about the world and then draw their own conclusions. I was always taught that journalists were charged with writing the first rough draft of history. Now, history itself is one more ephemeral thing molded to fit the needs of a predetermined narrative. My own forays into Wrongthink have made me the subject of constant bullying by colleagues who disagree with my views. They have called me a Nazi and a racist; I have learned to brush off comments about how Im writing about the Jews again. Several colleagues perceived to be friendly with me were badgered by coworkers. My work and my character are openly demeaned on company-wide Slack channels where masthead editors regularly weigh in. There, some coworkers insist I need to be rooted out if this company is to be a truly inclusive one, while others post ax emojis next to my name. Still other New York Times employees publicly smear me as a liar and a bigot on Twitter with no fear that harassing me will be met with appropriate action. They never are. There are terms for all of this: unlawful discrimination, hostile work environment, and constructive discharge. Im no legal expert. But I know that this is wrong. I do not understand how you have allowed this kind of behavior to go on inside your company in full view of the papers entire staff and the public. And I certainly cant square how you and other Times leaders have stood by while simultaneously praising me in private for my courage. Showing up for work as a centrist at an American newspaper should not require bravery. Part of me wishes I could say that my experience was unique. But the truth is that intellectual curiositylet alone risk-takingis now a liability at The Times. Why edit something challenging to our readers, or write something bold only to go through the numbing process of making it ideologically kosher, when we can assure ourselves of job security (and clicks) by publishing our 4000th op-ed arguing that Donald Trump is a unique danger to the country and the world? And so self-censorship has become the norm. What rules that remain at The Times are applied with extreme selectivity. If a persons ideology is in keeping with the new orthodoxy, they and their work remain unscrutinized. Everyone else lives in fear of the digital thunderdome. Online venom is excused so long as it is directed at the proper targets. Op-eds that would have easily been published just two years ago would now get an editor or a writer in serious trouble, if not fired. If a piece is perceived as likely to inspire backlash internally or on social media, the editor or writer avoids pitching it. If she feels strongly enough to suggest it, she is quickly steered to safer ground. And if, every now and then, she succeeds in getting a piece published that does not explicitly promote progressive causes, it happens only after every line is carefully massaged, negotiated and caveated. It took the paper two days and two jobs to say that the Tom Cotton op-ed fell short of our standards. We attached an editors note on a travel story about Jaffa shortly after it was published because it failed to touch on important aspects of Jaffas makeup and its history. But there is still none appended to Cheryl Strayeds fawning interview with the writer Alice Walker, a proud anti-Semite who believes in lizard Illuminati. The paper of record is, more and more, the record of those living in a distant galaxy, one whose concerns are profoundly removed from the lives of most people. This is a galaxy in which, to choose just a few recent examples, the Soviet space program is lauded for its diversity; the doxxing of teenagers in the name of justice is condoned; and the worst caste systems in human history includes the United States alongside Nazi Germany. Even now, I am confident that most people at The Times do not hold these views. Yet they are cowed by those who do. Why? Perhaps because they believe the ultimate goal is righteous. Perhaps because they believe that they will be granted protection if they nod along as the coin of our realmlanguageis degraded in service to an ever-shifting laundry list of right causes. Perhaps because there are millions of unemployed people in this country and they feel lucky to have a job in a contracting industry. Or perhaps it is because they know that, nowadays, standing up for principle at the paper does not win plaudits. It puts a target on your back. Too wise to post on Slack, they write to me privately about the new McCarthyism that has taken root at the paper of record. All this bodes ill, especially for independent-minded young writers and editors paying close attention to what theyll have to do to advance in their careers. Rule One: Speak your mind at your own peril. Rule Two: Never risk commissioning a story that goes against the narrative. Rule Three: Never believe an editor or publisher who urges you to go against the grain. Eventually, the publisher will cave to the mob, the editor will get fired or reassigned, and youll be hung out to dry. For these young writers and editors, there is one consolation. As places like The Times and other once-great journalistic institutions betray their standards and lose sight of their principles, Americans still hunger for news that is accurate, opinions that are vital, and debate that is sincere. I hear from these people every day. An independent press is not a liberal ideal or a progressive ideal or a democratic ideal. Its an American ideal, you said a few years ago. I couldnt agree more. America is a great country that deserves a great newspaper. None of this means that some of the most talented journalists in the world dont still labor for this newspaper. They do, which is what makes the illiberal environment especially heartbreaking. I will be, as ever, a dedicated reader of their work. But I can no longer do the work that you brought me here to dothe work that Adolph Ochs described in that famous 1896 statement: to make of the columns of The New York Times a forum for the consideration of all questions of public importance, and to that end to invite intelligent discussion from all shades of opinion.Ochss idea is one of the best Ive encountered. And Ive always comforted myself with the notion that the best ideas win out. But ideas cannot win on their own. They need a voice. They need a hearing. Above all, they must be backed by people willing to live by them. Sincerely,Bari The New York Times was dragged on Twitter Wednesday after placing an ad seeking a deputy opinion editor with "a spine of steel" -- months after three editors were forced to leave the publication for promoting unpopular debate within the company's liberal workplace. An employment listing posted to the Times website describes the ideal candidate as having "a sense of humor and a spine of steel, a confident point of view and an open mind, an appetite for risk and exacting standards for excellence." Newsweek deputy opinion editor Batya Ungar-Sargon was quick to note the irony of the "totally shameless" listing, arguing that the three editors who left their posts at the Gray Lady were guilty of "doing this exact thing." "In 6 months, @nytimes lost 3 opinion editors w/ spines of steel, open minds, an appetite for risk, and exacting standards - @bariweiss, @RubensteinAdam, and @JBennet - because their colleagues couldn't handle a single one of these attributes and their bosses were amoral cowards," she wrote. Bari Weiss published a scathing resignation letter in July over what she described as workplace bullying over her heterodox views in an "illiberal environment." Former editorial page editor James Bennet and editorial assistant Adam Rubenstein resigned over their involvement in the infamous Tom Cotton op-ed that led to turmoil among employees. The Republican lawmaker argued to "send in the troops" to quell violence in cities throughout the country in response to civil unrest following the death of George Floyd. NY TIMES WRITERS IN 'OPEN REVOLT' AFTER PUBLICATION OF COTTON OP-ED, CLAIM BLACK STAFF 'IN DANGER'At the time, Bennett and Rubenstein faced backlash from their own colleagues, who accused them of putting Black staff in "danger." The listing comes one week after Times executives sent a note to staffers detailing a recent eight-month probe into the diversity and inclusion at the paper, and vowed to make "fundamental changes" to the companys workplace culture. Ungar-Sargon took particular issue with the Times' commitment to "promote the most important and provocative debate across a range of subjects." NEW YORK TIMES TO MAKE 'FUNDAMENTAL CHANGES' TO WORKPLACE CULTURE"The NYT literally fired James Bennet for doing this exact thing. It outed Adam Rubenstein and tossed him to the wolves for doing this exact thing. It allowed Bari Weiss to be bullied out of the newsroom for doing this exact thing. Just totally shameless," she wrote. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPIn November, New York magazine published a scathing inside look at the Times, which detailed the "open secret" that the paper is "published by and for coastal liberals." The piece also pointed out that several staffers supported Weiss' claim that the once-proud paper fostered a toxic culture against non-liberals. | 2 |
###CLAIM: a justice department official said bytedance was beholden to chinese law requiring that it assist the chinese government in surveillance and intelligence operations.
###DOCS: New DOJ Filing: TikTok's Owner Is 'A Mouthpiece' Of Chinese Communist PartyEnlarge this image toggle caption Gilles Sabrie/Bloomberg via Getty Images Gilles Sabrie/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesUpdated 2:56 p.m. ET SaturdayThe Trump administration is accusing the chief executive of ByteDance, the owner of video-sharing app TikTok, of being "a mouthpiece" for the Chinese Communist Party and alleging that the tech company has a close relationship with Beijing authorities that endangers the security of Americans. The Justice Department on Friday night filed the Trump administration's most thorough explanation of its push to ban TikTok in a legal filing in response to TikTok's lawsuit asking a federal judge to stop Trump's ban from taking effect on midnight Sunday. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols has scheduled a hearing for 9:30 a.m. Sunday to decide whether the Trump administration's ban will take effect. In the submission to the court, Justice Department lawyers say ByteDance CEO Zhang Yiming has made public statements showing he is "committed to promoting" the agenda of the Chinese Communist Party. TikTok has for months distanced itself from its corporate owner, ByteDance, asserting that data on the more than 100 million U.S. users is stored primarily in Virginia, with backup in Singapore. But the Trump administration says it has evidence that some data is being transmitted to China, claiming such information can be accessed by Chinese authorities to track Americans and build dossiers that could be deployed for blackmail. Furthermore, Justice Department officials say ByteDance is beholden to Chinese laws that may require the company to assist in surveillance and intelligence operations at the direction of the Chinese government. TikTok strenuously denies it ever has or will in the future cooperate with any demands from China's authoritarian regime. But the Trump administration said Friday that a recent study showed that 37% of the IP addresses TikTok's Android users connect to are based in China. The Trump administration, however, did not offer any direct evidence that TikTok's U.S. data has ever been assessed by Beijing officials. The Justice Department filed all of the documents under seal earlier Friday, an unusual move for a government response to a motion for a preliminary injunction. Several hours later, Justice Department lawyers refiled the documents with a number of sections redacted pertaining to how exactly TikTok allegedly transmits Americans' data to China. In a response filed on Saturday, lawyers for TikTok suggest the app is being unfairly singled out, pointing to how theoretical concerns about whether China's government can gain access to American user data can be made about a number of U.S. tech companies that have a presence in the country. "The same is true for many American tech companies, who have substantial engineering resources in China and, in some cases, data sharing agreements with Chinese companies," TikTok lawyer John Hall wrote. Enlarge this image toggle caption U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia U.S. District Court for the District of ColumbiaIn another document newly public on Friday that the Trump administration submitted as an attachment to its primary filing, the Commerce Department detailed its concerns with TikTok in an intelligence and security assessment. Trump officials point to a number of instances that allegedly show that ByteDance has a cozy relationship with Beijing authorities. ByteDance, according to the document, employs 130 Chinese Communist Party members at ByteDance's Beijing office. In June 2018, according to the Commerce Department memo, ByteDance employees organized a party in which they faced a Chinese Communist Party flag, "raised their right hand, clenched their fists, and reiterated their guarantee as a party member and vowed to never betray the party." Trump officials allege that although ByteDance CEO Zhang Yiming is not a member of the Chinese Communist Party, he issued a public apology to the government in April 2018 over one of ByteDance's apps that appeared to have irked authorities. "Our product took the wrong path, and content appeared that was incommensurate with socialist core values," Yiming said then. Reports of Communist Party officials being embedded at ByteDance are not accurate, TikTok said in its Saturday submission to the court. Hall, a lawyer for TikTok, said what is really driving Trump's push to ban the app is a desire to score political points. "The reason why the Commerce Department relies on its hollow anecdotes is that national security was pretext for banning TikTok, and that the real reason was the President's wish to use such a U.S. ban, or what he could extract in return for lifting it, as political campaign fodder," Hall wrote. The suggestion that U.S. user data goes to Chinese soil has also been strongly denied in recent court filings by the app. According to TikTok, the data on Americans is "sharded" or broken up into unidentifiable bits and stored across many different servers. Roland Cloutier, TikTok's global chief security officer, said in a sworn statement to the court that sensitive information like names, birthdays, home addresses phone numbers and contact lists are encrypted. "It is impossible to decrypt this encrypted user data without a key that has been generated and managed ... by our security team in the United States," Cloutier wrote. Among the revealing details that emerged Friday in the Commerce Department memo was that ByteDance allegedly has spent $1 billion on ads on competing apps Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat in order to boost its user base. TikTok has nearly 700 million active monthly users worldwide. Trump said he gave a tentative blessing to deal to save TikTok involving companies Oracle and Walmart. The agreement never materialized, as the U.S. firms and ByteDance appear at odds over a number of details, including what firm would hold the largest stake in the new company. TikTok acquisition talks are ongoing. A federal judge granted a temporary reprieve Sunday to TikTok, the short-form video app that was facing a Trump administration-imposed midnight deadline that would have prevented users from downloading it. The order from U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols of Washington, D.C., allows U.S. app stores to continue offering downloads. Nichols did not rule on a second, more comprehensive ban that would halt U.S. companies from working with TikTok. In a statement, TikTok said that it was pleased with the ruling and that it "will continue defending our rights for the benefit of our community and employees." "At the same time, we will also maintain our ongoing dialogue with the government to turn our proposal, which the president gave his preliminary approval to last weekend, into an agreement," it said. TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, struck a deal with Oracle this month to move the company's headquarters to the United States. The software giant would oversee its operations. Walmart is also involved in the deal. TikTok has been under scrutiny from the Trump administration for nearly a year over concerns that the Chinese government could gain access to American users' data. President Donald Trump said in July that he would ban the app. Trump said this month that he had given his "blessing" to the deal and that he had approved it in concept. | 2 |
###CLAIM: the coats, a retired maintenance worker and 78-year-old doris, knox and pope died over a week after being hospitalized at the rex of north carolina hospital.
###DOCS: SEE NEW POSTSRussia counts 29,900 new cases, a daily high Russian authorities reported 29,935 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, the highest daily spike in the pandemic. This is nearly 2,700 infections more than was registered the previous day. Russias total of over 2.9 million remains the fourth-largest coronavirus caseload in the world. The governments coronavirus task force has also registered more than 53,000 deaths in all. Russia has been swept by a rapid resurgence of the outbreak this fall, with numbers of confirmed Covid-19 infections and deaths significantly exceeding those reported in the spring. The countrys authorities have resisted imposing a second nationwide lockdown or a widespread closure of businesses. Earlier this month, mass vaccination against Covid-19 started in Russia with Sputnik V a domestically developed coronavirus vaccine that is still undergoing advanced studies among tens of thousands of people needed to ensure its safety and effectiveness. Russia has been widely criticized for giving Sputnik V regulatory approval in August after it had only been tested on a few dozen people. Share this -Link copiedTaiwan fines EVA Air $35,000 after pilot blamed for Covid infection Taiwan's Transport Ministry on Thursday fined EVA Airways Corp T$1 million ($35,000) after the government blamed one of its pilots for a rare locally transmitted case of Covid-19 because he failed to follow disease prevention rules. Taiwan had until this week not reported domestic transmission since April 12, thanks to early and effective moves to stop the virus, including mass mask wearing and strict quarantines for all arrivals. But the government was jolted by Tuesday's announcement of the domestic infection of a woman who is a friend of a New Zealand pilot confirmed to have been infected earlier this week having flown routes to the United States. EVA Air has fired the pilot, who has not been named and is being treated in hospital. The case has ignited public anger after the government said he had not reported all his contacts and the places he had been, nor worn a face mask in the cockpit when he should have. Share this -Link copiedIsrael imposing third national COVID-19 lockdown Israel will impose a third national lockdown to fight climbing Covid-19 infections, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday. The curbs will come into effect on Sunday evening and last for 14 days, pending final cabinet approval, a statement from Netanyahu's office said. The restrictions include the closure of shops, limited public transport, a partial shutdown of schools and a one-kilometer restriction on travel from home, except for commuting to workplaces that remain open and to purchase essential goods. With regard to Israel's Christian minority, the Health Ministry said that during Christmas, prayers at houses of worship would be limited to gatherings of 10 people in closed spaces and 100 people in open areas. With a population of nine million, Israel has so far reported more than 385,000 cases of Covid-19 and 3,150 deaths from the virus. On Wednesday, the Health Ministry said it had found four people infected with the new variant of the coronavirus that has emerged in Britain. Share this -Link copiedNew virus variant appears to emerge in Nigeria Another new variant of the coronavirus appears to have emerged in Nigeria, Africas top public health official said Thursday, but he added that further investigation was needed. The discovery could add to new alarm in the pandemic after similar variants were announced in Britain and South Africa, leading to the swift return of international travel restrictions and other measures just as the world enters a major holiday season. Its a separate lineage from the UK and South Africa, the head of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, John Nkengasong, told reporters. He said the Nigeria CDC and the African Center of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases in that country Africas most populous will be analyzing more samples. Give us some time ... its still very early, he said. The alert about the apparent new variant was based on two or three genetic sequences, he said, but that and South Africas alert late last week were enough to prompt an emergency meeting of the Africa CDC this week. Share this -Link copiedLA mayor's daughter, 9, tests negative for virus week after positive result Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said his 9-year-old daughter tested negative for the coronavirus Wednesday, a little more than a week after she tested positive. Garcetti said he was relieved by the negative test but said for too many households, the outcome has been worse. He shared the result in a video address the same day that saw Los Angeles County break a daily record for reported Covid-19 deaths. "We know that this emergency is our darkest day, maybe the darkest day in our city's history," Garcetti said. Los Angeles County's health department on Wednesday reported the highest number of new deaths and hospitalizations since the pandemic began, with 145 deaths and 6,155 people with Covid-19 hospitalized. The share of tests returning as positive has grown to over 16 percent. Garcetti urged people to cancel any plans to visit loved ones. While there has been positive news about vaccines, the mayor said: "That's no reason to let our guard down. It's no reason for a Christmas wave to build on a Thanksgiving wave that's nearly drowning us already." Share this -Link copiedColorado begins vaccinating workers in prison system DENVER Colorados prison system has begun vaccinating its workers as the coronavirus continues to spread in its facilities. Corrections department spokesperson Annie Skinner said Wednesday that frontline health care workers are the focus of the vaccination effort in state prisons. But she adds that other prison workers have also received shots to avoid wasting any doses whenever there is some left over. Skinner says other prison workers to be vaccinated so far include those who guard prisoners who are hospitalized and those who transport inmates. She did not immediately have a tally of how many prison workers have received the shots so far. Share this -Link copiedCovid-19 patient kills fellow Covid-19 patient in California hospital, officials say A man being treated for Covid-19 allegedly killed a fellow Covid-19 patient at a hospital in California last week, officials said. Jesse Martinez, 37, was arrested and charged with murder, a hate crime enhancement and elder abuse after he allegedly struck his 82-year-old hospital roommate with an oxygen tank on Dec. 17. Martinez allegedly became upset when the victim began to pray, according to the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department. The two men were patients at Antelope Valley Hospital in Lancaster, about 70 miles north of Los Angeles. Click here to read the full story. Share this -Link copiedMore than 5 million screened at airports since Friday In a sign that people are traveling for the Christmas holiday despite warnings around the Covid-19 pandemic, more than 5 million air travelers were screened at airports between Friday and Tuesday. Transportation Security Administration numbers show that more than 1 million people were screened at airports on Friday for the first time since Nov. 29, which followed Thanksgiving. The numbers of people screened each day are far below last year's figures; the decrease generally has been more than by half each day. Health and other officials in some parts of the country where the virus has been surging have pleaded with people to stay home and not gather. JUST IN: @TSA screened 992,167 individuals at security checkpoints yesterday, Tuesday, Dec. 22. One year ago, 1,981,433 people were screened. And one week ago, on Tuesday, Dec. 15, 552,024 people were screened. Please mask-up if you choose to fly. Lisa Farbstein, TSA Spokesperson (@TSA_Northeast) December 23, 2020 The AAA said earlier this month that it expected at least 34 million fewer travelers compared to last years holiday season but still estimated that as many as 84.5 million Americans may still travel from Dec. 23 through Jan. 3. Share this -Link copied'Slower than expected': Covid vaccines are not being given as quickly as projected With only nine days to go, it's unlikely the U.S. will meet the original goal of having 20 million people vaccinated by the end of the year, members of Operation Warp Speed said Wednesday. "That objective is unlikely to be met," Moncef Slaoui, chief science adviser for Operation Warp Speed, said during a media briefing Wednesday. "The process of immunizations shots in arms is happening slower than we thought it would be." What Slaoui's team can commit to is the number of doses to be distributed. "We're getting the vaccines out as fast as they are available," Army Gen. Gustave Perna, the chief operating officer of Operation Warp Speed, said during the briefing. As of Wednesday morning, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that more than 1 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine have been administered in the past two weeks. Click here to read the full story. Share this -Link copiedZoom lifting 40-minute call limit on Christmas, New Year holidays Zoom announced it will be lifting its 40-minute call limit, allowing for unlimited call lengths on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve and New Years Day. COVID-19 has changed how we live, work, and celebrate in 2020, and like everything else this year, the holiday season doesnt look the same, the video conferencing service said in a statement. Whether coming together on the final day of Hanukkah, celebrating Christmas, ringing in the New Year, or marking the last days of Kwanzaa, those connecting with friends and family wont get cut short. The announcement comes as the U.S. is seeing a surge in Covid-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths, and experts believe upcoming holiday gatherings will lead to a further surge in cases. The CDC has advised Americans to avoid unnecessary travel and to celebrate the holidays only with members of their immediate households. We will be lifting the 40-minute limit for holiday celebrations. Check out all the details: https://t.co/V0eTl8aIGB #ZoomTogether pic.twitter.com/0MlZt7BRdW Zoom (@zoom_us) December 17, 2020 Share this -Link copiedHouston-Oklahoma City game postponed after James Harden breaks NBA Covid rules Tonight's game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center has been postponed in accordance with the leagues Health and Safety Protocols. pic.twitter.com/Qn0hXlxCZr NBA (@NBA) December 23, 2020 Share this -Link copiedU.S. hits milestone: 1M people have gotten first dose of Covid vaccine More than 1 million people in the United States have received an initial dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, a milestone achieved 10 days after vaccines were first administered, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday. The first approved vaccines in the nation were developed separately by companies Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, and went to health care workers and people living in long-term care facilities. On Sunday, a CDC advisory committee recommended that people ages 75 and older and front-line essential workers be next in line to receive the vaccines. The growing number of vaccinations comes as the Trump administration said it will buy an additional 100 million doses of Pfizer's vaccine, ensuring that every American who wants to be vaccinated can be by June. This comes on top of the 100 million doses already purchased by the U.S. government. "There is currently a limited supply of Covid-19 vaccine in the U.S., but supply will increase in the weeks and months to come," CDC Director Robert Redfield said in a statement. "The goal is for everyone to be able to easily get vaccinated against Covid-19 as soon as large enough quantities are available." Share this -Link copied'Covid conga line': Republicans in NYC criticized for maskless holiday dance party A group of Republicans in New York City came under fire after a viral video showed maskless partygoers dancing in a conga line at a holiday party in Queens. In the video that was widely circulated on social media, nearly a dozen partygoers none of whom were wearing a mask are shown dancing and singing to the Bee Gees You Should Be Dancing, while one man appeared to be holding a flag in support of President Donald Trump. More than 40 people can be seen dancing on the floor or sitting at a nearby table in the dining room. Click here to read the full story. Share this -Link copiedNorth Carolina couple die from Covid-19 on same day Doris Knox Pope and Sherwood Lee Pope. Rose and Graham Funeral Home Just a week and a half before Christmas, a North Carolina couple married for 61 years died from Covid-19. Sherwood Lee Pope, 82, a retired maintenance worker, and Doris Knox Pope, 78, a retired furniture upholsterer, of Coats, North Carolina, died on Dec. 14 after being hospitalized for over a week at University of North Carolina Rex Hospital. The couple died side-by-side holding hands, according to an obituary. Shelton Pope, one of the couples three sons, told NBC News affiliate WRAL that his parents started feeling sick the weekend after Thanksgiving. Sherwood and Doris both had underlying health conditions, the family told WRAL, which made them high-risk cases after contracting the virus. The couple were originally in separate hospital rooms, but when both took a turn for the worse, hospital staff moved them into the same room, the family said. "They agreed to put them in the same room to be beside each other so they could hold hands and just be with each other," Shelton Pope told