Year: 2017

Common Dreams – by Julia Conley

Disturbed by the use of their city’s name in an anti-LGBTQ document signed by more than 180 conservative Christian leaders, hundreds of Nashville residents have signed a counter-argument to clarify the true values of the Tennessee city.

Residents Corey Pigg, Melissa Greene, and Matthew Paul Turner were inspired to write a statement that represented a city “where everyone is loved, known, and valued regardless of their gender or sexual orientation,” after the Council of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood released a document on Tuesday called “the Nashville Statement,” which argues against the acceptance of gay, lesbian, and transgender people.   Continue reading “Accurate Nashville Statement’ Embraces LGBTQ With Love to Counter Bigoted Hate”

Sac Bee – by Teresa Welsh

Lawmakers from across the country are trying to build support in Congress to pressure President Donald Trump to allow nearly 300,000 immigrants from Honduras and El Salvador to stay in the country, adding to a growing pile of requests facing a White House that is trying to reduce, not expand, legal immigration.

Both Republicans and Democrats in the House are collecting signatures on a letter to acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke that calls on the administration to extend protections for people these lawmakers say are now part of the community.   Continue reading “Lawmakers pressure Trump to let Central Americans stay in the US”

Daily News

ADELANTO >> Outside a desert jail Wednesday evening, there were tears. Embraces.

Six months after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested Romulo Avelica-Gonzalez while he took his daughters to school one February morning, he was a free man.

On Wednesday, an immigration judge ordered him to be released on $6,000 bond, bail was posted and he was released from the Adelanto Detention Center.   Continue reading “Undocumented dad detained by ICE since February released, reunites with family”

AP

WASHINGTON (AP) — When Attorney General Jeff Sessions told local police departments they could once again have access to free grenade launchers and large-caliber weapons cast off from the U.S. military, law enforcement groups checked another item off their wish lists.

Seven months into President Donald Trump’s administration, police groups are reveling in what they see as newfound support from the federal government. The administration, which touts a “law and order” agenda, has revived a controversial