WRAL. They were holding hands when they left this world and went to the pearly gates. He left shortly before she did." North Carolina has reported more than 492,000 cases and over 6,400 deaths from Covid-19, according to an NBC News tally. Share this -Link copiedFirst vaccines rolled out to NYC's EMS workers New York City's emergency medical services workers began lining up for Covid-19 vaccinations Wednesday, a significant undertaking for a department that had seen thousands of members become infected with the coronavirus since March. Vaccines produced by the biotechnology company Moderna were being distributed to the training headquarters of the EMS and the FDNY Fire Training Academy, both in Queens, and FDNY headquarters in Brooklyn. "Today has been a long-awaited moment for the EMTs, paramedics and fire inspectors who have bravely responded to well over 1 million emergency medical calls this year, all throughout New York City," Oren Barzilay, president of FDNY EMS Local 2507 in Queens, said in a statement. Emergency medical technicians and paramedics will be vaccinated over the next several days, officials said, and the FDNY anticipates vaccinating 450 people per day at each location. Firefighters will be vaccinated beginning next week. The FDNY is the largest municipal firefighting department in the U.S., with 4,400 EMS and 11,000 firefighters. The roll out comes as the FDNY announced the death of Evelyn Ford, a 27-year EMS veteran, from Covid-19 and the 12th member of the agency to die after contracting the virus. FDNY is mourning the loss of Emergency Medical Technician Evelyn Ford, 58, who died from COVID-19. Read more: https://t.co/NAOyoIEhkG pic.twitter.com/groidpcrqt FDNY (@FDNY) December 23, 2020 Share this -Link copiedL.A. area hospital sets up 'surge tents' as it copes with dramatic patient influx Confronted with a dramatic influx of Covid-19 patients, a major hospital in Southern California has set up "surge tents" for patients who visit the emergency room but do not have life-threatening conditions. Huntington Hospital in Pasadena, a city in Los Angeles County, is said to be "bursting at the seams," according to a local report. The city of Pasadena shared photos of the tents on Twitter: In response to the rapid rise in hospitalized #COVID19 patients, Huntington Hospital has activated surge tents for care. Tents are used for patients who visit the emergency room but do not have life-threatening conditions. pic.twitter.com/36wuY1kACd City of Pasadena (@PasadenaGov) December 23, 2020 Share this -Link copiedActor Kirk Cameron hosts another caroling event to protest California stay-at-home order Actor Kirk Cameron held another Christmas caroling event outside of a Thousand Oaks, California, mall to protest the governor's stay-at-home order. The Tuesday night event at The Oaks mall attracted between 75 and 100 mostly maskless people, according to KABC-TV. People of all ages attended, including children and senior citizens. The "Growing Pains" actor, 50, shared videos of the caroling on his Instagram Story showing a large crowd standing close together and singing "The First Noel." The mall said it had asked that the event not be held there and slammed it as "irresponsible." "In regards to the peaceful protest planned for The Oaks this evening, we do not condone this irresponsible yet constitutionally protected event. We share your concern and have notified the Sheriffs office," the mall said in a Facebook statement on Tuesday. Cameron confirmed to NBC News that he attended the caroling event and stated that all attendees were encouraged to wear masks. He had no further comment. Click here to read more. Share this -Link copiedFamilies of Covid victims in Italy take government to court ROME Five hundred families of coronavirus victims are taking legal action against Italy's regional and national governments, whom they deem responsible for a series of omissions, mistakes and delays during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. The families say the national government and regional authorities in the hard-hit Lombardy region were unprepared for the crisis as the virus hit and did not take actions that could have prevented a national lockdown and subsequent economic damage, as well as loss of life. Italy became one of the early epicenters of the pandemic, with its health care system pushed to the breaking point. Nearly 70,000 people died from coronavirus in Italy so far, the highest fatality count in Europe. Click here to read the full story. Share this -Link copiedWeekly jobless claims fall to 803,000 but remain elevated Weekly initial jobless claims fell to 803,000, down from a revised level of 892,000. It's an improvement after two weeks of increases in layoffs, but still represents an increase from early November's recent lows of 711,000. Businesses are grappling with renewed restrictions as coronavirus cases reach new highs, showing how an economic recovery is predicated on a health recovery. Share this -Link copiedBritain is host to another mutant coronavirus variant from South Africa, minister says Already battling one new, possibly more infectious coronavirus variant, the United Kingdom announced Wednesday that it is now host to another perhaps even more transmissible strain of the virus. Dozens of countries have closed their doors to the U.K. and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has effectively canceled Christmas for millions in an attempt to contain the new variant. The government's scientific advisers are almost certain it is more infectious than others in circulation. On Wednesday, British Health Secretary Matt Hancock told a press conference that a second variant similar to the British strain but first arising in South Africa had now been detected in two U.K. cases. "Both are contacts of cases that have traveled from South Africa in the past few weeks," Hancock said. "This new variant is highly concerning, because it is yet more transmissible and it appears to have mutated further than the new variant that has been discovered in the U.K." Hancock said Britain was quarantining any contacts of these cases, restricting travel with South Africa, and telling anyone who's been to the country in the past two weeks to quarantine themselves immediately. Share this -Link copiedBiden Covid advisory board member says vaccine distribution must be ramped up Dr. Celine Gounder, a member of President-elect Joe Biden's Covid-19 advisory board, said Wednesday that vaccines need to be administered at a significantly faster clip. "We really need to be administering vaccines at rates much higher than we have been," Gounder said in an interview with MSNBC's Stephanie Ruhle. "We only did a few tens of thousands in the first week. We need to be doing a million a day, if we want to reach 100 million doses in a hundred days." Gounder said the solution is a "massive ramping-up of capacity." She said the advisory board is "doing what we can to plan" the strategy it will put in place when Biden takes the oath of office Jan. 20. But until then, Gounder said, "we are on the sidelines ... watching this unfold, and it's very anxiety-provoking to see what is happening in hospitals right now, to see hospitals full, ICUs full, doctors and nurses are burned out." Share this -Link copiedSwept under the rug: Health care workers have died from Covid. How many is unclear. Monica Leigh Newton said she turned on her cars hazard lights and drove 100 miles an hour to get her mom, Elaine McRae, to the emergency room in Gulfport, Mississippi, where the older woman worked as a nurse on the Covid-19 floor. McRaes oxygen levels that August evening had dropped to a level that could incur brain damage. Newtons mother never returned home after testing positive for Covid-19 at the hospital. Seventy-two days later in November, she died at the same hospital where she had treated coronavirus patients. I was literally watching her deteriorate slowly, Newton said of her mom, whom she called her best friend and hero. She was losing everything that I've ever seen in my mom. My mom is the strongest human being in the world and that was just slowly being sucked out of her by this virus. What bothers Newton is that no one knows exactly how many health care workers, like her mom, have died of the coronavirus thus quantifying in some way the sacrifices they made and the suffering they experienced from a disease they worked so hard to defeat. As the U.S. Covid-19 death toll continues to mount, the deaths of front-line health care workers remain largely unaccounted for. Doctors, nurses, paramedics and support staff have courageously taken on enormous risk during the pandemic, the most consuming health crisis in more than 100 years, but there is no specific death count for them. These are the same people who have received rounds of applause at the end of their shifts and plaudits from the president and high-ranking members of government and industry. Read the full story here. Share this -Link copiedNYC health care worker suffers 'serious' reaction to vaccine A New York City health care worker who had a "significant allergic reaction" after receiving a Covid-19 vaccine is in stable condition, health officials said Wednesday. The officials cautioned that it was the only report so far of a "serious adverse event" of the more than 30,000 vaccinations administered to health care workers in the city this month. The city's Department of Health did not specifically say whether the worker received a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine or an alternative vaccine created by the biotechnology company Moderna. But health officials said side effects and allergic reactions are possible in some people, although uncommon, adding that clinical trials and reports that showed adverse effects associated with the Pfizer vaccine indicated "reactions such as these are rare." The most common side effects associated with the Moderna vaccine were fatigue, headache and muscle pain, according to Food and Drug Administration documents released last week. Share this -Link copied | 0 |
###CLAIM: moore, who was identified as a southern baptist and catholic in an interview last week with religion and news service, said `` there are still baptists who can identify, but there are no longer catholics. ''
###DOCS: Prominent Evangelical Beth Moore Announces Split From Southern BaptistsEnlarge this image toggle caption Emily McFarlan Miller/AP Emily McFarlan Miller/APDonald Trump may be out of the White House, but he continues to cause fractures within some conservative communities. One of those is the Southern Baptist Convention, where Beth Moore, one of its most prominent women, this week left the church, having declared that she is "no longer a Southern Baptist." Moore is an evangelical author and teacher of Bible studies who headlines cruises and speaks before huge audiences her ministry reportedly had nearly $15 million in revenue in 2016. She attended a Baptist congregation starting in childhood and began her rise to prominence by sharing devotionals at the aerobics classes she taught at a Houston church. On Twitter, where she has nearly a million followers, Moore has pinned a tweet that says simply, "I just cannot recommend Jesus enough." But as Trump rose to the presidency, Moore found herself aghast at the church's embrace of him and its stances on women. "I am still a Baptist, but I can no longer identify with Southern Baptists," Moore said in an interview with Religion News Service last week. "I love so many Southern Baptist people, so many Southern Baptist churches, but I don't identify with some of the things in our heritage that haven't remained in the past." In 2018, Moore wrote a blog post titled "A Letter to My Brothers" in which she described "attitudes among some key Christian leaders that smacked of misogyny, objectification and astonishing disesteem of women and it spread like wildfire." She had encountered what she called "one of the most demoralizing realizations of my adult life: Scripture was not the reason for the colossal disregard and disrespect of women among many of these men. It was only the excuse. Sin was the reason." In 2019, Moore posted a tweet suggesting she would be preaching in a church on Mother's Day though she didn't use the word "preach" setting off an uproar in the conservative denomination about whether women should be permitted to preach. She said she watched in amazement as that conversation immediately supplanted the discussion of a sexual abuse scandal that was rocking the church. "We were in the middle of the biggest sexual abuse scandal that has ever hit our denomination," Moore told Religion News Service. "And suddenly, the most important thing to talk about was whether or not a woman could stand at the pulpit and give a message." She felt increasingly unwelcome in the church after that, she said. Jemar Tisby, president of The Witness, a Black Christian collective, told The New York Times that Moore's leaving would be "tectonic." "Beth Moore has more influence and more cachet with Southern Baptists, especially white Southern Baptist women, than the vast majority of Southern Baptist pastors or other leaders. So her leaving is not just about one individual," Tisby said. J.D. Greear, president of the Southern Baptist Convention, said many of its leaders "seem bent on pulling us apart." "I have loved and appreciated Beth Moore's ministry and will continue to in the future. Personally, she has been an encouragement to me and I will always be grateful," he said in a statement posted to Twitter. "I am grieved anytime someone who believes in the inerrant Scripture, shares our values and desires to cooperate says that they do not feel at home in our convention." Ed Stetzer, who formerly led the research division at Lifeway, which was until now Moore's publisher, says the Southern Baptist Convention "needs to have some hard conversations" about why Moore, as well as African American leaders, are leaving it. Rachel Gulledge, whose husband is soon to be senior pastor in a Southern Baptist Church in Georgia, told The Washington Post that as a child, she watched Moore's Bible study videos with her mother. "Beth Moore leaving is sad to me. But I don't blame her," Gulledge said. "For women, we probably lost one of our biggest voices." | 0 |
###CLAIM: gemma 's nephew hayden joined her in her happiness, saying : `` the health and happiness of the fields near our home looks happy in the new pictures. ''
###DOCS: She has shed three stone thanks to her regular fitness regime and a high-fat diet. And Gemma Collins showed off her slimmed-down figure as she donned black workout gear in snaps that she shared via Instagram on Sunday. The former TOWIE star, 40, looked sensational in the new pictures that made clear her incredible progress on her weight loss journey, with fans quick comment that she looked fantastic. Progress: Gemma Collins showed off her slimmed-down figure as she donned black workout gear in snaps that she shared via Instagram on SundayGemma looked happy and healthy in the new snaps as she took a run through the fields near her Essex home and was joined by her nephew Hayden, 13. The reality star threw her hands in the air as she smiled toward the camera, explaining in the caption she plans on her body becoming a 'fine-tuned machine'. She penned in the caption: 'The best day with my family! So supportive of my new life style it really helps. I love Sunday's !!! 'My body is going to be a fine tuned machine but it will take time but I'm chilled and all good things come to those who are Patient !!! X feeling fresh feeling good and making the most of the day #happysundayeveryone #noeditnofilternos**t'. Wow: The former TOWIE star, 40, looked sensational in the new pictures that made clear her incredible progress on her weight loss journey, with fans quick comment that she looked fantasticFans were quick to comment on her slimmed-down physique, with one writing: 'G C You look amazing well done!.' Another said: 'You are looking amazing!' while someone else commented saying: 'You're doing incredible!'. A fourth wrote: 'You keep going girl, you're such an inspiration!' Sweet: Gemma looked happy and healthy in the new snaps as she took a run through the fields near her Essex home and was joined by her nephew Hayden, 13Happy: She penned in the caption: 'The best day with my family! So supportive of my new life style it really helps. I love Sunday's !!!' Speaking to New Magazine last month about her fitness regime, Gemma said: 'I feel more confident than ever. 'I don't weigh myself every week although to be honest I did this week and I lost another half a stone. I'm on a high fat diet - it all personal though, what works for me won't work for you.' She went on to say that it doesn't really matter what the scales are saying but it's more about how you feel in yourself. Praise: Fans were quick to comment on her slimmed down physique, with one writing: 'G C You look amazing well done!' Results: Speaking to New Magazine last month about her fitness regime, Gemma said: 'I feel more confident than ever!' A high fat diet involves a person reducing the number of carbohydrates they consume and replacing them with healthy fats. Gemma's new snaps come after MailOnline exclusively revealed Love Island's Amber Davies was left 'distressed' after having her night at the BRIT Awards 'ruined' by Gemma. The GC demanded to know why Amber had been giving her 'dirty looks' as the pair watched the BRITs from a corporate box at London's O2 arena on Tuesday. Insiders from the ceremony told MailOnline the brunette beauty, 24, was made to feel 'uncomfortable' by Gemma, who approached her while she sat at the bar with radio presenter Roman Kemp, 28. Awkward: Gemma's new snaps come after MailOnline exclusively revealed Love Island's Amber Davies was left 'distressed' after having her night at the BRIT Awards 'ruined' by GemmaIt's the first time the pair have confronted each other since they clashed in 2017 when Gemma fell through a trap door at the Radio 1 Teen Awards and nearly crushed Amber, who accused her of belittling her in the aftermath. A source said: 'Amber isn't a confrontational person, so she felt out of her depth when Gemma came over to her at the BRITs. 'Gemma wanted to know why Amber had been giving her dirty looks, which made things very uncomfortable. 'Uncomfortable': Gemma demanded to know why Amber had been giving her 'dirty looks' as the pair watched the BRITs from a corporate box at London's O2 arena on Tuesday'Luckily, before tensions got any worse, Gemma left the awards early, but Amber still felt as though her night had been ruined.' A source close to Amber said: 'Amber is going to try and instigate a plan to resolve the issues with Gemma and meet up socially to work through their differences.' MailOnline contacted Amber and Gemma's representatives for comment. Amber hinted she had a problem with Gemma after she fell through a trap door at the Radio 1 Teen Awards in 2017. The GC was left badly bruised while Amber, who was on stage collecting an award, had a 'really achy dodgy knee' from where Gemma had 'whacked it.' Amber then branded Gemma 'rude' for referring to her as a 'little girl' and claimed the Diva Forever star refused to call her by name during in She is currently on a gruelling fitness journey after already shedding three stone. And Gemma Collins revealed she was 'feeling positive' as she showcased her figure in a skimpy workout gear during an exercise session on Thursday morning. The reality star, 40, rejoiced as she told her followers: 'Yes, I'm wearing cycling shorts and a crop top bra. I'm not 100 per cent there yet, but I'm getting there.' Looking good: Gemma Collins revealed she was 'feeling positive' as she showcased her figure in a skimpy workout gear during an exercise session on Thursday morningGemma was up early working out with her personal trainer in her garden, as she teased 'something exciting is coming' in relation to her fitness transformation. During another update on her page where she was working out with a set of battle ropes, Gemma thanked Joe Wicks for his support after he called her fitness journey 'inspiring'. Gemma wrote: '@thebodycoach for being really supportive and not judging me !! really gave me a push yesterday and meant so much so thank you !!! X.' Teaser: Gemma was up early working out with her personal trainer in her garden, as she teased 'something exciting is coming' in relation to her fitness transformation'Weight loss journey: Gemma has been closely documenting her weight loss journey on Instagram (pictured right in November 2019)It comes after Joe told Metro: 'There's loads of amazing trainers out there... but I think anyone that is going through a physical and mental transformation is inspiring, I think good luck to everybody. 'It's about inspiring and people have different journeys. It's not always about fat loss and weight loss, some people have a positive message around mental health and how they feel.' He added: 'I don't know Gemma Collins personally... but good luck to anyone trying to inspire the people.' Transformation: During another update on her page where she was working out with a set of battle ropes, Gemma thanked Joe Wicks for his support after he called her fitness journey 'inspiring'Gemma wrote: '@thebodycoach for being really supportive and not judging me !! really gave me a push yesterday and meant so much so thank you !!! X'Gemma encouraged her fans to lose weight naturally earlier this month. Previously, the reality star had advocated for the controversial weight loss injections SkinnyJab. Speaking on the GC podcast she told her listeners: 'I'm not promoting any diet injections or anything like that. Working up a sweat! 'It is so important that we keep getting that message home to people, that beauty is more than just these pumped-up faces, it's not all about that.' She continued: 'It's me Gemma, my new name is fitness queen. Since turning 40 I've become so much more aware of my health and I'm kind of regretting maybe not taking my health as seriously as I should have done.' Gemma revealed that her new diet on her 'massive health drive' includes scrambled eggs, avocados and bacon, plus some small treats like jelly and nuts. She explained that she has also been taking part in more exercise, and even wants to run the London marathon. She shared: 'I've gone health-obsessed mad and I'm loving it. I am feeling so fabulous about exercise. Imagine if I could do the London Marathon. Maybe I could. I would love to do it.' | 2 |
###CLAIM: in recent weeks the indian government has requested companies such as twitter to take down content it says contains misinformation about the 19 pandemic.
###DOCS: As the coronavirus pandemic rages in India, claiming thousands of lives, many Indians are turning to social media to demand that the government handle the public health crisis better. And now, the government is silencing these critics in its latest threat to the future of free speech on the internet in the worlds second-most populous country. In recent weeks, the Indian government has requested that companies like Twitter take down content that it says contains misinformation about the Covid-19 pandemic. But critics say that Indias political leadership under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is using the premise of misinformation to overreach and suppress criticism of the administrations handling of the pandemic. A similar debate has also played out in the US around how companies like Twitter and Facebook should moderate harmful speech on their platforms, particularly when that speech comes from world leaders. But the issue has taken on an increased intensity in India, where the government is more aggressively and directly pressuring tech companies to block content it takes issue with. Internet companies are stuck between a rock and a hard place, said Anupam Chander, a law professor at Georgetown University who focuses on the regulation of international speech online. They face a government that is accusing them of essentially abetting a violation of law. At the same time, there are huge free expression concerns here.India is the worlds biggest democracy and has a history of robust political debate. Its constitution protects peoples rights to freedom of speech and expression with some exceptions including for content it deems defamatory. But under the Modi administration of the past several years, the country has expanded its internet regulation laws, giving it more power to censor and surveil its citizens online. The government has several levers to pressure US-based tech companies into compliance: It could arrest Facebook and Twitter staff in India if their employers dont follow orders. Even further, India could yank Twitter or Facebook off the local internet in India entirely, as it recently did with TikTok and several major Chinese apps in June. And the government resorted to effectively shutting down the internet in Kashmir in February 2020 when it wanted to quiet political dissent in the region. Now, the tension between US social media companies and the Indian government has reached an all-time high because of the fierce debate around Modis handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. And what happens next could determine whether Indians will continue to have the same kind of access to a relatively open social media environment or if the walls around what people are allowed to say online in India will close up even more. Some fear that the country may become more like China, where the government tightly controls its residents access to information and where US tech giants like Google and Facebook have tried and failed to operate successfully. What happened with recent takedownsIn recent days, Twitter and Facebook have taken down or blocked political content thats critical of the Indian government. On Wednesday, Facebook confirmed that it temporarily blocked posts with a #ResignModi hashtag in India, but it later said it was a mistake because of content associated with the hashtag that violated its policies. Facebook has since restored access to the hashtag. Facebook declined to comment on how many or what takedown requests it has received from the Indian government in recent weeks. A source familiar with the company said Facebook only took down a small portion of the total requests it received. In sharp contrast to Facebook, Twitter is more transparent and discloses takedown requests through an outside organization, Lumen. Twitter acknowledged that the Indian government asked it to take down several dozen tweets recently, which were about the Covid-19 pandemic in India, as first reported by Indian news site MediaNama. Recode reviewed the more than 50 tweets that Twitter blocked or deleted at the request of the Indian government in recent weeks. While some could be considered misleading including one viral image showing devastation in India supposedly related to the pandemic which Indian fact-checker AltNews reported to be outdated it wasnt clear what was misleading about several other posts, which appeared to be straightforward news and political commentary. One of the blocked tweets, for example, is a link to a Vice news article about a mass Hindu religious bathing ritual being held in the river Ganges during the most recent Covid-19 surge which has been widely reported in other outlets as well. Another is a satirical cartoon showing a caricature of Modi making a speech over burning coffins, with the prime minister saying, Have never seen such huge crowds at a rally.The Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, which issues takedown requests to social media companies on behalf of the Indian government, did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for Modis BJP Party also did not respond to a request for comment. In response to Recodes questions about how Twitter decides which posts to block or take down, a spokesperson for Twitter emailed Recode the following statement:When we receive a valid legal request, we review it under both the Twitter Rules and local law. If the content violates Twitters Rules, the content will be removed from the service. If it is determined to be illegal in a particular jurisdiction, but not in violation of the Twitter Rules, we may withhold access to the content in India only. The company also said it notified account holders directly when they receive a legal order pertaining to their account. Many free speech advocates are quick to accuse social media companies like Twitter of too easily giving in to pressure from the Indian government. In the past, the company has taken a more aggressive and public stance against the Modi administration such as in February when it refused to block political activists and journalists who used Twitter to criticize the Indian governments new agricultural reforms, which many farmers in India had been protesting for months. Now, during the pandemic, companies like Twitter are again being tested about how much theyre willing to follow the Indian governments orders and run the risk of being shut down entirely if they disobey them. Its easy for us to say Twitter shouldnt do this. But the question is whether it wants to continue operating in the Indian market, said Chander. Its a very complicated dance.One route US social media companies could take is to try to contest the governments recent takedown requests in the Indian courts, which Chander said are relatively independent of Modi. The US government, which has a close relationship with India, could also pressure Modis administration to loosen its grip on social media. On Monday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that the Indian government ordering social media companies to block posts critical of the government certainly wouldnt be aligned with our view of freedom of speech around the world.The White House has other diplomatic leverage it could use, like threatening to cut off trade agreements or other diplomatic relations between the two countries. For now, the White House is focused on the larger issue of vaccine distribution in India. This week, the administration announced under increasing global pressure that it will reverse course and export Covid-19 vaccine materials to the country. So far theres been no public indication that the Biden administration is considering taking any diplomatic action around the countrys stance toward social media. Regardless, its clear that theres a growing battle between the Indian government and US social media companies. What happens next will be a sign of where the future of free speech in the country seems to be heading. | 1 |
###CLAIM: sterling maintained gains despite a senior british trade dealing minister, michael gove, putting the chances of securing an eu deal at less than 50 percent.
###DOCS: [1/5] View of the NYSE building and tree decorations in the Financial District of Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S., December 17, 2020. REUTERS/Jeenah MoonNEW YORK, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Global stocks hit record highs on Thursday, fueled by growing optimism that deals will be reached over a fresh U.S. stimulus package and a post-Brexit trade deal between the United Kingdom and the European Union. From stocks to safe-haven gold and volatile bitcoin, financial assets were in festive mood. Bitcoin hit another all-time high after first shattering the $20,000 level on Wednesday. Oil also climbed, touching a nine-month high, with strong Asian demand adding to positive sentiment. The U.S. dollar was the day's standout loser, as the general risk-on mood sent the safe haven currency to 2-1/2-year lows against major peers. U.S. congressional negotiators were "closing in on" a $900 billion COVID-19 aid bill expected to include $600-$700 stimulus checks to individuals, lawmakers said on Wednesday. Progress on a stimulus package overshadowed continued concerns over the economic impact of the pandemic, highlighted by U.S. weekly jobless claims hitting a three-month high on Thursday and weak U.S. retail sales data on Wednesday. read moreAll the major U.S. indices closed at record highs. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI) rose 0.49% to end at 30,301.79 points, while the S&P 500 .SPX gained 0.57% to 3,722.43. The Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC) climbed 0.84% to 12,764. "Wall Street is completely focused on stimulus talks and ignored deteriorating U.S. economic data," said Edward Moya, senior market analyst at OANDA in New York. The dollar index , which tracks the greenback versus a basket of six currencies, fell 0.599 points or 0.66%, to 89.851. "The dollar is reflecting the amount of debt that the U.S. is assuming and that's probably going to increase as we continue to battle the pandemic," said Tim Ghriskey, chief investment strategist at Inverness Counsel in New York. U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell vowed on Wednesday to keep pouring cash into markets until the U.S. economic recovery is secure. Bond traders, however, were disappointed he did not extend the Fed's purchase program deeper down the yield curve, and U.S. Treasuries sold off at longer tenors, but others took it as a signal the bank will have their back. US/The MSCI world stock index (.MIWD00000PUS) reached a new high, rising 4.74 points or 0.74%, to 641.84. European stocks (.STOXX) and the euro rallied for the fourth straight session as investors built up positions in riskier assets, anticipating a sharp economic recovery in 2021 backed by wider vaccine rollouts and ultra-easy monetary policy. Europe's broad FTSEurofirst 300 index (.FTEU3) added 0.23%, at 1,533. The British pound hit May 2018 highs on hopes of a post-Brexit trade deal. Sterling maintained gains despite senior British minister Michael Gove putting the chances of securing a trade deal with the EU at less than 50%. read moreThe euro was last up 0.54% at $1.2263. Brent crude futures settled up 42 cents at $51.50 a barrel, and touched a session high of $51.90. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose by 54 cents to $48.36 a barrel, with a session high of $48.59. Both benchmarks hit their highest since early March. Gold prices rose to a one-month peak. Spot gold prices rose $20.1179 or 1.08 percent, to $1,884.26 an ounce. U.S. gold futures settled up 1.7% at $1,890.40. Better-than-expected labor data in Australia pushed the Aussie as high as $0.7624, its strongest since mid-2018. AUD/The Aussie is also riding high on surging prices for iron ore and a mood that has pushed currencies in Malaysia , Singapore , Thailand , Taiwan , Sweden and Norway to milestone peaks. EMRG/FRXThe kiwi rose to its strongest since early 2018 after New Zealand's economic growth beat expectations. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) rose 4.29 points or 0.66 percent,%. The yen was last down 0.36 percent, at $103.1100. Reporting by Matt Scuffham, Editing by Nick ZieminskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. | 0 |
###CLAIM: as the price of buying and selling to the world 's top players has fallen drastically, tens of thousands of people could lose a sum of money which threatens their lives, arabs say.
###DOCS: Football Index, the beleaguered online gambling platform, may now be forced to fight a class legal action brought by users who have lost large amounts of money on its site. The football trading game went into administration and suspended operations on Thursday, after players suffered devastating losses amounting to tens of thousands of pounds for some individuals following a collapse of share prices on the site. The gambling commissions in both the UK and Jersey have suspended the company's gaming licence pending an investigation and QPR and Nottingham Forest have both terminated their shirt sponsorships with the company. Campaigners are planning a class action by users of Football Index in order to recoup losses - QPR and Nottingham Forest have both terminated their shirt sponsorships with the companyNow gambling campaigners say they are consulting lawyers about bringing a mass legal action to give desperate players the chance to recoup some of their money. 'We are still hopeful we can bring an action despite the company going into administration,' said Matt Zarb-Cousins, of the campaign group Clean Up Gambling. 'We are going to persist.' The group is working with specialist solicitors and they are meeting expert barristers next week. Football Index is a platform on which users buy and sell 'shares' in leading players and receive dividends based on performance. In some cases, participants 'invested' huge sums of money. Football Index were the main shirt sponsors for Queens Park Rangers and Nottingham ForestSportsmail understands that the legal action will attempt to prove that Football Index misrepresented its online game to users. Football Index told Sportsmail earlier this week that it is a 'gambling platform and has never claimed to be a savings product'. The company ran into financial difficulties and announced a cut in dividends and issued more shares, among other changes, in an attempt to secure 'the long-term sustainability of the platform'. Users responded to the changes by trying to get their money out of the game and this led to a disastrous collapse in share prices, which the campaigners say swept away thousands of pounds, threatening lives and livelihoods. Last week the market index value of players on the site was 80m, but after the dividends were cut and there was a run on the market this plummeted to just 20m. It is believed the company had around 500,000 users. The losses occurred because players' values were dramatically driven down as more and more users tried to sell their 'shares'. The buy and sell prices for the world's top players plummeted drastically over the weekend'Tens of thousands of people may have lost life-threatening sums of money,' said Zarb-Cousins. 'The situation has gone from bad to worse for the people involved.' Immediately after the crash, gambling campaigners warned stricken users may attempt suicide and lives had been destroyed. Many took to Twitter to share their tragedy. Sportsmail was contacted by a large number of customers, many of whom share similar experiences of losing large sums of money on the platform. People contact us with all sorts of concerns and what might be a small issue to you may be huge to someone else. Whatever you're facing, we're here to listen pic.twitter.com/rjyy85NwD7 Samaritans (@samaritans) March 5, 2021One person, who chose to remain anonymous, said that their first year on Football Index resulted in a 30,000 profit - before they then invested 'pretty much everything' they had. On Friday, before the announcement, they were 3,000 down on their deposits - but are now estimating to be around 60,000 down instead. They have deleted the app. 'I've always saved money since a very early age,' they added. 'Now I'm 27, and everything I've saved is now pretty much gone.' Football Index was licensed to operate as a gaming platform through licenses issued to its parent company BetIndex in mainland Britain and in Jersey. Borussia Dortmund's Erling Haaland (L) and Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes were two of the most popular players on Football IndexOn Friday, the Gambling Commission and the Jersey Gambling Commission suspended BetIndex's licence. In a statement the commission said: 'We had concerns activities may have been carried on in purported reliance on the licence, but not in accordance with a condition of the licence, and that Football Index may not be suitable to carry on with licensed activities. 'We have made it clear to the operator that as the investigation progresses, we expect it to focus on treating consumers fairly and keeping them fully informed of any developments which impact them.' Virtual gambling platform Football Index, former shirt sponsor for two Championship clubs - including QPR, has been met with a furious backlash after jaw-dropping share price crashesThe move has come too late for many users of the site, which has infuriated those trying to obtain redress for punters. 'Why has it taken this long,' said Zarb-Cusins. 'In my opinion it should never have been licensed at all. 'The business model was unsustainable. It has taken people losing life-altering sums of money for the Gambling Commission to intervene. It's too late.' Meanwhile, as revealed by Sportsmail, QPR and Nottingham Forest have both terminated their shirt sponsorships with under-fire virtual gambling platform Football Index with immediate effect. Football Index has recognised the 'frustration and disappointment' from users in a statementOn Thursday, administrators Begbies Traynor were called in with Football Index claiming there is a hope that the site will be able to continue in a 'restructured format'. In a statement, Football Index said: 'Until such time as the administrators is in office, the platform will remain suspended and no trading or payment transactions, such as deposits and withdrawals, will be possible,' Football Index added. 'Once in office, the administrators will be in contact with customers, creditors, and other stakeholders. This interim step of suspending the platform is merely to ensure that everyone's rights are preserved in relation to funds held by BetIndex Limited.' | 0 |
###CLAIM: april and russo, the justice department prosecutor, said friday that the officers who returned from the work suffered psychological and physical trauma.
###DOCS: A female U.S. Capitol officer who responded to the deadly riot on Jan. 6 testified by a court-read statement against an alleged rioter who she said gave her a concussion. Ryan Samsel of Pennsylvania has been in custody since February, after he allegedly took part violence during the Capitol riot that left five people dead and more than 140 officers injured. Among those injured was a female officer who Samsel allegedly assaulted by pushing her, causing her to fall and hit her head on the stairs behind her, which resulted in a concussion, federal prosecutors said in a recent court filing. AdvertisementOn Friday, the unidentified officers statement was read in federal court to oppose Samsels recent request for a pretrial release. The officer described how Samsel purposefully came in through the west front of the Capitol and purposefully knocked me down.Ryan Samsel. U.S. District CourtWhen you set out to injure another human being, youre not only committing assault, but you are a thief, the officer said in the statement, which was read by a federal prosecutor in court. You took someones ability to have control over their own body and lead a normal life. You have stolen moments away from me that I cant get back.The officer said one of the moments Samsel stole from her was the ability to be with her fellow officers as they mourned the death of U.S. Capitol Officer Brian Sicknick, who suffered two strokes after he engaged with rioters and died on Jan. 7. Two men were arrested after spraying Sicknick with chemicals on the day of the attack. AdvertisementIn a court filing Wednesday, prosecutors detailed a litany of horrific abuses Samsel previously committed, including a 2009 conviction for assault and reckless endangerment after he held a victim against her will for five hours, choking her to the point of unconsciousness, pushing her, beating her, and chipping her teeth.He was convicted again in 2011 of simple assault and reckless endangerment after choking and throwing his pregnant wife into a canal. More from the filing:The allegations of that assault involved Samsel smashing a hot pizza in the victims face, beating the victim, pouring a beer over her head, and eventually throwing her into the canal, where he then hopped down and held her head under. When Samsel finally stopped holding her, the victim ran into the street barefoot and found a police vehicle. She desperately tried to open the door of the vehicle and the officer saw her and unlocked it so she could get in.In 2019, another woman alleged that Samsel choked, beat and raped her multiple times, federal prosecutors said in their filing. In her statement, the officer Samsel allegedly concussed told the court that his pretrial release request should be denied and that no one should have to fear injury at his hand.AdvertisementYou stole my ability to be present at important events due to physical and psychological trauma that you inflicted on me and my co-workers, and now youre asking to be set free, the officers statement said. When will we be set free? When will we be set free of the memories and scars of that day? | 0 |
###CLAIM: insurance, institute for highway and safety ( iht ) released its annual list wednesday of companies making unprofitable profits in the insurance industry.
###DOCS: Safety runs in the family. Hyundai and its sister companies Kia and Genesis combined to earn 17 Top Safety Pick awards from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in its latest round of evaluations, the most of any automaker. The trio received 12 Top Safety Pick and 5 Top Safety Pick+ ratings, the latter requiring good or acceptable headlights on every trim level of a particular model. Volvo scored the most Top Safety Pick + ratings, however, with nine models making the cut. The Ram 1500 crew cab is the only pickup on either list, with a Top Safety Pick rating, but also the only model from a Stellantis brand, which includes Jeep, Dodge and Chrysler. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPMitsubishi remains the only automaker yet to get a Top Safety Pick on any of its vehicles, the IIHS said. Overall, 2021 marks the best year ever for the industry with 90 vehicles on the list and 49 of them getting a Top Safety Pick+ rating, up more than double from last year. You can click here to see all of the 2021 Top Safety Picks | 0 |
###CLAIM: cindy and john mccain, whose late senator john mccain was a life-long endorsement of the presidential candidate in the 2020 election, say joe and biden are better men.
###DOCS: Cindy McCain said on Wednesday morning that she is endorsing the Democratic candidate for president in the 2020 election, despite being a lifelong Republican married to the late Republican senator John McCain, because Joe Biden is the better man. McCain made it official on Tuesday evening with a tweet. My husband John lived by a code: country first. We are Republicans, yes, but Americans foremost. Theres only one candidate in this race who stands up for our values as a nation, and that is Joe Biden, she posted, in a landmark moment for the Biden election campaign. My husband John lived by a code: country first. We are Republicans, yes, but Americans foremost. There's only one candidate in this race who stands up for our values as a nation, and that is @JoeBiden. Cindy McCain (@cindymccain) September 22, 2020On Wednesday she appeared live on the TV breakfast news shows to talk about the endorsement that had been expected, especially after she appeared in a video played at the Democratic national convention last month, but not made official until the evening before. I have been watching what is going on and Im deeply concerned, McCain told NBCs Today show. She never mentioned Donald Trumps name, but Trump has had a fraught relationship with the McCain family since he disparaged the Arizona senator during his 2016 campaign. He has publicly criticized McCain on numerous occasions and was enraged when the senator voted against an effort to overturn the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare. And Trump infamously said of John McCain, who was held as a prisoner by the north Vietnamese for more than five years and tortured: He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who werent captured ... He lost and let us down. Ive never liked him as much after that. I dont like losers.The president was pointedly not invited to McCains funeral in 2018. Cindy McCain on Wednesday said also that the reports of Trump calling fallen American soldiers losers and suckers was pretty much the last straw. Joe Biden represents the kind of values and integrity and courage we want in a president and I think would have my back as a citizen. I want to feel like my presidents cares about me, she told NBC. She added that Biden has great empathy for people in this country who are struggling, not just with the Covid-19 crisis but all along the way.McCain said she was hoping she could persuade suburban women who are on the fence about which way to vote or about voting at all that, if they are Republican, the brave thing to do is cross the aisle and vote for Biden, not Trump, this November. Joe Biden is the better man, she said. Trump has been issuing thinly-veiled racist warnings and appeals to the white suburban vote in recent weeks. Moments after McCain began her TV interview on Wednesday, Trump tweeted aggressively that Cindy can have Sleepy Joe as he has nicknamed Biden, and criticized, effectively, the enduring conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and the handling of the Veterans Administration (VA) under previous presidents. I hardly know Cindy McCain other than having put her on a Committee at her husbands request. Joe Biden was John McCains lapdog. So many BAD decisions on Endless Wars & the V.A., which I brought from a horror show to HIGH APPROVAL. Never a fan of John. Cindy can have Sleepy Joe! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2020Asked on ABCs Good Morning America if she had any comment on Trumps tweet, McCain scoffed and said: Huh, I do not have any.On the Republicans rush to fill the supreme court seat left by the death on Friday of Ruth Bader Ginsburg before the election, when they had previously blocked Barack Obamas nominee much further from the 2016 election, McCain said Republicans believe in what they are doing and thats their prerogative. She added that respect for partisan differences of opinion, listening and reaching across the political aisle was a tradition that John McCain and Biden upheld in the Senate that is being lost in a divided America. | 1 |
###CLAIM: infrastructure is called infrastructure but for all productive parts of our economy inside the trojan horse, more borrowing and massive tax increases.
###DOCS: Over the past several weeks, prominent Democrats in Washington have claimed that items ranging from caregiving , to climate action , to the Everglades ecosystem in South Florida are all examples of infrastructure. President Biden said at a recent press conference that computer chips are infrastructure, telling reporters "chips, like the one I have here -- these chips, these wafers, are batteries, broadband; it's all infrastructure. This is infrastructure." Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., proclaimed on Twitter last week that " climate action is infrastructure ," arguing in a Washington Post op-ed that "a true infrastructure plan" will deliver "climate justice" and should include key elements of the Green New Deal. And Rep. Marilyn Strickland, D-Wash., said three days ago that " affordable housing is infrastructure " as she announced a new piece of legislation that would "make smart, effective, and green housing infrastructure investments" around the country. Their colleagues in state politics are going further. Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, the second most senior state Democrat in Wisconsin, said " police accountability is infrastructure " on Thursday as he calls for policing reform. Some Democrats have even joked about how far their party is stretching the limits of the term. The newly elected Rep. Mondaire Jones, D-N.Y., tweeted on Wednesday that " Supreme Court expansion is infrastructure ," a tongue-in-cheek reference to his plan to add four new members to the Supreme Court. The statements come during the White Houses sales pitch for the American Jobs Plan, a $2.25 trillion bill that Biden says is a "blueprint for infrastructure needed for tomorrow." It would be the second piece of signature legislation for the Biden administration after the American Rescue Plan. That COVID-19 recovery bill contained unrelated spending provisions, such as $100 million for a Silicon Valley railway project and $1.5 million for a bridge between the U.S. and Canada favored by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand first raised eyebrows about the definition of "infrastructure" in early April when she said, "Paid leave is infrastructure. Child care is infrastructure. Caregiving is infrastructure." She told Fox News Neil Cavuto last week that "we define... infrastructure as whats necessary to get the economy moving. And if you dont have access to day care, universal pre-K, affordable day care, or a national paid leave plan, its going to be really hard to get families back to work." Meanwhile, Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters last month that Bidens bill is "like a Trojan horse... its called infrastructure, but inside the Trojan horse its going to be more borrowed money and massive tax increases on all the productive parts of our economy." The New Oxford American Dictionary defines infrastructure as "the basic physical and organizational structures and facilities (e.g. buildings, roads, power supplies) needed for the operation of a society or enterprise." | 0 |
###CLAIM: russell showed his class by even talking about bottas ' replacement next season, giving mercedes a headache over whether it should do so.
###DOCS: And so the curtain came down on yet another Formula One season. When racing was shutdown in Australia and paddocks were packed up as Covid-19 ravaged the globe, nobody quite knew how a F1 season would be possible. In the end they made it 17 races strong and, to much less of a surprise, Mercedes' dominance continued as Lewis Hamilton made history with his record-equaling seventh world title. Formula One lowered the curtain on the 2020 season after the end of the Abu Dhabi Grand PrixBut it was not just about Hamilton, Mercedes and Covid-19. This was a season that will be remembered for the rain in Turkey, the race win in Monza of Pierre Gasly, the horror fireball that Romain Grosjean escaped from, the driver split over taking the knee and Daniel Ricciardo's famous tattoo bet before he left Renault. Sportsmail picks out 10 things learned from another season on track...1. Lewis Hamilton is STILL in a league of his ownMesmerising. Yes, he's in the car everybody wants but Hamilton once again proved why he is on his way to becoming motorsport's greatest of all time. To some, he's already the GOAT. To others, he needs to surpass Michael Schumacher, not just equal him. That really feels a matter of time. Hamilton has no legitimate title threat and managed to finish third in Abu Dhabi despite complaining of having issues with his lungs as he still battles against Covid-19. The fact that he's a leading contender for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award comes as no surprise. He won 11 of the 17 races, missing the podium just twice all season - first in Austria because of a post-race penalty (he crossed the line second) and then in Italy where he ended up down in seventh, again due to another penalty. The only man who can stop him is himself and with 23 races provisionally set for 2021, the 35 year-old is odds on for title No 8. Lewis Hamilton surpassed Michael Schumacher's win record on his way to another F1 title2. Enough is enough... give Verstappen a competitive carIt's the title fight fans want but know, as things stand, they can't have. This is as frustrating for Verstappen as it is for them; him toiling away in a car that is simply not good enough over the course of an entire season to win a world championship. Going up against Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas currently feels like the Dutchman is taking a knife to a gunfight. Losing Honda as their engine supplier does hinder Red Bull, no matter how much they try to save face publicly, and Mercedes have shown no appetite for abdicating the thrown with Hamilton still in a league of his own. 'The whole season, being behind and getting closer, it's a bit frustrating,' Verstappen said of Mercedes after victory in Abu Dhabi. 'We've been working so hard really the whole season to try and close that gap to Mercedes. 'Of course they have a different strategy with how they develop the car but for us it was all about understanding the car, to make it better for next year. To do that today, to be first, I was very happy for the whole team.' Verstappen has the talent, the raw speed and the drive to do whatever it takes... now all he needs is the machinery to match his ambition. Max Verstappen shows he has the pace but now he needs machinery to match his ambitionVerstappen produced fireworks in Abu Dhabi as he turned pole position into a race victory3. Mercedes dominance is NOT entertainingThat's the bottom line. Of course seeing Hamilton match Schumacher's record is special. Of course some of the performances should be marvelled at for what they are - greatness. But, ultimately, dominance of this kind is not good for anyone other than Mercedes. It certainly isn't good to keep fans engaged. The fact Verstappen's pole position in Abu Dhabi was the only non-Mercedes of the 2020 season says it all. Verstappen is sick of it for obvious reason but it is partly why fans feel more comfortable skipping watching a race because the outcome feels so inevitable. Gone are the title battles of Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell, Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel, even Nico Rosberg when he got one over Hamilton before retiring. Those races felt must-see. There was jeopardy, a greater risk of defeat but a victory that would taste sweeter. Ten of the 17 races ended with both Mercedes men doused in champagne on the podium. It's great for them, but far from great for the rest of us. Mercedes' dominance over the rest of the pack is not entertaining for fans of the sportHamilton (left) and Bottas (right) finished on the podium together 10 times from 17 races4. F1 deserves credit for keeping show on the roadThere were hiccups, which was to be expected, but to complete an F1 season spanning multiple countries and territories, organisers deserve a huge amount of credit. There are lots of moving parts that are needed to keep the F1 circus going and yet organisers successfully managed to create a bio-secure bubble that kept drivers, team staff and media safe from Italy to Portugal to Turkey to Abu Dhabi. Many team meetings were done via videoconferencing service Zoom while social distancing was enforced in the paddock and in hotels with teams and drivers under strict instructions depending on each country they were in. Testing was regular and yet of 17 races, with everyone tested who was going on site, a total of 78 positive tests had been returned. That figure included three drivers Hamilton, Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll. Hamilton's positive Covid-19 test sent shockwaves through the sport but managing to avoid cancelling races due to outbreaks and totalling up 17 races in the end, F1 heads into 2021 with real credit in the bank for how they navigated a very difficult pandemic. Reaching 17 races and keeping drivers, teams and media safe was very impressive for F15. George Russell left with a 'headache' of his ownNo doubt he will still be thinking about it. The Sakhir Grand Prix, no Hamilton, on course for a first ever race win, in a car that he can actually excel in. And then, disaster. Hamilton's recovery from Covid-19 meant that he didn't get another shot at glory in Abu Dhabi and a return to Williams saw a return to a Q1 exit in qualifying. Back with a bang, then. But win or no win, Russell showed his class and even talked up giving Mercedes a 'headache' over whether he should be replacing Bottas next season. Consider those flames, fanned. Bottas, unsurprisingly, didn't take kindly to the remark and while Russell climbed down by saying 'it was just a throwaway remark', it was clear what he really thought. And so news that Toto Wolff has categorically confirmed Bottas is going nowhere represents a real motivation blow for Russell. His time will come, he showed that out in Bahrain, but that won't come in 2021. George Russell was hoping his performance in the Sakhir GP would push Mercedes to act6. Ferrari are a basket caseWhere to start with what was nothing short of a horror show? The Prancing Horse limped out the gates and barely reached the first hurdle. Ferrari's dismal season was hard to watch for any F1 fan who knows the value of having the Italians fighting hard for championships. In short: this was their worst season in 40 years. It came as a shock to some, this writer included, but as the dust settled in Abu Dhabi, voices at Ferrari began to reveal that they had braced for such a drop-off ever since watching the car in winter testing in Barcelona. 'In Barcelona, we quickly realised that we had serious concerns about some aspects of the performance of the car,' sporting director Laurent Mekies said. 'We knew it was going to be very difficult. We didn't know yet at that time how long it was going to be for us to understand that fully and even less to fix it.' Sebastian Vettel was woeful, Charles Leclerc only marginally better on occasion and it is a season - which saw them finish sixth in the constructors' championship - they will be glad to see the back of. Ferrari endured their worst season in 40 years and will be glad to see the back of 20207. Pierre Gasly's redemption is perfect tonic to his criticsWhen Pierre Gasly was shown the door by Red Bull it was widely felt his chance of worrying the top order in F1 was over. Red Bull had concluded even before the 2019 season was over that Gasly was simply not good enough to be the sidekick to Verstappen. It was tough for the young Frenchman to take but he took his bumps and went to AlphaTauri. Being out of the spotlight a touch has worked wonders for Gasly's self-esteem and has allowed him to find his natural rhythm in the car again. It was painfully obvious watching F1's Drive to Survive Netflix series of last season that Gasly's lack of speed was down to a lack of belief. He's not lacking that these days. A stunning victory at Monza, his first ever race win in Formula One, showed he has bags of talent and at 24 he still has a lot to work on. He has shown glimpses of what he truly can do, the challenge now is, can he earn a second shot at a contending team? Pierre Gasly showed glimpses of his potential again as he got his mojo back with AlphaTauri8. Growing the calendar causes quantity over qualityIn a congested season like this one, organisers deserve an immense amount of credit for delivering the amount of races they did - in the end we got 17. But, that being said, the decision to increase the calendar to 23 races next season seems unnecessary. Talk of 24 in future just seems absurd. More races = more fans = more money = more sponsorship opportunities, but less can often be more in a sport that can, at times, become far too predictable for its own good. There were 21 races in the 2019 season and that felt like the belt buckle was close to bursting. Adding on even more feels greedy and a priority shift to quantity over quality. Saudi Arabia will be among the new races on the provisional schedule while teams will return to Australia and Monaco, two locations that were unable to host races in 2020 due to the pandemic. Turkey was the star of the shake-up this year largely thanks to the rain and all the moaning from drivers. But when is enough, enough? Turkey caught the eye as a contender for race of the season but more races is not the answer9. Driver split over taking the knee left a cloud over the seasonThis was an issue that the sport never managed to get a grip on: some drivers taking the knee and others standing tall behind them. It was supposed to be a public show against racism and discrimination, something Hamilton is keen to tackle as the only black driver competing in the sport right now. The Premier League has seen all players and officials take the knee and other sports have successfully managed to organise a united front - but not F1. It has looked as awkward on television as it has on the track and portrayed the message of a sport divided, despite all drivers wearing 'End Racism' t-shirts. Fourteen have continued to take the knee but six elected not to do so and there were incidents throughout the season where drivers arrived late or they had not put on the t-shirt or television pictures simply did not show those who did drop to one knee. The Hungarian Grand Prix was one example as drivers scurried in position, took a knee while others arrived and then quickly stood for the national anthems, meaning the gesture against racism and discrimination only lasted for a few moments. When other sports managed to get it so right, Formula One never quite did. The split over drivers taking a knee was an embarrassing episode for the sport when football, cricket, basketball and others managed to organise a unified message for competitors10. Not giving a seat to Sergio Perez is a HUGE mistakeLosing Sergio Perez from the 2021 grid would represent a real error in judgement - but it remains a very possible situation given the lack of available seats. Perez bowed out in Abu Dhabi with a DNF and it seems cruel to think his F1 career - for the time being at least - could go out on such a whimper given the euphoria of winning the Sakhir Grand Prix the weekend prior. There is talk of a switch to Red Bull, pushing current No 2 Alex Albon down to the role as the reserve driver, something the team are yet to confirm. With the season over this could well escalate quickly in the coming week. Perez is well liked in the paddock and Racing Point's engineers were in floods of tears as he walked out for the last time following events in Abu Dhabi. Lawrence Stroll owns the team and so keeping on his son, Lance, came as no surprise. But if the sport allows Perez to slip between the cracks it's a decision it will be left to rue. | 1 |
###CLAIM: nixon said on the tape that the staff's laughing meant it was not being done, and so they looked like "oh no. "
###DOCS: 'Bad Behavior By People In High Office': Rachel Maddow On The Lessons Of Spiro AgnewDAVE DAVIES, HOST:This is FRESH AIR. I'm Dave Davies, sitting in for Terry Gross. My guests, Rachel Maddow and Mike Yarvitz, have collaborated on a new book called "Bag Man: The Wild Crimes, Audacious Cover-Up, And Spectacular Downfall Of A Brazen Crook In The White House." The brazen crook was Richard Nixon's vice president, Spiro Agnew. The book, just released this week, is an update of their popular podcast, also called Bag Man, which was released in October 2018. "Bag Man" tells the largely forgotten story of how Agnew came under investigation by federal prosecutors for bribery and, before he was forced to resign, did everything to try and stay in office, including attacking the press and trying to shut down the investigation. Surprising twists were uncovered for the podcast after listening to the Nixon White House tapes. Revelations in their new book include a litany of other felony charges against Agnew that were contemplated by the Justice Department and new reporting that raises questions about the Justice Department's policy, born out of the Agnew crisis, that a sitting president is immune from prosecution. It was that policy that constrained Robert Mueller from considering criminal charges against President Trump during the Russia investigation. Rachel Maddow is the host of MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow Show." She co-wrote "Bag Man" with Mike Yarvitz, a former senior producer of her show. Terry spoke to them in January 2019. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)TERRY GROSS, BYLINE: Rachel Maddow, Mike Yarvitz, welcome to FRESH AIR. Congratulations on your podcast, which has now gotten over 10 million downloads. When thinking about questions surrounding President Trump, like, did he obstruct justice? Did he commit impeachable offenses? Might we face a constitutional crisis? - people tend to look at Richard Nixon and Watergate. But you've looked at his vice president, Spiro Agnew. What made you think about investigating Agnew? RACHEL MADDOW: For me, I feel like there are a lot of presidential scandals in U.S. history, but there are very few presidential scandals that result in resignation and/or impeachment. And I was really interested in Agnew just because he's one of that very small number of presidential or vice presidential scandals that rose to that level but also because I realized that when I tried to sort of thumbnail in my mind what happened in the Agnew resignation, everything I thought about it was wrong. All of my impressions about it (laughter) turned out to be wrong when I looked them up. And for me, that piqued my curiosity. GROSS: I was almost embarrassed listening to your podcast 'cause I knew so little. Like, I hadn't spent that much time thinking about why Agnew left office, and I was just shocked by (laughter) everything I learned. MADDOW: Well, that's not an uncommon thing, and that - what - I think Mike and I found that same dynamic at work even as we had started working on the podcast. I mean, I assumed that his big sin was tax evasion. I had assumed that it was a Watergate-adjacent scandal, you know, that the FBI was looking into Watergate-related crimes, and they stumbled upon something in Spiro Agnew's taxes. I had assumed that Agnew was kind of no big deal as a vice president because he's kind of no big deal in history. All of those things were completely wrong. The history of it is just - is not what we remember if we remember that history at all. And so it's nice to find something in history that's brand new (laughter). GROSS: Mike, before we get to what Agnew was guilty of, before we get his bribery and extortion scheme, let's just give some background. Before serving as vice president, he'd been elected the Baltimore County executive in 1962, then governor of Maryland in '66. What did Agnew represent politically when he was campaigning for vice president, when he became vice president? What did he represent on the right? Because he was kind of part of the culture war in the late '60s before the term culture war was coined. MIKE YARVITZ: Yeah, I think that's right. I think one of the interesting things that we found was that he really was this sort of firebrand figure on the right in a way that Nixon really wasn't. He sort of was able to rile up the conservative base across the country. He spoke in very controversial language at times about issues of race and, you know, law and order. I think one of the sort of interesting things that's, you know, sort of not known about Agnew as a political figure is how much, in a lot of ways, he was much more beloved among the Republican base, much more so than Nixon was. What sort of manifests itself during this scandal is that Nixon really sort of needs Agnew on his side because he knows, in a way, that Agnew is much more popular with the Republican base in the country than even he is. So I think, as Rachel's alluding to, this sort of - the political history of Spiro Agnew as a political figure is sort of forgotten, but he did a lot to sort of raise these issues in the Republican base about antagonizing the media and these sort of - these racial issues that have - more sort of bubbling on the right in the '60s. And it's sort of a forgotten part of his legacy. GROSS: With the help of his speechwriter, William Safire, he said phrases like - referring to his critics - calling them pusillanimous pussyfooters. Pusillanimous means lacking courage and resolution. He called his critics nattering nabobs of negativism. And there's a great quote that you use in the podcast. He said, if you tell me that the hippies and the yippies are going to be able to do the job, I'll tell you this. They can't run a bus. They can't serve in governmental office. They can't run a lathe in a factory. All they can do is lay down in the park and sleep or kick policemen with razor blades. (LAUGHTER)GROSS: Very, very provocative. MADDOW: I would say he's provocative, but that attack on liberals, the attack in other instances on minorities, the attack on the elites, the attacks specifically on the media, which he really turned into an art form, is something that was key not only to his controversial nature at the time, but it's absolutely what Nixon needed in terms of lining up and keeping on his side the very hardline Republican base at the time. And I think that was part of what was interesting in terms of parallels to today. I think a lot of people lament on the right the anti-media stuff that is stoked by the Trump administration, the anti-elite stuff, some of the divisive and racially specific stuff that we're seeing from this administration. But it's not new. It's really (laughter) - it's a well-trod path, and Agnew was great at it. GROSS: Do you think Agnew kind of creates a new playbook for the kind of language you can use in campaign for high office? MADDOW: I mean, he was really quite eloquent, actually, in his provocative and controversial remarks (laughter). I mean, Mike, one of the things, I think - you can correct me if I'm wrong. But I feel like when we were going through his most controversial statements, one of the things that was sort of mind-bending for us - at least for me - was to be both seeing all the parallels to sort of Trumpist Republicanism today and to be seeing somebody who had this, you know, $20 million vocabulary and all the alliteration and all the eloquence. And he always spoke in complete sentences. I mean, that was kind of a disconnect for me. GROSS: So let's get to the bribery and extortion scheme that he was part of in Maryland. What was the scheme? YARVITZ: Yeah. Essentially, it was a scheme that he had concocted when he was Baltimore County executive, where he realized that he had the power to award some local contracts for engineering and architecture, and he could singlehandedly decide who got the contract. And what he put together was a scheme that predated his time in that office. But he would arrange with these local contractors, engineers and architects that they would get the contract. And in return, they would kick back to him something on the order of 3 to 5% of whatever they were making off of that contract. And these were kickbacks that were delivered to him in cash, often in an envelope that was just brought to him and handed to him directly. In many cases, he used the bag man as part of this scheme, and it was a scheme that he started when he was Baltimore County executive that he then continued when he was governor of Maryland. And again, he used a state roads commissioner when he was governor. And basically, it was a kickback scheme. It was a bribery and extortion scheme in which, if you wanted a government contract in Maryland, you would have to kick back money to Spiro Agnew. And it was brazen, and it was delivered in cash. And he started that scheme in local politics, and then he carried it right into the White House. GROSS: How did it continue into the White House? YARVITZ: Well, when he was vice president, he didn't have as much power to award contracts. That's a federal process. But when he became vice president, he was still taking money for contracts that had ripened, essentially, that he had given out in Maryland as governor. And so the men who were sort of streaming into his office at the White House were paying him money for contracts they had gotten in Maryland. And in some cases, he was trying to influence the awarding of federal contracts, and he was successful in a number of cases at steering federal contracts to these businessmen in Maryland who wanted these jobs. MADDOW: There was this one great moment that we came across in the history of Agnew as a vice president where he tried to assert control over federal contracts on the Eastern Seaboard - General Services Administration contracts. He essentially decided that he was going to be, as vice president, the guy who decided who those contracts went to. And there was a sort of bewilderment about that in the Nixon White House. Why does Agnew want to do this? And they ultimately didn't let him take that over. But we can now see, knowing his criminal designs and knowing how his criminal scheme worked, that his effort to do that once he was vice president, which, again, failed, must have been an effort to get control of more contracts that he could then dole out in this kickback scheme that would earn him some cash. GROSS: So once the Maryland federal prosecutors found out about talk of this bribery and extortion scheme involving Agnew, they wanted to investigate and see what they can find. They needed the green light from the newly appointed Attorney General Elliot Richardson. He was appointed in the spring of 1973. Richardson had already appointed a special prosecutor to investigate Watergate. So what was Richardson's reaction when he was told by his prosecutors that they wanted to investigate the vice president on bribery and extortion? MADDOW: Richardson was in an amazing situation here because he was not only the attorney general - the third Nixon attorney general at that point. The first two had resigned in Watergate-adjacent scandals of their own. He's the third Nixon attorney general. There is the special prosecutors looking into Watergate. He's responsible for that, to a certain extent, as attorney general. But he's also become a sounding board for Nixon himself. Nixon is frequently, personally calling Elliot Richardson at that point to complain about various elements of the Watergate investigation and the scandal surrounding him. And that gives Richardson an insight into the president's state of mind and how much this investigation is affecting him and distracting him and dominating his life as president. And on top of that, a totally unrelated scandal is brought to his desk from these Baltimore prosecutors, who had not started off investigating Agnew. They had just started investigating what was known to be a public corruption problem in Maryland. But they did not expect that it would take them to the door of the sitting vice president, but it did. By the time they came to Richardson, they had a ton of evidence against the sitting vice president. And they were essentially bringing him something brand new and something potentially equally catastrophic for the White House to the Watergate scandal he was already dealing with. GROSS: So Richardson is getting pressured by Agnew, like, don't do anything about this. Richardson could have put a stop to this right there, but he didn't. YARVITZ: He could have. And that's one of the really sort of dramatic scenes that plays out in this podcast and that the prosecutors recounted for us is this July 3, 1973 meeting, where they're going to the Justice Department to meet with Richardson for the first time. And they know that they've got this sort of bombshell on their hands. They understand Watergate is going on at the time. And the consequences of this are incredible. Going into that meeting, as they recount, they don't know what Elliot Richardson is going to do. As they're laying out all of this evidence that they've collected against the sitting vice president, they're sort of looking at Elliot Richardson's face, trying to sort of calculate what he's going to do. And Richardson, during this meeting, is being called out of the room for phone calls from the White House about Watergate from Nixon, from Al Haig. And so it's incredible pressure that Elliot Richardson is under at the time, which the prosecutors are aware of. And it's not until at the end of that meeting that it becomes clear to the prosecutors that Elliot Richardson is not going to shut this investigation down. He understands the importance of it. And he basically gives them the green light to keep investigating and that they would keep this investigation secret, including from the White House, until such time as they needed to sort of move forward with a more formal part of the investigation. And so Richardson, in a real way, is the person who sort of allows this investigation to sort of reach its - the conclusion that it needs to. GROSS: You also have on tape Agnew saying, get this thing - the investigation - get this thing over with, and get this guy Skolnik - one of the prosecutors - who's a Muskie volunteer, the hell out of his office. Where did you find that statement? YARVITZ: Well, that one we found on one of these Nixon White House tapes, which was a conversation that Spiro Agnew was having with Richard Nixon in the Oval Office. And that was - you know, when you talk about the sort of elements of obstruction and the efforts to shut down this investigation, that was - that seemed to be a prime motivator for Spiro Agnew, which was to get this federal prosecutor, Barney Skolnik, who was the lead prosecutor on this three-man team - to get him thrown off the case. And, you know, as - one of the things that was sort of amazing to find is that Barney Skolnik had never known about that. And... GROSS: Until you played it for him. YARVITZ: Until we played it for him. And it was something that he had not known. And again, it's a credit to his boss at the time, George Beall, that he that he didn't know that because that pressure, those efforts to get him thrown off the case - they never sort of got through to him. And so, in a real way, these federal prosecutors - and they say it - they were just doing their job. They were not looking for any fame out of this or anything like that. But I think when Barney Skolnik was able to see on tape that part of the obstruction effort was to get him fired, essentially, off the case, that was a surprising moment that we were able to sort of reveal to him for this - for the series. GROSS: So let's play some of prosecutor Barney Skolnik's reaction when you played that tape for him. (SOUNDBITE OF PODCAST, "BAG MAN")SPIRO AGNEW: Get this thing over with, and get this guy Skolnik, who's a Muskie volunteer, the hell out of this office. BARNEY SKOLNIK: Oh, there's my name. Wow. Agnew said my name. Oh, joy. Get this thing over with, and get this guy Skolnik, who's a Muskie volunteer, the hell out of this office. Oh, man. You got to give me a copy of this. YARVITZ: You got it. SKOLNIK: Oh, wow - makes my whole life worthwhile (laughter). DAVIES: If you're just joining us, we're listening to an interview with Rachel Maddow and Mike Yarvitz, who collaborated on the podcast Bag Man, about the bribery and extortion scandal surrounding Nixon's first vice president, Spiro Agnew, and how Agnew was subsequently forced out of office. A new book based on their reporting for the podcast, also called "Bag Man," was published this week. We'll hear more of Terry's interview with Maddow and Yarvitz after this break. This is FRESH AIR. (SOUNDBITE OF IAN O'BEIRNE AND SLOWBERN'S "WHEN WAR WAS KING")DAVIES: This is FRESH AIR. We're listening to the interview Terry recorded last year with MSNBC host Rachel Maddow and Mike Yarvitz about their podcast series Bag Man. It tells the story of the bribery and extortion investigation which forced Richard Nixon's vice president Spiro Agnew. Maddow and Yarvitz have collaborated on a new book with some new material about the story, also called "Bag Man." (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)GROSS: There were many surprises for me in listening to your podcast "Bag Man." Perhaps the biggest was hearing - and I'll set the scene here. I was listening to this particular episode of the podcast not long after George H.W. Bush's funeral. And there was a kind of - a whole week of the news networks, basically, talking most of the time about George H.W. Bush's presidency, what a model president he was. And suddenly, his name crops up in your podcast about George H.W. Bush's presidency - what a model president he was. And suddenly, his name crops up in your podcast about the Agnew bribery and extortion scheme and the attempt to shut down the investigation. Tell us how George H.W. Bush comes up in this. MADDOW: So when Agnew and the Nixon White House were trying to put together a scheme to shut down this prosecution of Agnew, they lit on this idea that the U.S. attorney in Maryland who was leading the investigation - that he could be pressured through his family to stop this thing. So the White House needed somebody to put that pressure on him. Nixon says on tape that he's not going to do it himself (laughter), and so Nixon's staff is like, oh, no, no. Sir, of course, you can't do that yourself. It seems like Agnew did a little bit of it himself. There was a lot of discussion about different senior White House figures being asked to go put that pressure on that senator. But ultimately, for a variety of reasons, the person - or one of the persons who they decided to dispatch to pressure that senator, to try to shut down that investigation was the then-head of the Republican National Committee, the head of the Republican Party, who was George H.W. Bush. GROSS: So we know that he actually went to the senator's office to try to get him to pressure his brother to stop the investigation. But do we really know what he said? We know he had the meetings, but I was wondering, like, did H.W. Bush go to the senator and say, I was told to tell you this. I'm telling you this. I'm not telling you to do it. I'm just telling you I was told to tell you this. I've told you this. Goodbye. And thank you. (LAUGHTER)GROSS: Do you know what I mean? MADDOW: Oh, we don't... GROSS: So it's - that's like I'm...MADDOW: Yeah. GROSS: ...Doing my job. I'm telling you, but I'm not pressuring you. I'm just reporting what they told me to tell you in a neutral way. MADDOW: It's - you know, we don't have a recording of what happened between George H.W. Bush and this Republican senator. But, I mean, Mike was able to turn up pretty good evidence on both sides of the request and what was apparently the delivery of the pressure by George H.W. Bush. So we at least can see some of the documentation of it, right? YARVITZ: That's - yeah, that's right. We can hear, obviously, the White House tapes where Al Haig is informing President Nixon that he's - you know, he says, I did it through George Bush on the first run, meaning, I spoke to George Bush and told him to deliver this message to the senator to get through to his brother. And so we know, from that end, that Al Haig and Richard Nixon oversaw this effort to have George Bush do that. And one of the things that we found in reporting out this story was the trip that I took to George Beall's archives at Frostburg State University in Maryland, where he wrote a memo to file that lives in his archives in which he memorializes, for the record, the fact that his brother - the sitting Republican senator Glenn Beall - did relay a conversation that was had with him by George Bush. And we don't know the exact nature of the conversation, but it was part of this effort from Agnew to say that these prosecutors were intimidating people and were conducting this investigation in an unprofessional manner. And we can see in this memo - the file from that summer of 1973 - that George H.W. Bush, who was then Republican Party chairman, did speak to the Republican senator there to try to get word to his brother about this investigation. GROSS: Mike Yarvitz, a former producer at MSNBC, and Rachel Maddow speaking with Terry Gross last year about their podcast series Bag Man. Maddow and Yarvitz have collaborated on a new book with some new material, also called Bag Man. You'll hear more of their conversation after a break. This is FRESH AIR. (SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)DAVIES: This is FRESH AIR. I'm Dave Davies, in for Terry Gross. We're listening to Terry's interview with MSNBC host Rachel Maddow and journalist Mike Yarvitz about their podcast Bag Man, which detailed the criminal investigation that forced Richard Nixon's vice president Spiro Agnew to resign in 1973. Federal investigators found evidence that Agnew was involved with bribery and extortion while he was Baltimore County executive and governor of Maryland and that he continued to collect bribe money while he was vice president. Once the Agnew investigation came to light, there were persistent efforts from the White House to shut it down. Maddow and Yarvitz have collaborated on a new book based on their reporting for the podcast, with new some material about the case. It's called "Bag Man: The Wild Crimes, Audacious Cover-Up, And Spectacular Downfall Of A Brazen Crook In The White House." (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)GROSS: So you found something, Mike, that the prosecutors didn't even know at the time. And that - this was - there was a secret plan that Agnew had to shut down the investigation. Would you describe that secret plan? YARVITZ: Yeah, you know, it's an interesting part of us digging into the story - was looking through the Nixon White House recordings. And, obviously, those recordings have been very picked over as it relates to Watergate but not as picked over as it relates to the Agnew scandal. And what we found as we were sort of listening through the recordings was this effort that Spiro Agnew developed behind the scenes with Richard Nixon and with H.R. Haldeman and other White House officials to try to shut down this investigation that was being led by the U.S. attorney in Maryland - a man named George Beall. And the way that Agnew tried to do it was by getting to George Beall's brother, who was a sitting Republican senator from Maryland named Glenn Beall. And what you hear in these tapes is this really elaborate plan that Spiro Agnew is discussing in the Oval Office with Richard Nixon and others to basically get to this Republican senator behind the scenes and have him essentially get word to his brother to shut down this investigation. And as you mentioned, this was an obstruction effort that the prosecutors at the time didn't know about. And one of the surprising and amazing things to us as we were putting together this podcast was that even 45 years later, they weren't aware of it. And so their reaction now to hearing about this effort to obstruct and end their investigation - it was a revelatory moment in putting together this podcast, which is that they were completely unaware. And the reason that they weren't is because, ultimately, the obstruction effort didn't work. And George Beall, their boss, the U.S. attorney, was getting that pressure from his brother. And he shut it down. He didn't let it get to his federal prosecutors who were working on the case. GROSS: He shut down the attempt to shut down the investigation (laughter). YARVITZ: That's right. That's right. GROSS: He...YARVITZ: He resisted that pressure that was coming at him from the Nixon White House and from his brother. GROSS: OK. In case anybody is finding the story hard to follow - so George Beall is the federal prosecutor in Maryland overseeing the investigation into Agnew. His brother is a Republican sitting senator from Maryland, who's getting pressured from the White House. So the senator's being pressured to tell his brother, the prosecutor, shut it down. And - yeah. MADDOW: The other nice dynamic at work there is that George Beall's older brother, the U.S. senator - he really owed his Senate seat to Nixon and Agnew. Nixon and Agnew had weighed in very heavily during his election campaign to help him win that seat. George and Glenn, the brothers - their father had previously held that U.S. Senate seat. He had been ousted by a Democrat. Nixon and Agnew in the White House weighed in to help the Beall family, to help George Beall's older brother win that seat back that their father had previously held. The Beall family was absolutely indebted to the Nixon White House, to Agnew personally because he campaigned for that Senate seat as a big figure in Maryland politics for them to win it. And so for then little brother George Beall to turn around and bring a prosecution against Agnew when his family was so politically and personally indebted to Agnew and when Agnew was reminding them of that at every turn and bringing all of these different Republican graybeards and important people to weigh in to try to pressure this investigation to stop - I mean, George Beall was a heroic figure here in the way that he resisted the pressure that was brought against him. GROSS: So once prosecutors understood Agnew's involvement in this bribery and extortion scandal, we had a president under criminal investigation - Richard Nixon, Watergate - and now a vice president under a completely separate criminal investigation. What was the unique set of problems that this presented for prosecutors? MADDOW: Prosecutors, at the time, I think were already - well, prosecutors writ large. I think the Justice Department, the attorney general, Elliot Richardson, at the time, was already faced with the enormity of the prospect that the Watergate investigation would lead to the end of the Nixon presidency, whether he was somehow prosecuted, whether he resigned, whether the pressures of the Watergate investigation were somehow going to end his presidency one way or another. That was already such an almost, you know, sort of politically apocalyptic scenario that they were facing. They were blindsided when they were confronted by the evidence that Agnew was also existentially challenged as a senior figure in the federal government because of his own totally unrelated scandal. And the prospect that you would lose Nixon somehow, that Nixon would have to leave the presidency, but then Agnew would ascend to the presidency because he was the vice president, even though the Justice Department was well aware that he was under serious criminal investigation - he was potentially facing a 40-count criminal indictment - that, I think, was a terrifying and totally unique prospect in U.S. history. I mean, theoretically, what that could have resulted in is Nixon leaving office - or being forced from office because of the criminal scandal that was Watergate - him being succeeded immediately by a vice president who was under a completely separate criminal investigation, who was then also forced from office relatively quickly because of that same sort of criminal liability that his predecessor had faced. At that point, would President Agnew have even had a chance to nominate a new vice president, who would then be confirmed by the Senate who would then succeed him? Would you end up with a Democratic speaker of the House ascending to the presidency because all of these dominoes were falling too quickly for the line of succession to be restored fully? I mean, the prospect of the chaos at the top of the federal government was just unparalleled. GROSS: And the fear of that kind of chaos drove the prosecutors' approach to dealing with Agnew. Would you explain how? MADDOW: Well, the prosecutors themselves, the - these young prosecutors in Baltimore who actually put together all the evidence that nailed Agnew, that really had this - they built a slam dunk case against him. They wanted Agnew to go to jail. They wanted Agnew to be treated like a public official on the take, somebody who'd been caught for public corruption and had to pay for it. It was Elliot Richardson, the attorney general, who decided that the priority could not be individual justice for Spiro Agnew the criminal. The priority could not be Agnew being put in jail. It was Richardson who decided that the priority for the country had to be Agnew out of the line of succession, that the most important and, in fact, the unitary goal of this prosecution, of this entire revelation these prosecutors had come to about Agnew, the unitary goal of it had to be his removal from office. He had to no longer be vice president because that was more important to the country than whether or not he faced individual justice. The prosecutors were very mad about it at the time, but Richardson believed it was the right thing to do. GROSS: So what was Richardson's approach to removing Agnew from office? MADDOW: Well, Richardson and his prosecutors engaged in a lengthy series of negotiations with Agnew's own legal team about what they were going to do with this evidence of criminal behavior on the part of the vice president. And this, to me, is where you get into some of the most important and fuzzy (laughter) implications of the end of Agnew as vice president of the United States because the Agnew legal team was maintaining publicly that Agnew as vice president was immune from prosecution, that he couldn't be indicted. The Office of Legal Counsel, the Justice Department at the time, was asked to weigh in on this matter. And they produced a sort of strange memo, which said, well, the president can't be indicted, but the vice president can - sort of an odd duck, that memo. But on the basis of that opinion, the attorney general and these prosecutors went to Agnew's legal team and said, hey, we can indict you, and we intend to. And what do you have to trade for that? And those negotiations went on for a long time. And they were complex and important. But, ultimately, the deal that was reached was that Agnew would only have to plead no contest to one count. He wouldn't do any jail time, but he would have to resign immediately. GROSS: And what was the count that he pled to? MADDOW: He pled to tax evasion, but he didn't plead guilty. He pled no contest. GROSS: So this is why when people think about Agnew leaving office, they just think of, like, oh, tax fraud. And they...MADDOW: They think - yeah, oh, he got caught fiddling something with his deductions - no (laughter). GROSS: And it was such a bigger story. MADDOW: Yeah. YARVITZ: Yeah. And in a way, that is a credit to Spiro Agnew's defense attorneys, who were able to secure in exchange for his immediate resignation from office this plea to a single count of tax evasion in a single year. And so, you know, when you look back at the history of Spiro Agnew just doing sort of a cursory search of it, that's what you find - is that, you know, Vice President Spiro Agnew resigned on account of tax evasion. But it was a very drawn-out process between Agnew's defense lawyers and Attorney General Elliot Richardson really negotiating this agreement that would result in one count of tax evasion. DAVIES: Mike Yarvitz, a former producer at MSNBC, and Rachel Maddow speaking with Terry Gross last year about their podcast series Bag Man. Maddow and Yarvitz have collaborated on a new book with some new material, also called "Bag Man." We'll hear more of their conversation after a break. This is FRESH AIR. (SOUNDBITE OF TED NASH'S "THE FOUR FREEDOMS (FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT)"DAVIES: This is FRESH AIR. We're listening to the interview Terry recorded last year with MSNBC host Rachel Maddow and journalist Mike Yarvitz about the podcast series Bag Man. It tells the story of a bribery and extortion investigation which forced Richard Nixon's vice president Spiro Agnew to resign. Maddow and Yarvitz have collaborated on a new book with some new material about the story. It's also called "Bag Man." (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)GROSS: So one of the questions surrounding President Trump now, a question that surrounded President Nixon and Vice President Agnew, is, can a sitting president be indicted on criminal charges - or, in Agnew's case, a sitting vice president? Does the Agnew story that you've told so well in Bag Man have any lessons for us today that can help answer that question? MADDOW: I think that there are puzzles on both sides of this. If Agnew's defense team and if Agnew himself didn't believe that a vice president could be indicted, which is what they maintained and argued publicly at the time, well, then why did they talk to prosecutors at all? They were maintaining a public argument that prosecutors essentially had no power over a sitting president or vice president. They couldn't touch him. Well, if so, why did they even talk to those prosecutors, let alone enter into a plea negotiation with them that resulted in the vice president's resignation? On the other side, prosecutors were claiming that they could indict a sitting vice president, and they were fully willing to. Well, if so, if they were confident in that, then why did they go through this choreography? Why did they take such pains to ensure that by the time Agnew pled to that tax evasion count, by the time he was in that courtroom, he had resigned first? I mean, he resigned moments before he stepped into that courthouse. And they made sure that was the sequence of events. Had he resigned as vice president moments after he pled or after he was indicted, we would have an entirely separate legal precedent on this case - that a president or vice president could be indicted. In this case, they sidestepped that issue by allowing him to resign first. GROSS: That's fascinating. MADDOW: I'm - and I'm still puzzled as to whether or not they were bluffing, that they weren't totally sure they could indict him - or what would have happened had that Justice Department opinion that said he could be indicted actually been tested in court? They sidestepped the test by letting him resign first. GROSS: So let's just get a sense of what chaos our government was in in October of 1973. Agnew resigns, and then 10 days later, what happens? MADDOW: Ten days later is the Saturday Night Massacre. I mean, it's amazing. It's not even two weeks later that Nixon orders the attorney general to fire the special prosecutor, who is pursuing the Watergate case. That attorney general, of course, is Elliot Richardson, the man who just secured the resignation of Nixon's vice president. Richardson objected to that order from the president. He resigned in protest. Deputy attorney general then resigned in protest. Ultimately, it went down the line of succession at the Justice Department until the solicitor general, Robert Bork, was willing to fire the Watergate prosecutor. That all happened within two weeks of Agnew - surprise - being forced from office in this dramatic showdown in a courtroom in Maryland. And I actually think that the closeness of those two events in the timeline is part of the reason that the Agnew story is so poorly understood. I mean, Watergate was at a full, roiling boil by the time Agnew was going through this entirely separate drama. And the history of Elliot Richardson is very much inflected by the heroic way in which he resisted Nixon's order and resigned on that Saturday Night Massacre - in the middle of that Saturday Night Massacre drama. But that was so close in time to what he had done with Agnew that I sort of feel like we've got limited bandwidth as Americans (laughter) in terms of our history books. We can only remember so many events from one particular time in history. And so Agnew ended up slinking into the shadows on that one. GROSS: Yeah. So Elliot Richardson, the then-attorney general, was so important in bringing down Vice President Agnew and in the Watergate investigation. MADDOW: Yeah. It's interesting to see the - I guess the strength of the Justice Department through various lenses of history. I mean, the Justice Department has rules. It has its own traditions. It has its own pride and its own independence and competence. It's also an institution that is run by human beings who have different strengths and weaknesses and alliances that they bring with them to their jobs. And part of the story of Agnew is the heroism of George Beall, this Republican U.S. attorney, age all of 35, who supervised this investigation and resisted all this pressure that was being put on him by the most powerful people in the country, in his family and in his own party. Part of the story of Agnew is the statesmanship of Elliot Richardson and the way that he approached this and the way that he prioritized the needs of the country over the individual concerns of his own prosecutors and the individual sort of imperatives of this criminal case that he was dealing with involving Agnew. And you have to wonder, if people of that caliber were not in those powerful positions at that important time, would we have had a different outcome for the country? Would we have had President Agnew? I do feel like it helps to understand that even though it feels like a lot of what we're going through is unprecedented or worse than we can possibly imagine, the more you know about previous scandals in U.S. history, the more you realize that some of this stuff is not unprecedented and that we have not only been confronted with some of these same problems and crises in the past. We've survived them and done so in a way that we can be proud of in terms of the way that our democracy handled challenges. And Agnew's case, because of some heroic individuals and because the system held and because of, you know, some historical accidents in terms of the way things worked out - I think the Agnew story is really helpful to understanding the way the system works when it confronts bad behavior by people in high office. We are capable of dealing with that as a country in a way that makes us proud of the people who are in public office who are dealing with it. GROSS: Thank you both so much for talking with us. MADDOW: Terry, thank you so much. This was a ton of fun. Thank you. YARVITZ: Thanks, Terry. It was an honor. DAVIES: MSNBC host Rachel Maddow and former MSNBC senior producer Mike Yarvitz collaborated on the award-winning Bag Man, which is still available for listening. And they've written a new book with additional reporting and relevations about the Agnew case, which is also called "Bag Man." Terry Gross interviewed them last year. This is FRESH AIR. Copyright 2020 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. Overshadowed by the Watergate scandal, the resignation of Nixon V.P. Spiro Agnew in 1973 over corruption and tax evasion is almost forgotten history. Rachel Maddow revisits Agnews story and explains how the lessons are still relevant today. So much of the legal framework by which Trumps alleged crimes had to be considered by the Special Counsel and by this Justice Department, all that groundwork was laid by this forgotten story of Agnew taking bags of cash at his White House office.Dec. 9, 2020 | 2 |
###CLAIM: the centers for disease control and prevention said that during the winter of 2018-19, about 35, 000 people in the us will get sick with influenza and almost one million will be hospitalized and 250, 000 will die.
###DOCS: 22 Sept 2020 18.33 EDT Nina Lakhani A national public health campaign promoting the flu vaccine is urgently needed to avoid stretched healthcare services being overwhelmed this winter as the US faces cold season while still struggling to gain control of the coronavirus pandemic, scientists have warned. Influenza or seasonal flu is a perennial public health burden that, like Covid-19, causes most severe problems among elderly people and those with underlying health conditions. During the winter of 2018-2019, about 35.5 million people in the US got sick with flu, almost half a million were hospitalized and 34,200 died, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Flu vaccine critical to avoid stretching US healthcare amid Covid, scientists warn Read more22 Sept 2020 18.23 EDT Thats it from me, Jessica Murray, today, thanks to everyone for reading along - Ill now hand over to my colleague Helen Sullivan in Australia. 22 Sept 2020 18.11 EDT The British prime minister, Boris Johnson, called for the UK population to come together for collective health in a televised address in which he announced perhaps six months of new restrictions to slow the spread of coronavirus. Johnson said the country must reserve the right to go further with coronavirus restrictions. He does not want to impose a second total lockdown, but said there have been too many breaches of the rules. 02:55 'We must take action now': Boris Johnson calls for 'resolve' amid new Covid-19 rules videoUpdated at 18.18 EDT22 Sept 2020 18.04 EDT Hundreds of students in Scotland told to self-isolate Hundreds of students in Dundee, Scotland have been told to isolate after a suspected Covid-19 outbreak in halls of residence. NHS Tayside is investigating a single positive case and a small number of suspected cases of coronavirus linked to private student accommodation, Parker House in Dundee. Close contacts of the positive case, who is a student of Abertay University, are being contacted. All 500 residents at the accommodation have been asked to self-isolate until further contact tracing has been completed. Dr Daniel Chandler, associate director of public health, said: We know from outbreaks in other university settings across Scotland that the virus can spread very quickly in student accommodation. Therefore, as a precautionary measure, we are contacting all residents of Parker House and advising them to self-isolate immediately. Further investigation and contact tracing are continuing and we will review this advice in the coming days. Prof Nigel Seaton, principal of Abertay University, said: Our students in Parker House are being supported to self-isolate safely and we will remain in regular daily contact with them. The university already has enhanced cleaning and safety measures in place on campus, in line with national guidance, and the campus will remain open. We have contacted students and staff to remind them of their personal responsibilities in relation to Covid safety and to inform them of todays changes in Scottish government guidance. Updated at 18.08 EDT22 Sept 2020 17.32 EDT Saudi Arabia will gradually resume the year-round umrah pilgrimage from 4 October, the interior ministry said on Tuesday, seven months after it was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic. In the first stage, 6,000 citizens and residents within the kingdom will be allowed to perform the umrah per day from October 4, the ministry said in a statement published by the official Saudi press agency. Visitors from outside the kingdom will be permitted from 1 November, when the capacity will be raised to 20,000 pilgrims per day, the ministry said. Umrah, the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca that can be undertaken at any time of the year, attracts millions of Muslims from across the globe each year. Muslim worshippers at the Grand Mosque during umrah in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, in 2019. Photograph: Amr Nabil/AP The ministry said umrah would be allowed to resume at full capacity once the threat of the pandemic is eliminated. Saudi Arabia suspended umrah in March and scaled back the annual hajj over fears that the coronavirus could spread to Islams holiest cities. The pilgrimages are a massive logistical challenge, with colossal crowds cramming into relatively small holy sites, making them vulnerable to contagion. The decision to resume umrah was in response to the aspirations of Muslims home and abroad to perform the ritual and visit the holy sites, the interior ministry said. Saudi Arabias custodianship of Mecca and Medina - Islams two holiest sites - is seen as the kingdoms most powerful source of political legitimacy. The sites draw millions of pilgrims every year and are a key revenue earner for Saudi Arabia. The government hopes to welcome 30 million pilgrims to the kingdom annually by 2030. Updated at 17.41 EDT22 Sept 2020 17.17 EDT No-deal Brexit will hit UK economy more than Covid: study A no-deal Brexit could be three times more costly to Britains economy in the long term than the coronavirus outbreak, a new study published on Tuesday has warned. The thinktank UK in a Changing Europe said the political and economic effects of the pandemic were likely to mitigate or hide that of failing to secure a trade agreement with the EU. But in the short term, the lack of a new formal trading relationship with Brussels would be bad news for economic recovery, and its impact larger than that of the health crisis in the long term. The thinktank, which collaborated with the London School of Economics (LSE), said Brexit would hit growth in the coming years more than if the UK had opted to remain in the bloc. Its authors wrote: The claim that the economic impacts of Covid-19 dwarf those of Brexit is almost certainly correct in the short term. Not even the most pessimistic scenarios suggest that a no-deal Brexit would lead to a fall in output comparable to that seen in the second quarter of 2020. However - assuming a reasonably strong recovery, and that government policies succeed in avoiding persistent mass unemployment - in the long run, Brexit is likely to be more significant. Our modelling with LSE of the impact of a no-deal Brexit suggests that the total cost to the UK economy over the longer term will be two to three times as large as that implied by the Bank of Englands forecast for the impact of Covid-19. The study estimated that the negative impact on gross domestic product would be 5.7% over the next 15 years compared with the current level, while GDP was forecast to take a 2.1% hit from Covid-19. The projections come despite a lack of clarity about the overall repercussions from the pandemic, and as a second wave of infections hits Europe. Updated at 17.23 EDT22 Sept 2020 17.07 EDT French pharmaceutical firm Sanofi and Britains GSK have promised up to 72m doses of their Covid-19 vaccine candidate to the Canadian government, which has already signed similar agreements with several American companies. The two groups, which plan to seek regulatory approval for the vaccine in the first half of 2021, launched human clinical trials in early September, for which 440 participants are being recruited. Canada already signed in August agreements in principle for candidate vaccines with American firms Novavax, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer and Moderna. Ottawa has requested from Moderna an additional 14m additional doses, procurement minister Anita Anand said on Monday. In total, Canada has now ensured guaranteed access to a minimum of 154m doses and up to a maximum of 262m potential vaccines to protect Canadians and save lives, she told a news conference. As of Monday, Canada, which has a population of nearly 38 million, had recorded more than 146,000 cases of Covid-19 and 9,269 deaths. Several countries have already reserved doses of the vaccine candidate from Sanofi and GSK 60m doses have been promised to the British government, the European Commission has reserved 300m, and the US 100m with an option for up to 500m additional doses over the longer term. Updated at 17.12 EDT | 0 |
###CLAIM: bill white, a leader of the push to secede from atlanta and chairman of the buckhead city council, announced thursday the filing of a petition by residents anticipating that next year 's referendum will allow secession.
###DOCS: Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms blamed the city's crime wave on state Republicans lifting COVID-19 restrictions too early and lax gun laws. In an interview with MSNBC's Stephanie Ruhle on Friday, the mayor attributed a 50 percent increase in homicides, in part, to lax gun laws, teenagers having too much free time on their hands and the state lifting its COVID-19 restrictions back in April. 'Remember, in Georgia, we were opened up before the rest of the country, even before the CDC said that it was safe for us to open,' Bottoms explained to Ruhle. 'So our night clubs and our bars remained open, so we had people traveling here from across the county to party in our city.' Gov. Brian Kemp ordered the state to re-open from its COVID closure on April 20 last year, leading to an influx of visitors from Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee, Florida and North Carolina, where some restrictions remained in place, according to CNN. Researchers at the University of Maryland discovered that out-of-state trips to the state from across the nation rose by 13 percent, or 62,441 trips a day following the decision. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms blamed the rising crime in the city on the state lifting its COVID restrictions too early and lax gun laws in an interview on FridayThe mayor also said the pandemic 'left a lot of people battered and bruised, not just physically, but also emotionally,' which led to an increase in personal disputes that could easily be exacerbated by guns. 'Until we deal with the systemic issues of gun violence in this country - how easily young people with mental illness can access guns in this country, I'm afraid that this will not be the last summer that we are having this conversation.' She said her city is working with the FBI to clamp down on gun violence while starting a new summer program for teenagers to get them off the streets. 'We're looking for outside support and resources, working with all of our partners,' Bottoms sad, adding: 'We have really put a push to getting young people to work. 'We believe that getting at least 1,000 young people to work this summer will help, but there is so much to do.' Atlanta has seen a rise in crime in every category over the past yearShe noted that Atlanta is not the only American city experiencing a crime wave as the pandemic wanes, with shootings in New York City up about 68 percent over last year, according to the New York Post. 'If it were an Atlanta issue alone, then I'd know that there was something we weren't getting right,' the mayor said. 'But I'm talking to mayors and hearing from mayors in cities and large urban areas, we're all experiencing this, which means that we all have to work together to find a solution to this gun violence that is gripping our nation.' In Atlanta, homicides were up 58 percent over last year, rapes were up 97 percent, robberies were up 2 percent, aggravated assault was up 26 percent, larcenies from vehicles was up 27 percent and auto theft was up 36 percent compared to last year, according to data from the Atlanta Police Department. Shootings, meanwhile, were up 40 percent. The mayor's comments come just one day after residents in the wealthy Buckhead neighborhood of the city announced that they had filed documents in the State Legislature to secede amid the growing crime wave in the area. Bill White, the CEO of the Buckhead City Committee, which is leading the secession push, announced on FOX News Thursday that the committee has filed secession papersResidents of Buckhead anticipate a referendum next year will allow them to secede from Atlanta. The boundaries of their proposed new city are seen aboveBUCKHEAD, GEORGIA: ONE OF THE NATION'S WEALTHIEST ZIP CODES Buckhead is known as Atlanta's commercial and residential district, famed for its high-rise buildings and shopping centers, hotels and mansions. The neighborhood is a historically wealthy district and was once ranked the ninth richest zip code in the country with a median price of homes of $1,460,595, according to Forbes. American suburban luxury home in Buckhead, Atlanta Bloomberg named Buckhead the 20th richest zipcode in the nation in 2011, when the average household net worth there was $1,353,189. The average household income was $280,631. Because of this, Buckhead is often called the 'Beverly Hills of the East/South', in reference to the upscale city in California. Buckhead is also known to have a few notable residents, including Georgia Republican Kelly Loeffler. Loeffler was among the wealthiest members of Congress until she lost her seat in January. In 2009, she and her husband spent more than $10million on a European-style mansion named Descante in the Buckhead neighborhood. Advertisement'We filed our divorce papers at the city of Atlanta and our divorce is final,' said Bill White, the CEO of the Buckhead City Committee, in an interview with Fox News on Thursday. He said Atlanta's elected officials 'are just not paying attention to the crime.' Aggravated assaults were up 52 percent in the wealthy neighborhood as of last week, compared to a rise of 26 percent citywide, according to an analysis of police data by WXIA-TV. Robberies citywide were up just 2 percent, but in Buckhead they are up 39 percent, while larceny from automobiles rose 40 percent in Buckhead and 27 percent citywide. And on June 5, father-of-three Andrew Worrell was struck twice by bullets while jogging at around 8.35am. He survived and has since been released from hospital to recover at home. 'I don't like saying anything bad about Mayor Bottoms. I'm sure she is a nice human being ... but she has completely let our officers down,' he added. 'They feel demoralized, underpaid, underrecognized and being told not to fight crime in the way they would like to,' added White. 'We love the Atlanta police department but we'll form Buckhead City with its own police department, with significantly greater presence on the streets.' He estimated nearly 80 percent of his community will vote in favor of the separation from Atlanta in a referendum expected to reach the ballot next year. Currently, a bill authorizing the referendum has been introduced in the Georgia House of Representatives, and the legislature will be able to vote on it in the 2022 session. But Atlanta officials have largely opposed the idea to separate the wealthy, largely white neighborhood from the rest of Atlanta, which is predominantly black, arguing it would siphon away much of the city's tax base and, in turn, its budget. Buckhead's population is 73.5 percent white and 23.9 percent black. This compares to the wider Atlanta population which is 50.7 percent black and 38 percent white, according to census data. Data analysis shows that Buckhead's population accounts for 20 percent of Atlanta's population, but more than 40 per cent of the city's assessed property value. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms blames a crime wave in her city on lax gun laws, young people being out of school and Republican Gov. Brian Kemps decision to make Georgia one of the early states to begin reopening. Asked if officers have been "hesitant" to respond to crime amid heightened tensions of the past year, Bottoms said "absolutely not." "Remember in Georgia we were opened up before the rest of the country, even before the CDC said that it was safe for us to open so our night clubs and our bars remained open so we had people traveling here from across the country and partying in our city," Bottoms told MSNBCs Stephanie Ruhle on Friday. KEMP BANS STATE COVID VACCINE PASSPORTS: WE DO NOT SUPPORT THATKemp began easing COVID-19 restrictions in late March, following states like Texas and Mississippi and drawing the ire of Democrats. The Centers for Disease Control didn't relax its guidelines for vaccinated people until mid-May. Killings are up 58% in Atlanta from 2020, but even that year, amid widespread lockdowns, was one of the deadliest in decades, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. There were 157 homicides in 2020, up from 99 in 2019. K"We are doing every single thing we can," the Democratic mayor said. She said her administration is making a push for young people to find work this summer, noting that closed schools of the past year left young people restless. "Were getting at least 1,000 young people to work this summer. That will help until we deal with systemic issues of the gun violence epidemic in this country - how easily young people, people with mental illness can access guns in this country." Georgia GOP Gov. Brian Kemp tweeted Saturday in response to Bottoms: "According to the mayor, rising crime in our capital city is everyones fault but hers. Getting Georgians back to work, back to school, and back to normal didnt lead to more crime. The lefts anti-police, soft-on-crime agenda is to blame." CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPAs Bottoms noted, cities across the country are grappling with a spike in crime. Shootings in New York City were up 166% from April 2020 to April 2021. The mayor's comments come as crime has become so high in one affluent suburb of her city Buckhead that residents are trying to separate from being part of AtlantaThe mayor's office did not respond to Fox News' request for comment. | 2 |
###CLAIM: they transported kaavan from islamabad to a 30, 000-acre animal sanctuary in cambodia led by experienced veterinarians dr. amir and khalil.
###DOCS: Chers four-year journey to help save an abused elephant from a Pakistani zoo is documented in Cher & The Loneliest Elephant now on Paramount+ and premiering May 19 on Smithsonian Channel. The special follows the iconic singer/actress efforts to rescue Kaavan, a 37-year-old elephant kept chained to a wall, alone, in an Islamabad zoo in squalid conditions. His mate, Saheli, died in 2012 from gangrene caused by the chains on her legs, causing Kaavan to rock back and forth from stress and anxiety. Kaavans plight was brought to Chers attention in 2016 through the efforts of animal rights advocate Anika Sleem, who launched a #FreeKaavan social media campaign that quickly gained traction. I had been trying to save an elephant here I really loved with absolutely no luck, Cher told The Post. Fade out, fade in, some years later...I have to thank the kids Im sure not all of them are kids, but I just call them that on my Twitter site because I would never have done this without them bothering me. It was #FreeKaavan every time I was on [the site] and I kept thinking, OK, if I dont answer them theyll leave me alone.Cher gets acquainted with Kaavan after flying to Pakistan to meet him in Cher & The Loneliest Elephant. Zoobs AnsariBut they didnt, thank God, she said. My first thought was, Im not going to be able to do anything [to help Kaavan]; Im just an entertainer and hes in Islamabad and theres pandemic. I felt hopeless, but then I remembered a friend I met in Qatar, [musician/activist] Bob Geldofs manager, Mark Cowne, and just cold-called him. I said something really stupid like, You might not remember me but we rode in a car together and I know youve saved elephants in Africa. Can you help me? I want to save an elephant in Pakistan.A couple of days later he was there in Islamabad, she said. Hes a big guy and he went up to [zoo officials] and said, Take [Kaavans] shackles off, put some corrugated metal on top of this bullst thing hes living in, its not big enough for him, and put some water in that little pool, which they did.Cher, meanwhile, flew with a small security detail to meet Kaavan in Islamabad, then journeyed on to Cambodia to welcome him at the sanctuary. Zoobs AnsariCowne contacted animal rights group Four Paws International. Led by experienced veterinarian Dr. Amir Khalil, they were tasked with transporting Kaavan from Islamabad to a 30,000-acre animal sanctuary in Cambodia. It was risky, since Kaavan was in Musth, a periodic condition in which male elephants testosterone rises dramatically, causing aggressive behavior. It also necessitated a specially constructed container Kaavan had to be trained to enter so he could make the seven-hour air journey to Cambodia. Cher, meanwhile, flew with a small security detail to meet Kaavan in Islamabad, then journeyed on to Cambodia to welcome him at the sanctuary. I had to make a decision whether I was going to go to Islamabad in a pandemic and not knowing what the people there were going to think of me, or even if they knew who I was, Cher said. I was hoping they didnt know, because then they would know Im this chick from America who was naked for almost her entire life and that wouldnt have gone down so well. But I met a lot of nice people there.Kaavan in front of the container, not yet finished, that will transport him to a Cambodian animal sanctuary. SMITHSONIANAs viewers will see, Cher and Kaavan bonded over a piece of watermelon, with Dr. Khalil close by. I felt the connection, she said. We hung out and sang a real bad [rendition of] My Way, which is not a song I think I would ever sing in my life. Elephants adore music; I dont think people have any idea how the emotions of human beings and elephants are the same. They have compassion and anger and they can reason they do better with human qualities than we do. When Mark first unchained Kaavan he didnt know that he could move...theyre still getting rid of the burns on his ankles [from the shackles]...and putting all kinds of medicine on them. Can you imagine chaining your dog to something for so long and not letting him move for no apparent reason?Kaavans trip to Cambodia was uneventful, and he will now transition (in three stages) into living in his natural habitat, roaming free and surrounded by other elephants. I watched him when we first got [to Cambodia]. It was night, but it wasnt completely dark, and I was standing behind the crate when Kavaan had to back out of it, Cher said. I watched him walk around the enclosure and saw his back he was just curious and was looking around, there was not one shake of his head or his body. He wasnt freaking out or anything. And there are girl [elephants] there, she said. [Kaavans keeper] Derek said he was having some communication with the females and I said, Oh my God a new house and chicks at the same time! You saw him with one of the girls holding trunks. The tips of their trunks are much more sensitive than fingertips.Cher has co-founded an international charity called Free The Wild to help rescue other animals in distress. SMITHSONIANCher said she will eventually return to visit Kaavan. She co-founded an international charity, Free The Wild, with Cowne and his wife, Gina Nelthorpe-Cowne, to rescue other animals in dire straits. Im going to Thailand and then Im going to stop in Cambodia to see [Kaavan], but not now because its too hard, she said. | 0 |
###CLAIM: tamashiro, whose bar has a rough 10-seat capacity and is typical of many tiny places, wants to protect the town.
###DOCS: TOKYO (Reuters) - When Toshitsune Tamashiro was young and closeted in 1980s Japan, Tokyos Shinjuku Ni-chome gay district was a haven. Now he runs a bar there, and has fought to keep the district going during the coronavirus pandemic. Junichi Hamana and Arjay Arai attend an LGBT event held at a club at Shibuya, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan November 22, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-HoonNi-chome, believed the most dense concentration of gay bars globally, fulfills a vital role for Japans LGBT community in a nation where some gay men still marry women, and even a few Ni-chome bar owners havent come out to their families. In April, under Japans state of emergency, it became a ghost town. Landlords slashed rents, bars crowdfunded to stay afloat, and business leaders petitioned the local government desperately for help. We want to protect our shops, we want to protect our community. We want to protect our town, said Tamashiro, whose roughly 10-seat bar Base is typical of many of Ni-chomes tiny establishments. Closed for several months, he sold reserve bottles to customers for extra income. Others peddled t-shirts or held online dance parties, waiting for government subsidies to come through. Unlike Japans other entertainment districts, Ni-chome, with 400 bars packed into a space of several blocks, has always emphasised community. Many cater to niche groups, have only a handful of seats, and are staffed by one owner, whose loyal customers - often closeted - have come for decades. You feel safe there, and theres almost always somebody you know, said Kye Koh, of RainbowEvents. Plus its where we LGBT make the rules; straights who come here have to obey.Low overheads helped many muscle through the worst months, along with rent cuts, often 30 percent and sometimes more. If we didnt do this, places were going to fail one after another and Ni-chome as a gay town might change or disappear, said realtor Takamitsu Futamura, who negotiated rent cuts for more than 200 properties. Slideshow ( 4 images )Yuta, who runs the popular Eagle Tokyo Blue and other bars - and prefers not giving his surname because he isnt out to his whole family - said June profits plunged 95 pct from 2019. Six months later, though, the story is a bit different. Only a handful of businesses failed but were replaced by new tenants, events are held live again, and most customers are used to hand sanitiser, masks and social distance. Officials dont have data on Ni-chome coronavirus cases, but bar owners have heard of a dozen or so. Futamura said maybe 30 to 40 establishments had been linked to cases, in the summer. Yuta said profits are back to 65 pct from a year ago, but things remain tough and coronavirus cases are again spiking in Japan. He doesnt plan to obey the latest Tokyo coronavirus guideline to shorten hours for three weeks. Customers are falling again, he added. I hope for a vaccine soon, and inbound tourism picking up.Tamashiro says his business is back to about 70 pct of what it was but some customers, wary of being caught up in contact tracing that could reveal their LGBT status and out them, are staying away. But he, and others, believe Ni-chome itself is stronger than ever, with ties strengthened by the past months struggles. When the owners had to shut down business, they got together and talked about how to make Ni-chome better, said Futamura. So I think there have been pluses: the growth of a sense of unity. The sense that well all get through this together. TOKYO (Reuters) - When Toshitsune Tamashiro was young and closeted in 1980s Japan, Tokyos Shinjuku Ni-chome gay district was a haven. Now he runs a bar there, and has fought to keep the district going during the coronavirus pandemic. Junichi Hamana and Arjay Arai attend an LGBT event held at a club at Shibuya, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan November 22, 2020. Picture taken November 22, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-HoonNi-chome, believed the most dense concentration of gay bars globally, fulfills a vital role for Japans LGBT community in a nation where some gay men still marry women, and even a few Ni-chome bar owners havent come out to their families. In April, under Japans state of emergency, it became a ghost town. Landlords slashed rents, bars crowdfunded to stay afloat, and business leaders petitioned the local government desperately for help. We want to protect our shops, we want to protect our community. We want to protect our town, said Tamashiro, whose roughly 10-seat bar Base is typical of many of Ni-chomes tiny establishments. Closed for several months, he sold reserve bottles to customers for extra income. Others peddled t-shirts or held online dance parties, waiting for government subsidies to come through. Unlike Japans other entertainment districts, Ni-chome, with 400 bars packed into a space of several blocks, has always emphasised community. Many cater to niche groups, have only a handful of seats, and are staffed by one owner, whose loyal customers - often closeted - have come for decades. You feel safe there, and theres almost always somebody you know, said Kye Koh, of RainbowEvents. Plus its where we LGBT make the rules; straights who come here have to obey.Low overheads helped many muscle through the worst months, along with rent cuts, often 30 percent and sometimes more. If we didnt do this, places were going to fail one after another and Ni-chome as a gay town might change or disappear, said realtor Takamitsu Futamura, who negotiated rent cuts for more than 200 properties. Slideshow ( 4 images )Yuta, who runs the popular Eagle Tokyo Blue and other bars - and prefers not giving his surname because he isnt out to his whole family - said June profits plunged 95 pct from 2019. Six months later, though, the story is a bit different. Only a handful of businesses failed but were replaced by new tenants, events are held live again, and most customers are used to hand sanitiser, masks and social distance. Officials dont have data on Ni-chome coronavirus cases, but bar owners have heard of a dozen or so. Futamura said maybe 30 to 40 establishments had been linked to cases, in the summer. Yuta said profits are back to 65 pct from a year ago, but things remain tough and coronavirus cases are again spiking in Japan. He doesnt plan to obey the latest Tokyo coronavirus guideline to shorten hours for three weeks. Customers are falling again, he added. I hope for a vaccine soon, and inbound tourism picking up.Tamashiro says his business is back to about 70 pct of what it was but some customers, wary of being caught up in contact tracing that could reveal their LGBT status and out them, are staying away. But he, and others, believe Ni-chome itself is stronger than ever, with ties strengthened by the past months struggles. When the owners had to shut down business, they got together and talked about how to make Ni-chome better, said Futamura. So I think there have been pluses: the growth of a sense of unity. The sense that well all get through this together. | 3 |
###CLAIM: in the case that began in 1994, wiley represents general carriers marvin, runyon and christian in a discrimination lawsuit filed by nettie and christian, who worked in the mail service and alleged management incited blacks against other workers soon after filing the complaint under the equal employment and opportunity act.
###DOCS: Progressive mayoral candidate Maya Wiley wants to defund the police to help end racial discrimination, but she cut her teeth as a federal prosecutor defending correction officers accused of brutality and racism, according to The Posts review of her government cases. Wiley, 57, a former counsel to Mayor de Blasio who also chaired the Civilian Complaint Review Board, told the New York Times last month, Ive been a civil rights lawyer and advocate my whole career.But as a young lawyer, Wiley worked to dismiss civil rights suits against the federal government as an Assistant US Attorney in the Southern District of New York between 1994 and 1997. And that experience in which Wiley defended federal corrections officers who allegedly threw a prisoner down a flight of stairs and US Post Office employees accused of harassing a black co-worker after she filed a discrimination complaint is missing from her official campaign bio and her LinkedIn profile. Wileys work as a federal prosecutor came directly on the heels of the two years she spent as a staff attorney for the NAACPs Legal Defense and Educational Fund, which ended in 1994. There is a gap of three years between the NAACP work and her tenure as a senior advisor at the Open Society Institute, which began in August 1997, according to LinkedIn. In more than 25 cases reviewed by The Post, Wiley defended various federal agencies, including the Bureau of Prisons, Veterans Affairs and the Post Office, in complaints involving civil-rights challenges. LinkedInIn 1996, Wiley acted for two corrections officers and another employee at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan who allegedly beat up a prisoner and tried to throw him down a flight of stairs while he was handcuffed, according to federal court documents. The prisoner, Christopher Moore, said that Officers George Agosto and Jose Herrera punched him while the prisons recreational director William Langehenning hit my face into the wall, court papers say. Moore, who acted as his own attorney, claimed in court papers the trio used excessive force and left him with bruises on his body, headaches, and pain in his shoulders and upper back, and that he continues to suffer from impaired mobility in his left shoulder.Wiley lost the case on its most important claim the use of excessive force although she managed to get most of Moores other claims dismissed, according to court papers. But because Moore sued the workers and not the prison agency itself, he was denied monetary damages, according to court papers. In a case that began in 1994, Wiley represented Postmaster General Marvin Runyon Jr. in a discrimination suit by black postal worker Nettie Christian, who alleged that soon after she filed a complaint under the Equal Employment Opportunity Act, management incited other workers against her, court papers say. Christian, who suffered from multiple health problems, was forced to work standing at a conveyor belt while other workers were permitted to sit down even after bringing in copious doctors notes outlining chronic leg and back pain that prevented her from spending long hours on her feet, court papers say. Kevin, a white worker ... started hurling profanity at her after she filed her complaint, court papers say. Plaintiff claims she could not go to lunch or break for coffee on her own because she believed she would be written up. 'Christian said she suffered alleged discrimination and abuse from at least six employees, including a black supervisor, court papers say. Wileys experience as an Assistant US Attorney is missing from her official campaign bio and her LinkedIn profile. LinkedinChristians claims were dismissed in February 1998, six months after Wiley had already left her job in the Southern District. Wiley also worked on a handful of cases in which she did successfully fight discrimination at the Manhattan US Attorneys Office, most notably on behalf of Innovative Health Systems, a clinic that sued the city of White Plains for zoning discrimination when the city tried to prevent them from setting up a drug and alcohol rehab program. Wileys campaign did not return messages seeking comment. | 1 |
###CLAIM: she said other churches cried poverty when assets were squandered away to keep in the hands of creditors like milwaukee, which could shield 50 million dollars in cemetery funds.
###DOCS: A man walks by the offices of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020, in Rockville Centre, N.Y. The diocese filed for bankruptcy on Thursday because of financial pressure from lawsuits over past sexual abuse by clergy members. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)A man walks by the offices of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020, in Rockville Centre, N.Y. The diocese filed for bankruptcy on Thursday because of financial pressure from lawsuits over past sexual abuse by clergy members. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)A Roman Catholic diocese in New York Citys suburbs Thursday became the largest in the U.S. to declare bankruptcy, seeking relief from a torrent of lawsuits filed after the state suspended the statute of limitations for suing over sexual abuse by priests. The Diocese of Rockville Centre, which encompasses much of Long Island and 1.4 million Catholics, said in filing for Chapter 11 protection that it will ask a bankruptcy court to put all cases on hold so that they they can be settled together a process it says is more equitable but that victims say limits their ability to get at the truth. The financial burden of the litigation has been severe and only compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, Bishop John Barres said in a video and letter on the dioceses website. Our goal is to make sure that all clergy sexual abuse survivors and not just a few who were first to file lawsuits are afforded just and equitable compensation.ADVERTISEMENTMore than 200 lawsuits have been brought against the diocese since the 2019 passage of a New York law that gives victims the right to sue over decades-old sexual abuse by clergy members, teachers and other adults. Previously, the statute of limitations in the most serious such cases ran out when the victim turned 23. The Diocese of Rockville Centre fought the law in court, arguing it was unconstitutional. When a state appeals court last month refused to halt such lawsuits, the diocese said it had no choice but to file for bankruptcy. In its filing, the diocese listed up to $500 million in estimated liabilities from lawsuits. What became clear was that the diocese was not going to be able to carry out its spiritual, charitable and educational missions if it were to continue to shoulder the increasingly heavy burden of litigation expenses associated with these cases, Barres said in announcing the bankruptcy. Jeff Anderson, a lawyer for 73 people suing the Rockville Centre Diocese over alleged abuse, slammed the bankruptcy filing as strategic, cowardly and wholly self-serving.John Schratwieser, who alleges a diocese priest abused him about 40 years ago, said the filing seemed like an easy way for the church to get out of claiming full responsibility for what happened.This is legalese and this is corporate protection, Schratwieser said. This has nothing to do with the teachings of Jesus Christ.Janet Klinger, the head of Long Island chapter of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, was skeptical of the dioceses need for bankruptcy protection. She said other dioceses have cried poverty while squirreling away assets to keep them out of creditors hands, such as Milwaukee, which was able to shield $50 million in a cemetery fund. Based on history, it is clear that church officials use bankruptcy court not because of indigence, but out of fear, said Klinger, who said she is also a victim of abuse in the Rockville Centre Diocese. The New York law gives people until next August to sue over long-ago allegations. Three other dioceses in the state filed for bankruptcy within the last 13 months: Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo. Last year, dioceses in Guam and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, filed for bankruptcy, and in May, it was the Archdiocese of New Orleans. In all, about two dozen dioceses or archdioceses in the U.S. including Portland, Oregon; San Diego; and St. Paul-Minneapolis have sought such protection in the face of lawsuits over sexual abuse since the early 2000s. Full Coverage: ReligionThe Rockville Centre Diocese started a compensation program in 2017 for victims of sexual abuse, and so far it has paid more than $62 million to about 350 people, officials said. Across the U.S., Catholic dioceses have paid out about $4 billion since the 1980s because of sexual abuse. Recently enacted lookback laws in more than a dozen states, including New York, could result in thousands of new cases against the church and at least $4 billion in additional payouts, the Associated Press has estimated. Barres said most of Rockville Centres operations will continue despite the bankruptcy filing. He said that employees and vendors will be paid and that parishes and schools are separate legal entities not covered in the bankruptcy filing. In other places, bankrupt dioceses have shed jobs and sold off properties to cut costs and fund settlements. The Associated Press generally does not identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they consent to being identified publicly, as Schratwieser and Klinger have done. __Associated Press writers Karen Matthews in New York and Carolyn Thompson in Buffalo, New York contributed to this report. __On Twitter, follow Michael Sisak at twitter.com/mikesisak | 1 |
###CLAIM: `` it is premature for the judiciary to resolve this dispute, '' the unsigned decision said, partly because it was unclear what the administration planned to do.
###DOCS: The Supreme Court dismissed a challenge to President Trumps authority to exclude undocumented immigrants for each states congressional delegation size. (Video: The Washington Post)Comment on this story Comment Gift Article ShareThe Supreme Court said Friday that it was premature to decide whether President Trump has the authority to exclude undocumented immigrants when determining the size of each states congressional delegation, dismissing a case that challenged his intentions. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight The courts unsigned opinion in Trump v. New York said the constitutional and legal questions surrounding such action should wait until it is known if Trump will be able to act on his plan. The government has said the Census Bureau might not be able to come up with the population figures Trump seeks before he leaves office. Trump is trying to change two centuries of reapportionment practice, and the courts decision at least theoretically gives him a chance to act before President-elect Joe Biden takes office next month. But the courts conservatives said there is too much unknown at this point to get involved and said a decision would violate its norms on when justices have the authority to act. AdvertisementAt present, this case is riddled with contingencies and speculation that impede judicial review, said the opinion. It acknowledged that Trump has made clear his desire to exclude aliens without lawful status but only to the extent feasible.Any prediction how the executive branch might eventually implement this general statement of policy is no more than conjecture at this time, the opinion said. The courts three liberal justices disagreed and said it already is evident Trump lacks the power to claims to subtract the undocumented from total census numbers. History, practice and the text of federal law make clear that Congress chose a view of democracy wherein the representatives are apportioned based on the whole number of persons in each state, not the whole number of voters, citizens, or lawful residents, Justice Stephen G. Breyer wrote in a dissent joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. He added: The government acknowledges it is working to achieve an allegedly illegal goal, [and] this court should not decline to resolve the case simply because the government speculates that it might not fully succeed.Dale E. Ho, director of the American Civil Liberties Union Voting Rights Project, noted that the majority opinion did not address the arguments against Trumps action. AdvertisementThis Supreme Court decision is only about timing, not the merits, he said in a statement. If this policy is ever actually implemented, well be right back in court challenging it.Paul Smith, vice president at Campaign Legal Center, said the court seems content to run out the clock on the Trump administration, anticipating that it will fail to put into action a plan to exclude undocumented immigrants from the census before January 20.But Terri Ann Lowenthal, a former staff director of the House census oversight subcommittee, said the delay could cause problems. The ruling leaves the final census number-crunching and apportionment process shrouded in greater uncertainty, she said. The president could be more emboldened to rush data processing against the expert judgment of Census Bureau staff.AdvertisementFor the first time in the nations history, Trump this summer claimed the authority to exclude undocumented residents when reapportioning Congress. In a July memorandum, Trump indicated that he believed some states would be getting greater representation than deserved California was implied but not named because of their numbers of undocumented residents. He directed Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to provide him with two sets of numbers, one that includes unauthorized immigrants and one that does not, to the maximum extent feasible and consistent with the discretion delegated to the executive branch.Opponents of his plan said it is foreclosed by more than 200 years of practice, the text of the Constitution and the authority granted the president by Congress. Three lower courts have ruled against Trump, and a fourth said the time was not ripe for a decision on the questions merits. AdvertisementLegally, the challengers said, Trumps intentions are directly contradicted by the Constitutions requirement to base apportionment of the House of Representatives on the whole number of persons in each state as determined by the once-a-decade census. But the presidents lawyers told the Supreme Court when the case was argued last month that it is up to the president to decide whether undocumented immigrants should be counted, a decision that could have far-reaching implications for a states representation in Congress and power in the electoral college, and for billions of dollars in federal funds. At the same time, acting solicitor general Jeffrey B. Wall told the court that it was unclear whether the Census Bureau could produce reliable numbers before the end of the year, when the report is due. AdvertisementThe Supreme Court last year said the administration could not ask a citizenship question on the census form because it had not done the necessary work to show it would not harm the counts accuracy. Neither the Census Bureau nor the Commerce Department responded to questions about when it would produce state population totals and figures accounting for undocumented immigrants. To the surprise of other Census Bureau staffers, a high-level career official there said recently that it would finish tallying undocumented immigrants by state by the first week in January, according to a person familiar with ongoing work at the bureau who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the subjects sensitivity. However, state population totals may not be ready by then. Additionally, in the past couple of weeks, the bureau has discovered a data problem considered serious enough that officials temporarily halted further processing, the person said. AdvertisementPreviously detected anomalies affecting more than a million records were expected to delay delivery of apportionment numbers until after Trump leaves office Jan. 20, lawmakers disclosed this month, citing internal documents they obtained. In a recent report, the Government Accountability Office said the bureau had not provided information it had requested about changed time frames for response-processing and its plans for ensuring accuracy in the data it delivers. The report said that because the bureau compressed its response-processing time from 153 days to 77, it faces increased risk that system defects or other information technology issues may go undetected, affecting the quality and accuracy of the count. The courts majority opinion noted that any report from Ross and the Census Bureau has to be specific: Everyone agrees by now that the government cannot feasibly implement the memorandum by excluding the estimated 10.5 million aliens without lawful status, it said. But the liberal justices said the administration was purposefully lowballing its ability to identify those it wants to exclude. All told, the bureau already possesses the administrative records necessary to exclude at least four to five million aliens, Breyer wrote. Those figures are certainly large enough to affect apportionment.AdvertisementThe census report is supposed to be submitted to the president by the end of the year. It is up to the president then to inform Congress within one week of the opening of its next session how its 435 seats are to be allocated. The House clerk then has 15 days to inform the states of the number of representatives to which each is entitled. If the bureau cannot present accurate numbers to Trump, the reapportionment task would fall to Biden after he takes office as president. GiftOutline Gift Article Today, the Supreme Court decided Trump v. New York. In this case, the District Court enjoined the Secretary of Commerce from providing certain census data to the President. The Supreme Court vacated the lower-court decision on jurisdictional grounds. There was no merits ruling, but there was a reference to an obscure constitutional provision. The Opinions Clause of Article II provides, "The President...may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices." This Clause is seldom litigated for obvious reasons: the government seldom puts restrictions on the sort of information the President can request from his principal officers. (Fun fact: the phrase "principal officers," a common feature of Appointments Clause jurisprudence, does not actually appear in the Appointments Clause; it appears only in the Opinions Clause). But welcome to 2020. A federal district court issued an injunction that barred the Secretary of Commerce from providing certain information to the President. Today, the Supreme Court hinted that this injunction may violate the Opinions Clause:The remedy crafted by the District Court underscores the contingent nature of the plaintiffs' injuries. Its injunction prohibits the Secretary from informing the President in his 141(b) report of the number of aliens without lawful status. In addition to implicating the President's authority under the Opinions Clause, U. S. Const., Art. II, 2, cl. 1, the injunction reveals that the source of any injury to the plaintiffs is the action that the Secretary or President might take in the future to exclude unspecified individuals from the apportionment basenot the policy itself "in the abstract," Summers v. Earth Island Institute, 555 U. S. 488, 494 (2009). Woah! Talk about a drive-by constitutional ruling. The injunction, based on the APA, may be unconstitutional if it unduly burdens the President's ability to request opinions from the Secretary?! I did not see this argument raised in the SG's opening brief or reply brief. And the issue did not come up during oral arguments. This single aside may be the most significant aspect of the jurisdictional punt. Last term, Justice Kagan referenced the Opinions Clause in footnote 3 her Seila Law dissent:Article II's Opinions Clause also demonstrates the possibility of limits on the President's control over the Executive Branch. Under that Clause, the President "may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices." 2, cl. 1. For those in the majority's camp, that Clause presents a puzzle: If the President must always have the direct supervisory control they posit, including by threat of removal, why would he ever need a constitutional warrant to demand agency heads' opinions? The Clause becomes at least redundantthough really, inexplicableunder the majority's idea of executive power. I have worked on a draft article that focuses on this footnote. The analysis in footnote 3 provides some insights into how Kagan reads constitutional text. I will be happy to share that article in due course. | 2 |
###CLAIM: once fully implemented, the adult use program is projected to bring in 350 million dollars annually in tax collection from the creation of an estimated 30 to one million new jobs.
###DOCS: The acceptance of legal weed by governors and state lawmakers in 2021 without the explicit blessing of voters marks a turning point. Until this year, only two states had legalized recreational marijuana programs through the legislature: Illinois in 2019 and Vermont in 2020. The sky hasnt fallen in those states that have legalized, said Karen OKeefe, director of state policies for legalization advocacy organization Marijuana Policy Project. It doesnt hurt that these laws generate a lot of economic growth in the way of new jobs, new small businesses and hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue that states could really use as they recover from Covid.While not all legislative efforts have been a success, with legalization bills dying in Maryland, Hawaii and Wyoming in recent months, the rapid spread of legalization across the country will further exacerbate the tension between state and federal laws. Marijuana continues to be classified as an illegal drug with high potential for abuse and no medical use under federal law. That disconnect will undoubtedly increase the pressure on Congress and the White House to take steps to loosen federal marijuana restrictions. As some legislatures continue to debate the issue this spring, heres a closer look at state legalization efforts across the country:Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam speaks at a news conference. | Andrew Harnik/AP PhotoVirginiaThe state made history as the first in the Old South to approve a recreational legalization bill in February. But it also sparked sharp criticism from both legalization supporters and opponents by delaying implementation until 2024. Last Wednesday, Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam called on the legislature to speed up the legalization timeline, proposing amendments to allow possession and home cultivation starting July 1. Governor Northams amendments will stop the disparate enforcement of marijuana laws beginning this summer, while also focusing on public safety and educating our youth, said Del. Charniele Herring, a sponsor of the legalization bill and the Democratic majority leader in the Virginia House. This is a very important step for equity.The proposed changes heeded calls from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. Despite decriminalizing marijuana last year, Black people are still disproportionately hit with fines for simple possession. Democrats wanted to see that disparate enforcement end sooner rather than later, and Republicans expressed dismay that the three-year timeline would confuse Virginians and result in people being punished for behavior that they thought was legal. Northam also proposed stronger labor protections and increased funding for impaired driving training for law enforcement. Lawmakers will take up his proposals April 7. Recreational sales are still not slated to begin until 2024. Mona ZhangNYPD Chief of Patrol Rodney Harrison, New York City Police Commissioner James O'Neill and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio depart a news conference where they announced a new policy that the city says will reduce unnecessary marijuana arrests. | Drew Angerer/Getty ImagesNew YorkAfter years of near-misses, New York legalized adult-use cannabis last week. Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act into law just hours after it cleared the Legislature. New Yorkers aged 21 and older can now legally possess and consume cannabis, but dispensaries are not expected to open until at least 2022 under the new regulatory structure. Today we are reversing 90 years of prohibition, Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes, who sponsored the bill, said in remarks from the Assembly floor. The last time New York State did anything like this is when we were removing the prohibition from alcohol: that was in 1933. Here we are in 2021 almost 100 years of prohibition on marijuana and were removing it.The legislation establishes the Office of Cannabis Management to oversee New Yorks recreational, medical and agricultural cannabis markets. Forty percent of revenues from sales will be dedicated to reinvestment in communities disproportionately affected by the states drug laws, with 40 percent going to public education and 20 percent to drug treatment and prevention. The legislation allows for home cultivation of three mature and three immature plants, ends penalties for possession of less than three ounces of cannabis, and calls for automatic expungement of records for people with convictions for activities that are no longer illegal. The adult-use program is projected to bring in $350 million annually in tax collections when fully implemented and could create an estimated 30,000 to 60,000 new jobs. Cities, towns and villages would have the ability to opt-out of having marijuana businesses in their communities. Debate over scrapping old marijuana-related convictions and caps on plant counts dominated discussions, and Republicans dug in their heels at the end of the regular legislative session ultimately leading Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to call the special session to address weed. In the end, two bills passed: One to legalize and regulate the adult-use cannabis industry, and one to expunge records for prior marijuana-related convictions. The legalization bill puts a temporary cap on the number of plants a producer can grow each year, in hopes of avoiding some of the oversupply problems that have plagued other markets like Oregon. It bans local jurisdictions from opting out of legalization and allows home cultivation. This is a significant victory for New Mexico and my signing pen is ready, Lujan Grisham tweeted just after the bill passed. Sales are set to begin no later than April 1, 2022. Existing medical dispensaries wont be allowed to begin sales to non-medical customers ahead of new licensees which will slow down the timeline for adult-use sales to begin. But some advocates argue that it will create a more equitable rec market where everyone can start on equal footing. Natalie FertigA grow employee at Compassionate Care Foundation's medical marijuana dispensary trims leaves off marijuana plants in the company's grow house in Egg Harbor Township, N.J. | Julio Cortez/AP PhotoNew JerseyVoters overwhelmingly passed a ballot referendum backing marijuana legalization in November. But lawmakers still needed to pass legislation to establish a recreational marijuana market and that process proved to be a mess. After efforts repeatedly ran off the rails, lawmakers eventually passed a series of laws legalizing cannabis for adults aged 21 and over and decriminalizing possession of up to six ounces of the drug. The dysfunction that plagued the legalization effort soon bled into implementation. The laws signed by Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy created a penalty system for underage possession that barred police officers from notifying parents or guardians of a minors first offense. Republicans battered Democrats over the snafu until clean-up legislation was signed late last month. The process has been a debacle, state Sen. Paul Sarlo said in an interview in early March as Democratic lawmakers readied legislation to clean-up the new laws prohibition of parental notifications. Not even a week later, were fixing it.Meanwhile, the picks Murphy and legislative leaders made for the states Cannabis Regulatory Commission a five-person board tasked with rulemaking for the nascent industry didnt meet a requirement that at least one member represent a civil rights organization. The states NAACP leadership threatened to sue over the snub, forcing Murphy to reshuffle his picks. Even then, by Murphys estimate, New Jersey dispensaries are at least six months away from completing the first sale of adult-use cannabis. Tellingly, the governors proposed budget for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022 books no revenues from the fledgling marketplace. Sam SuttonThis photo provided by the New Jersey Governor's Office shows Gov. Phil Murphy as he has signed into law legislation to set up a recreational marijuana marketplace Monday, Feb. 22, 2021, in Trenton, N.J. | Edwin J. Torres/New Jersey Governor's Office via APConnecticutLawmakers are weighing two competing marijuana legalization proposals one put forth by Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont, the other by Democratic lawmakers. The biggest fight is expected to be over efforts to ensure that communities disproportionately affected by criminal enforcement are able to benefit from legalization. Democratic Rep. Robyn Porter and legalization advocates have criticized the governors proposal for not doing enough to address that issue, although changes to the bill were introduced on Tuesday to address those critiques. New Yorks embrace of legal weed will put further pressure on Connecticut to act. Lamont and other state officials have already expressed dismay at residents crossing the border to shop at dispensaries in Massachusetts. The exodus of tax dollars will only increase when recreational shops open in New York. Connecticut is most comfortable following and learning from its neighbors, rather than pioneering, legalization advocate Adam Wood said. We like safety in numbers.The Legislature is slated to adjourn on June 9. If legalization doesnt pass this year, House Speaker Matt Ritter has indicated hell push for a voter referendum on the issue, although that likely wouldnt occur until 2024. Paul DemkoA.J. Lessa, a patient advisor at the Thomas C. Slater Compassion Center, arranges marijuana products in a display case at the center in Providence, R.I. | Steven Senne/AP PhotoRhode IslandThree big shifts in the political landscape have increased the chances that Rhode Island will pass adult-use legalization this year. Former Democratic Gov. Gina Raimondos support for state-run pot shops complicated the issue in the past, since most legalization advocates opposed that proposal. But with Raimondo departing to serve as commerce secretary in the Biden administration, that idea is off the table. Secondly, the former state House speaker, who was seen as a legalization foe, lost his re-election bid in November. Finally, Democratic Senate Majority Leader Michael McCaffrey is carrying a legalization bill, the first time theres been buy-in from legislative leadership. Democratic Gov. Daniel McKee has put forth his own legalization proposal. The biggest wildcard is new House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi, who hasnt taken a stance on legal weed. Most observers dont expect there to be clarity on whether theres the political will to pass a bill until late May or June. Paul Demko | 1 |
###CLAIM: he hailed his administration 's public-private investment in vaccine development as `` unshakable commitment, '' but he also tweeted that the arrival of the vaccine was `` great news. ''
###DOCS: Comment on this story Comment Gift Article SharePresident Trump and his allies have spent years stoking disinformation and doubt in official accounts about the election, the coronavirus, and other topics. Now those efforts are making it harder to rally support around his administrations vaccine push. Tech is not your friend. We are. Sign up for The Tech Friend newsletter. ArrowRight Even as Vice President Pence took the vaccine on TV on Friday and the White House called the efforts to speedily produce a vaccine historic, Trump supporters have become forceful proponents of conspiracies about the vaccine on Twitter and Fox. Some of Trumps most high-profile allies, including his former attorney Sidney Powell, for example, have pushed misleading claims that the government will force people to receive a vaccination or use the vaccine to conduct surveillance of the population. Candace Owens, a prominent Black activist and Trump ally, tweeted on Dec. 9 that the same people that are out here yelling my body my choice will be telling you that the government has a right to force vaccinate you for a virus that has a 99% survival rate. Twitter spokeswoman Lauren Alexander said the tweets did not violate the companys misinformation rules, which specifically prohibit false statements saying the vaccine could be used to harm or control populations. AdvertisementComplicating matters is Trump himself. The president who has a history of questioning vaccines has also been notably less vocal about vaccine promotion. He has hailed his administrations investments in vaccine development, including tweeting that the vaccines impending arrival was GREAT NEWS but has not committed to taking it publicly. Since the election, he has used his Twitter account to primarily focus on baseless claims of election fraud rather than the covid-19 crisis. White House press secretary on Dec. 2 took credit for the rapid development of the coronavirus vaccine, calling it the Trump vaccine. (Video: The Washington Post)Trumps messaging that people should distrust authority has made it harder for the administration to take a victory lap over vaccine development, misinformation experts said. His base has been primed to believe conspiracies and disbelieve in official accounts, said Joan Donovan, a disinformation expert who is director of the Technology and Social Change Research Project at the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard University. The skepticism that allows him to draw in these communities is the same skepticism that they are bringing to this world historic moment.AdvertisementOver the last year, social media companies have taken aggressive steps to remove misinformation, including banning false and misleading information about the coronavirus and covid-19 vaccination. But their efforts over the last year have fallen short. They have been hamstrung not only by the volume of misinformation, but also by the powerful ways in which misinformation is turbocharged by algorithms, highly motivated groups and users that exploit the gray area over what speech is permissible. In close consultation with local, national and global public health authorities around the world, we are focused on removing misleading information that presents the biggest potential harm to peoples health and well-being, Twitters Alexander said. AdvertisementFacebook did not respond to requests for comment. In recent years, conspiracies and misleading narratives have moved from the fringes to the center of the national conversation thanks, in no small part, to a disinformation machine led by Trump, high-profile influencers and his most ardent supporters. Trump has retweeted supporters of the conspiracy theory QAnon hundreds of times, raised misleading claims about mail-in voting and election results, and even suggested that injecting disinfectant could help cure the virus. Disinformation experts called the campaign by Trump and his influencers the most significant threat to democratic processes during the presidential election worse, even, than Russian interference. Since Nov. 4, President Trump has repeatedly claimed his election loss as a result of massive fraud. The following is a roundup of his claims. (Video: The Washington Post)The distrust of authority dovetails with a year-long push by activists that have effectively used social media to undermine vaccination. In the spring, for example, online anti-vaccination groups came together with groups supporting Trump and the conspiracy theory QAnon to push a viral video that made false claims about the virus, such as wearing a mask makes it easier to contract covid-19, according to researchers. Experts say it is unlikely that the federal government could force people to take a vaccine. Both president-elect Joe Biden and top infectious-disease expert Anthony S. Fauci have said it will not happen. AdvertisementHowever, in recent segments on Fox, host and Trump ally Tucker Carlson has warned that a vaccine will be mandated by the government, and he has highlighted stories of vaccine side effects. He has also blamed Twitter for censoring people who criticize the vaccine as social control.In a show referencing a New York lawmakers bill to mandate vaccination, he said, They are planning to force you to take the coronavirus vaccine. Its so safe, they have to threaten you to take it.On Twitter earlier this month, former Trump attorney Powell pushed theories that big government would conduct surveillance of people who refused vaccination, which she likened to authoritarian communist control straight from #China. Twitter said Powells tweet didnt violate its policies. Trump promoted anti-vaccine conspiracy theories before taking office, and even at one time he reportedly proposed known vaccine skeptic Robert Kennedy Jr. to lead a commission on vaccine safety. During his presidency, Trump would bring up vaccines with advisers, such as former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, and ask whether they were really safe, current and former administration officials said. Some conspiracies circulating about the vaccine are similar to misleading narratives that Trump pushed or alluded to about the virus itself. For instance, throughout the pandemic Trump called the novel coronavirus the China virus and used anti-China rhetoric when describing it. AdvertisementNow the anti-China rhetoric is being deployed by Trump allies to question the vaccine. This month Fox News commentator and Trump ally Laura Ingraham posted a story on Facebook from the right-leaning tabloid the Daily Mail that purported to show documents claiming that Chinese Community Party loyalists worked at pharmaceutical companies that developed the coronavirus vaccine. A correspondent for the Trump-friendly news channel Newsmax also cited the Daily Mail article to amplify unsubstantiated allegations that the Chinese Communist Party was linked to vaccines this month as well. Conspiracy theories about the vaccine are also brewing within Trumps base, particularly among evangelical Christians and followers of the QAnon conspiracy theory, according to a report by the misinformation research group Zignal Labs. AdvertisementZignal noted that some of the same people sharing the conspiracies about the vaccine, such as Powell, were also proponents of conspiracies around the results of the presidential election. Zignal found that the most popular misleading story line about the coronavirus vaccine in recent weeks was about people who took the Pfizer vaccine developing the disease Bells palsy, which temporarily paralyzes muscles in the face. An article from the Daily Mail, which reported that four volunteers who took the vaccine then developed the disease, garnered more than 179,000 shares on Facebook and 12,000 shares on Twitter, with an evangelical Christian community on Facebook contributing the single largest number of shares. Fact-checking group PolitiFact has said that the Bells palsy story has been exaggerated and distorted by social media users. While the original Daily Mail story was accurate, and therefore allowed by the social media companies, scientists have said that the number of people who developed Bells palsy 4 in a group of 22,000 is consistent with the number of people who have the disease in the actual population, and may have nothing to do with the vaccine, the fact-checking group said. The FDA is monitoring the issue. At the same time, a popular Facebook meme appearing to depict the volunteers was actually recycling a photo from 2019. Trump himself has been somewhat absent from the conversation, frustrating aides who say that he could have a major impact on drumming up support for vaccination, say people familiar with the discussions who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters freely. AdvertisementWith so many Americans expressing doubt about the vaccine, aides say Trump could convince tens of millions of Americans his most fervent supporters that it was safe if he took it himself, the people said. But so far, he has not publicly announced plans to do so and has not held any major event to promote it. He has tweeted praising the vaccine, but he has eschewed any public appearances since its release to either take it or laud it, instead spending much of his time in meetings and on phone calls about overturning the election, aides said. Surgeon General Jerome Adams, acting defense secretary Christopher Miller and Fauci from the National Institutes of Health have all had on-camera vaccines, while a number of administration officials have gotten it privately, the people said. At a news conference last week, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Trump would take the vaccine as soon as his medical team determines its best. She described the administrations efforts to produce a coronavirus vaccine as historic investments that will mark the beginning of the end of the pandemic.GiftOutline Gift Article | 0 |
###CLAIM: deul wrote: "my view is that comprehension is a choice, as are many others who have expressed pain, frustration, anger and disappointment on the social media.
###DOCS: A writer who was tapped to translate the work of poet Amanda Gorman, the young black star of President Joe Biden's inauguration, into Dutch has resigned from the assignment following criticism that a black translator wasn't selected. Marieke Lucas Rijneveld, who became the youngest winner of the International Booker Prize last year for their novel 'The Discomfort of Evening', was picked for the job by Dutch publisher Meulenhoff, which said Gorman had recommended the writer. But after 'uproar' in the Netherlands over the fact that a white translator was chosen, Rijneveld, who uses the non-binary pronoun 'they', said they were pulling out of the job of translating Gorman's work 'The Hill We Climb'. 'My heart and mind are still filled with the events of the last few days,' 29-year-old Rijneveld said on Twitter late Monday, adding that they would publish their own poem on the row this weekend. 'Poetry unites, reconciles and heals.' The outrage was led by black journalist and activist Janice Deul, who penned an article about the issue in the Dutch newspaper Volkskrant. The outrage was led by journalist and activist Janice Deul (pictured), who penned an article slamming Rijneveld's appointment last week'An incomprehensible choice, in my view and that of many others who expressed their pain, frustration, anger and disappointment via social media,' Deul wrote. 'Isn't it to say the least a missed opportunity to [have hired] Marieke Lucas Rijneveld for this job? They are white, nonbinary, have no experience in this field, but according to Meulenhoff are still the "dream translator"?' Deul described Gorman, the US National Youth Poet Laureaute, as a 'spoken-word artist, young, female and unapologetically Black', and said her translator should fit that mold as well. But many others on social media opposed Deul's view, saying that Meulenhoff was right to pick Rijneveld if that's what Gorman wanted. Rijneveld, who had shared their excitement over the appointment on February 23, reacted to the backlash on Twitter late last week. 'I am shocked by the uproar surrounding my involvement in the spread of Amanda Gorman's message and I understand the people who feel hurt by Meulenhoff's choice to ask me,' the writer tweeted. Rijneveld said Gorman's team 'has made it known that they still stand behind' them as the choice of translator, adding that it would have been a 'great and honorable assignment' to translate her poetry. 'I had poured all my love into translating Amanda's work, seeing it as the greatest task to keep her strength, tone and style. 'However, I am well aware that I am in a position to think and feel that way, where many are not.' Rijneveld (pictured) Gorman's team 'has made it known that they still stand behind' them as the choice of translator, adding that it would have been a 'great and honorable assignment' to translate her poetryRijnevelda announced that they will release a poem about the controversy in a statement posted to Twitter on Monday (pictured)Publisher Meulenhoff said the reactions had 'touched us and brought us to new insights' and that they understood Rijneveld's decision. 'We are going to look for a team to cooperate with to translate Amanda's words and message of hope and inspiration as well as possible and in her spirit,' Meulenhoff general director Maaike le Noble said. Deul responded to the development in a tweet on Friday, writing: 'Thank you for this decision.' The tweet was met with more criticism from users who said Deul's unfair outrage forced the decision. 'Apparently succumbed to your disgusting woke anti-white racism,' one user wrote in Dutch. 'Just be proud of it. Why do black woke diversity dreamers think they are so incredibly unique and special?' Gorman, 22, became an international sensation after reciting her original work 'The Hill We Climb' at Biden's inauguration. The poem was inspired by the January 6 attack on the US Capitol and declared that democracy 'can never be permanently defeated'. The French translation of Gorman's work is being done by Belgian-Congolese singer Marie-Pierra Kakoma, who goes by the stage name Lous and the Yakuza. Dutch publisher Meulenhoff had said Gorman (pictured) recommended Rijneveld | 0 |
###CLAIM: alongside the positive news, he delivered a stark warning that the country still faced a tightening of the brutal lockdown thursday.
###DOCS: AdvertisementBoris Johnson has halted plans for more than a million primary school pupils to return to classrooms next week as he vowed to 'redouble' efforts to stem the mutant strain of coronavirus. Primary schools in heavily afflicted areas such as London, Essex and Kent will now not be allowed to reopen on January 4 as ministers had hoped. Only vulnerable children and the children of key workers will be allowed to return to their desks, while the rest will be forced to attend lessons online. The Prime Minister also pushed back the start of term for the bulk of secondary school pupils by a week, meaning they are now set to return on January 18 rather than January 11 - when only Years 11 and 13 preparing for exams will go back. Mr Johnson even cast doubt over this return date and said: 'I want to stress that depending on the spread of the disease it may be necessary to take further action in their cases as well in the worst affected areas.' His comments came at a Downing Street press briefing after all of England - except for 2,000 residents on the Isles of Scilly - was marked for the toughest two coronavirus tiers from midnight. Three-quarters of the country will tomorrow wake up to the most draconian Tier 4 restrictions and under strict 'stay at home' orders. Mr Johnson pleaded with the public to follow the rules over New Year and signalled that yesterday's approval of the 'game-changer' Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine could bring and end to lockdowns by Spring. 'We are still in the tunnel of this pandemic, the light however is not merely visible... the tunnel has been shortened, we're moving faster through it and that gives me great confidence about the future in the Spring,' he said. Yet as the UK suffered its deadliest day since April with 981 Covid-19 deaths, the PM said he 'bitterly regretted' having to impose such harsh measures. Mr Johnson stressed that education remained a 'national priority', but Labour and teacher unions lined up to blast the 'chaotic 11th-hour announcement' which will see millions of students out of classrooms at the start of the New Year. In the latest coronavirus developments:The WHO has warned the coronavirus is not necessarily 'the big one' and a more deadly pandemic could sweep the globe;Chief medical officer Chris Whitty won praise after being spotted doing his rounds on the respiratory ward of a London hospital over the Christmas weekend;NHS England medical director Professor Stephen Powis urged people to see in 2021 'within the rules' because 'Covid loves a crowd'. Author Michael Rosen, 74, says his 'near death' intensive care Covid battle has left him almost blind in one eye, partially deaf and suffering breathless dizzy spells;An A&E nurse has tested positive for Covid-19 eight days after he received Pfizer vaccine;London ICUs have asked major hospitals in Yorkshire if they will agree to take some patients as wards hospital admissions exceed peak of first wave. Boris Johnson suggested this evening that even the January 18 return date could be changed for some schools as he said the Government's approach will be shaped by infection ratesFACT BOX TITLENHS chief Prof Stephen Powis tells Britons NOT to throw New Year's Eve parties Britons have been warned not to throw New Year's Eve parties because 'Covid loves a crowd'. NHS England medical director Professor Stephen Powis urged people to see in 2021 'within the rules', which means no indoor mixing between households. All of England - except 2,000 residents on the Isles of Scilly - face the two toughest coronavirus tiers from midnight, thwarting typical December 31 celebrations. Prof Powis told a Downing Street press briefing: 'We can all play a part in fighting this terrible virus: stay at home, mark the New Year with just nearest and dearest within the rules. 'This action will reduce infections, relieve pressures on hospitals, and that's how everybody can help to save a life. 'Covid loves a crowd, so please leave the parties for later in the year.' AdvertisementEducation Secretary Gavin Williamson has faced massive pressure in recent weeks over the proposed staggered restart of secondary schools and colleges in the New Year as teachers, unions and scientists all called for a delay. However, the decision to keep primary schools in hotspot areas closed went further than many people were expecting. The Education Secretary told MPs: 'We will be opening the majority of primary schools as planned on Monday January 4. 'We know how vitally important it is for younger children to be in school for their education, wellbeing and wider development. 'In a small number of areas where the infection rates are highest we will implement our existing contingency framework such as only vulnerable children and children of critical workers will attend face-to-face. 'We will publish this list of areas today on the gov.uk website.' The full list of the areas subject to primary school closures from January 4 was later published by the Department for Education. It includes 22 London boroughs, 11 boroughs in Essex and nine in Kent. Mr Williamson stressed the restrictions on primary schools are only being applied to the worst-hit infection hotspots and that the 'overwhelming majority' in England will open as planned. He also said areas which are subject to the restrictions on face-to-face primary teaching will be regularly reviewed in the hope that schools can reopen as soon as possible. On the issue of secondary schools and colleges, the Education Secretary said the coronavirus infection rate is 'particularly high among this age group' and as a result 'we are going to allow more time so that every school and college is able to fully roll-out testing for all of its pupils and staff'. He said: 'All pupils in exam years are to return during the week beginning January 11, with all secondary school and college students returning full time on January 18. 'During the first week of term on or after January 4, secondary schools and colleges will prepare to test as many staff and students as possible and will only be open to vulnerable children and the children of key workers.' Mr Williamson said he expected the 'full return of all pupils in all year groups' on January 18. However, speaking at a Downing Street press conference this evening, Mr Johnson suggested that date could be changed for some schools depending on infection rates. He said: 'I want to stress that depending on the spread of the disease it may be necessary to take further action in their cases as well in the worst affected areas.' The timing of the announcement of the schools rethink sparked a furious reaction from union leaders. Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) said: 'This is another last-minute mess which could so easily have been avoided if the Government had listened to school leaders before the holidays. 'Instead, back then, schools which wanted to shift to remote learning were threatened with legal action. Now we have a situation where the Government is instructing schools to reduce the amount of teaching time available. 'If we'd had the freedom to take action before the holidays, we might have been in a position to have more schools open for more pupils. School leaders will be baffled, frustrated and justifiably angry tonight.' Jon Richards, head of education at the union Unison, said: 'Everyone agrees it's important for schools and colleges to open but it can't be at any expense when infections are rising. 'This delay for secondary schools is a sensible decision, giving more time to organise mass testing effectively to limit the spread. Primary and early years reopening should also be delayed because social distancing isn't really possible. 'Ministers should also ensure any moves to extend the vaccine priority list must cover all school staff and not just teachers.' The Government's initial plan was for exam year pupils to physically return to secondary schools and colleges from January 4 while the other students took part in online learning before then going back on January 11. Mr Williamson's announcement comes after a number of senior scientists called for schools to remain completely shut in January, arguing that such drastic action is the only way to bring infection rates down. Professor Neil Ferguson, a member of the Government's New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), said there had been a 'balancing act' since lockdown was initially eased between keeping control of the virus and maintaining 'some semblance of normal society'. But he said the planned reopening of schools from next week may have to be postponed. He told BBC Radio 4's World At One programme yesterday: 'Clearly nobody wants to keep schools shut. But if that's the only alternative to having exponentially growing numbers of hospitalisations, that may be required at least for a period. 'There are no easy solutions here. My real concern is that even if universities, schools, do have staggered returns or even stay closed, how easy it would be to maintain control of the virus is unclear now, given how much more transmissible this variant is.' Earlier, Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) members Professor Andrew Hayward and Dr Mike Tildesley had signalled the possibility of a 'slight delay' to having pupils back in the classroom. Figures published yesterday by NHS England showed a further 365 people who tested positive for Covid-19 had died, taking the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 49,225. Downing Street said yesterday that it was 'still planning for a staggered opening of schools' after Christmas but insisted the plans were being kept under constant review. Prime Minister Boris Johnson's official spokesman told a Westminster briefing: 'We're still planning for a staggered opening of schools and we are working to ensure testing is in place. 'As we have said throughout the pandemic, we obviously keep all measures under constant review.' Boris and JVT pin everything on Oxford vaccine working after 981 worst daily death toll since April: PM's 'bitter regret' as he plunges ALL of England into Tier 3 and Tier 4 and delays school reopeningsBy James Tapsfield, political editor, and Stephen Matthews, health editor, for MailOnlineWhere is going to Tier 4 from midnight? The PM voiced 'bitter regret' after it was announced that three quarters of the country will be in Tier 4 from midnight, adding the rest of the South East, Midlands, North East, parts of the North West and parts of the South West to the top bracket. All remaining areas - barring just 2,000 people on the Isles of Scilly - are being escalated to Tier 3, including Liverpool, previously seen as an example of how to cope with the disease. Meanwhile, secondary schools have seen their return delayed even further in January, with most pupils now shut out until at least January 18 - two weeks longer than originally planned - while testing systems are put in place. Hundreds of primaries in the 'highest infection' areas will also not fully reopen from January 4, while secondaries will have to wait until the next tier review in two weeks to learn whether they must stay shut indefinitely. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are already in the midst of their own clampdowns amid fears over the more infectious 'mutant' strain that is running riot. The seriousness of the situation was underlined tonight as the UK recorded another 50,023 cases - a jump of a quarter over the same day last week - and 981 deaths, the highest since April. At a Downing Street press conference, Mr Johnson and deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam made clear that hopes for a return to normality now hang on massively scaling up the vaccine rollout, after the Oxford/University AstraZeneca received approval from regulators. However, even if the government manages to crank up vaccinations to two million doses a week, it will still take months to cover enough of the population to ease restrictions safely. Matt Hancock has admitted that just 530,000 jabs will be available on Monday when they start being administered. In another miserable signal, Mr Johnson warned that the public 'should not, in any way think that this is over' due to the positive news on vaccines as 'the virus is really surging'. He said he 'bitterly regretted' the harsher restrictions but the 'reality' was that the virus was spiralling out of control. 'We have to face the fact that we've got two big things happening at once in our fight against Covid one's working for us and one's working against us,' he said. 'On the plus side we have got two valid vaccines, and we're racing to get them out and on the bad side there is a new strain of the virus which is spreading much faster and surging across the country.' Referring to the new tier measures, Mr Johnson said: 'At this critical moment, with the prospect of freedom within reach, we've got to redouble our efforts to contain the virus. 'No-one regrets these measures more bitterly than I do, but we must take firm action now.' Mr Johnson said: 'We must face the reality, the sheer pace of the spread of this new variant, requires us now to take even tougher action in some areas, and that does affect schools.' Prof Van Tam said: 'Unfortunately it is a pretty grim and depressing picture at the moment.' He added that the NHS had yet to see the impact of mixing during the festive period. 'The situation in the UK is precarious in many parts already, the South East and London,' he said. 'It is almost certainly true that the NHS has not yet seen the impact of the infections that will have occurred during mixing on Christmas Day and that is also unfortunately rather sobering.' Prof Van Tam added that members of the public had 'just got to play your part from bringing us back from this very dangerous situation'. Some three quarters of England more than 44million people will be under Tier 4 curbs following the latest review of the system, which was announced in the Commons this afternoon. Another 14million will be in Tier 3, leaving just the Isles of Scilly in Tier 1. Speculation is also growing about a 'Tier 5' crackdown, that could include even harsher measures such as a curfew. Some 24million people, including London, much of the South and the East are already under the strictest stay-at-home orders. Pressure has mounted on the Government to act as hospitals across England warned of increasing strains on services due to Covid-19 patient numbers, which have reached their highest levels during the pandemic. He said the majority of new cases recorded yesterday 'are believed to be the new variant'. Mr Hancock added: 'Unfortunately, this new variant is now spreading across most of England and cases are doubling fast. 'It is therefore necessary to apply Tier 4 measures to a wider area, including the remaining parts of the South East, as well as large parts of the Midlands, the North West, the North East and the South West.' Delivering more bad news, Mr Hancock said almost all the country will be under the top two brackets. 'Even in most areas not moving into Tier 4, cases are rising too, and it is therefore necessary to apply Tier 3 measures more broadly too including in Liverpool and North Yorkshire,' he said. 'The rest of Yorkshire remains in Tier 3. These changes will take effect from 00:01 tomorrow morning. 'The new variant means that three quarters of the population are now going to be in Tier 4 and almost all of the country in Tiers 3 and 4. 'And I know that Tier 3 and 4 measures place a significant burden on people, and especially on businesses affected, but I am afraid it is absolutely necessary because of the number of cases that we've seen.' The approval of the AstraZeneca vaccine was a desperately needed boost after the country racked up a record 50,000 daily cases yesterday. Mr Hancock insisted a rapid rollout of the jab now offers 'high confidence' the pandemic will be past within months. 3.2MILLION PEOPLE IN ENGLAND TO BE PLUNGED INTO TIER 4 DESPITE FALL IN CASES Some 3.2million people in England are tonight facing being plunged into the harshest restrictions despite Covid-19 infections falling in their areas. Department of Health data for the week to December 24, the latest available, shows 22 local authorities in the North and Midlands have been singled out for the economically ruinous restrictions even though their outbreaks shrunk. It suggests ministers could plunge areas into the highest tiers, regardless of whether ramped up local efforts are stemming the spread of the virus. South Tyneside saw infections plummet by 19.6 per cent to a rate of 454 cases per 100,000 residents, but this did not keep it in Tier Three, which would have allowed non-essential shops and gyms to keep the shutters up. In Boston, Lincolnshire, cases spiralled downwards by 18.8 per cent to 234 per 100,000, and in Stoke-on-Trent they dipped by 18 per cent to 722 per 100,000. As many as seven of the authorities saw their infection rate tick downwards by more than 10 per cent, but this did not lead to them being kept in lower tiers. Supplies were due to arrive on Wednesday or today and the first jabs are set to start on Monday. Two doses are needed to get long-term protection, but Mr Hancock revealed that the stocks could be spread more widely than anticipated as the MHRA has advised that the gap between the first jab and the second jab can be extended from four weeks to 12 weeks. The same rule will be applied to the Pfizer jab already approved in early December - raising the prospect that more Britons could be given a single dose soon to ease the pressure on the NHS from rampant infections. Tony Blair has been calling for all available stocks to be used for single doses, with the booster follow-up being delayed. However, Mr Hancock dodged saying whether he believed the numbers being vaccinated could be scaled up to the two million a week scientists say is needed. And alongside the positive news he delivered a stark warning that the country still faced a tightening of the brutal lockdown on Thursday. Mr Hancock said Wednesday's decision meant Britain can 'accelerate the vaccine rollout' and 'brings forward the day when we can get our lives back to normal', adding: 'We will be able to get out of this by the Spring.' He told Sky News: 'It is going to be a difficult few weeks ahead. 'We can see the pressures right now on the NHS and it is absolutely critical that people follow the rules and do everything they can to stop the spread, particularly of the new variant of this virus that transmits so much faster. 'But we also know that there is a route out of this. The vaccine provides that route out. We have all just got to hold our nerve over the weeks to come.' Asked if he could provide a timeline for when under-50s without pre-existing conditions may be vaccinated, Mr Hancock told Times Radio: 'It depends on the speed of manufacture, I wish I could give you a date, your invitation right now, but we can't because it depends on the speed of the manufacture. UK 'could vaccinate 24million by Easter' Britain could vaccinate 24million people against coronavirus by Easter after the game-changing Oxford University/ AstraZeneca jab was approved this morning and its makers promised to deliver 2million doses a week. In a massive boost to ending the pandemic within months, the UK medical regulator green-lit the vaccine, which is cheap, easy to transport to care homes and protects 70 per cent of people after just 21 days. Regulators are now recommending the jab is given in two doses three months apart, rather than over a four-week period, allowing millions more to be immunised over a shorter time period. Britain has already ordered 100million doses and injections are due to start on Monday, but ministers now face the mammoth challenge of trying to vaccinate 2million people a week to curb the spread of a highly-infectious mutant strain racing across the country. During a round of interviews this morning, AstraZeneca boss Pascal Soriot promised the firm will be able to hit the ambitious target of delivering 2million doses a week by mid-January, while Matt Hancock claimed the NHS could deliver the jab 'at the pace AstraZeneca can manufacture' and insisted the bold aim was 'absolutely deliverable'. But he refused to commit to an actual figure. There will be doubts about whether scaling up vaccinations so significantly in a matter of weeks is possible given that only about 280,000 Brits are being inoculated against Covid each week and NHS workers who play a critical role in administering the vaccines are dealing with record numbers of hospital patients. Mr Hancock has also repeatedly failed to hit numerous targets throughout the pandemic, including goals to ramp up test capacity. Top experts, including members of SAGE, have warned ministers they need to ramp up weekly vaccination rates seven-fold by mid-January to prevent the NHS from being overwhelmed this winter. The new strain of Covid has caused a sharp spike in infections and, while it doesn't appear more deadly, it spreads more easily than the regular virus which increases the overall volume of people falling ill and needing hospital care. Wednesday's approval only applies to two full doses and not the half-dose, full-dose regimen that scientists claimed was up to 50 per cent more effective, with regulators admitting there was not enough data to approve the latter tactic. But it still significantly increases the likelihood of the Government achieving the target because, unlike the Pfizer jab, Oxford's can be stored in a normal fridge which makes it easier to transport to care homes and GP surgeries. Advertisement'This product, it's not a chemical compound it's a biological product so it's challenging to make, so that is the rate-limiting factor in terms of the rollout. 'Now that we have two vaccines being delivered we can accelerate, how fast we can accelerate will be determined by how fast the manufacturers can produce. 'But what I can tell you is that I now have a very high degree of confidence that by the spring enough of those who are vulnerable will be protected to allow us to get out of this pandemic situation. 'We can see the route out and the route out is guided by this vaccine and that's why this is such good news for everyone.' Former PM Mr Blair welcomed that the government seemed to be following his blueprint of using the available stocks to give a single dose to as many people as possible. 'The trial results make the case for using all available vaccines to vaccinate people with the first dose, without holding back a second dose for each person, overwhelming,' he said. 'The first dose gives a high level of immunity enough to halt hospital admissions and the second dose is in any event at its most effective 2/3 months after the first, by which time we will have extra supplies of the vaccine to cover second doses. 'In addition, the Government should consider urgently: acceleration of the vaccination programme. Of course, 1m vaccinations a week is remarkable by normal standards. 'But given the rates of transmission and the costs of lockdown, we need to do much more. Given the advantages of the AstraZeneca vaccine in terms of simplicity to administer like the flu jab we should surely be using every available potential resource including all pharmacies, occupational health capacity and those suitable to be trained fast to administer vaccines and increase the rate of vaccination. 'And we should think about greater flexibility in the plan, with vaccination of groups most likely to transmit the virus and hotspot areas as well as age and vulnerability.' The bombshell news on lockdown Tiers was greeted with grim acceptance tonight. Metro mayor for the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram said: 'Despite our area leading on many of the medical developments in the fight against Covid, we have seen transmission rates rise recently in every part of our city region, leading to a worrying uptick in positive cases. 'At the same time cases have risen at alarming rates across the rest of the country, threatening to push our NHS to its limits. 'Being placed into Tier 3 today is something that none of us wanted but I hope that these new measures help to slow down and contain the spread of the virus quickly.' He promised to support local businesses and called for more Government assistance. He added: 'We have seen throughout the past 10 months that restrictions can only suppress the virus for a limited period of time. 'That's why I have called on ministers to bring forward plans to rapidly increase the speed of the vaccine rollout, so that we can return to some sort of normality for good at the earliest opportunity.' Yesterday's infection tally of 51,135 is the highest toll officially recorded by the Department of Health in a single 24-hour period and it marks a sharp 44 per cent rise on last Tuesday's figure of 36,804. The Oxford/AstraZeneca jab, which has been described as a 'game changer', was given the green light by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said on Wednesday: 'The Government has today accepted the recommendation from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to authorise Oxford University/AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine for use. 'This follows rigorous clinical trials and a thorough analysis of the data by experts at the MHRA, which has concluded that the vaccine has met its strict standards of safety, quality and effectiveness.' AstraZeneca said it aimed to supply millions of doses in the first quarter of next year as part of an agreement with the Government to supply up to 100million dosesIts chief executive Pascal Soriot said: 'Today is an important day for millions of people in the UK who will get access to this new vaccine. It has been shown to be effective, well-tolerated, simple to administer and is supplied by AstraZeneca at no profit.' London doctor is 'taken aback' by number of young people in hospitals with Covid A junior doctor has described being 'taken aback' by the number of young patients without pre-existing conditions now being treated in hospitals for coronavirus. Dr Yousef Eltuhamy, who works in an intensive care unit at a hospital in London, said he was surprised to see an influx of people who were 'fit and well' being admitted to hospital with the virus. Speaking on BBC Breakfast on Wednesday he said: 'It's actually really surprising. I didn't expect to see so many young people in their 40s and their 50s, patients who don't have any prior medical history at all, people who are fit and well. 'Having had coronavirus myself back in May and being unwell with it, even though I've got no medical problem, I really don't take this lightly. I don't think anyone should take this virus lightly - young or old.' Dr Eltuhamy described how the year had been 'really difficult' for staff on the frontline and said NHS workers were being 'stretched really thin' following an increase in admissions. He told the programme: 'Honestly it's been really difficult. Not just for me but all of the colleagues I've spoken to across the NHS. It's been really tough. 'Every time I start my shift, I walk into my intensive care unit and I'm just greeted with a sight that takes me aback every time. 'Row on row of patients extremely unwell, all with the same awful virus, all severely critically unwell and looking to me and my colleagues to help them get better.' AdvertisementIn a statement, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: 'This is a moment to celebrate British innovation - not only are we responsible for discovering the first treatment to reduce mortality for Covid-19, this vaccine will be made available to some of the poorest regions of the world at a low cost, helping protect countless people from this awful disease. 'It is a tribute to the incredible UK scientists at Oxford University and AstraZeneca whose breakthrough will help to save lives around the world. I want to thank every single person who has been part of this British success story. While it is a time to be hopeful, it is so vital everyone continues to play their part to drive down infections.' And Professor Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group and chief investigator of the Oxford trial, said: 'The regulator's assessment that this is a safe and effective vaccine is a landmark moment, and an endorsement of the huge effort from a devoted international team of researchers and our dedicated trial participants. 'Though this is just the beginning, we will start to get ahead of the pandemic, protect health and economies when the vulnerable are vaccinated everywhere, as many as possible as soon possible.' Data published in The Lancet medical journal in early December showed the vaccine was 62 per cent effective in preventing Covid-19 among a group of 4,440 people given two standard doses of the vaccine when compared with 4,455 people given a placebo drug. Of 1,367 people given a half first dose of the vaccine followed by a full second dose, there was 90 per cent protection against Covid-19 when compared with a control group of 1,374 people. However, it emerged today that the idea of giving half-doses has been shelved, raising some questions about the efficacy level. The overall Lancet data, which was peer-reviewed, set out full results from clinical trials of more than 20,000 people. Among the people given the placebo drug, 10 were admitted to hospital with coronavirus, including two with severe Covid which resulted in one death. But among those receiving the vaccine, there were no hospital admissions or severe cases. The half dose followed by a full dose regime came about as a result of an accidental dosing error. However, the MHRA was made aware of what happened and clinical trials for the vaccine were allowed to continue. A volunteer is administered the coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, which has been approved for use today | 0 |
Subsets and Splits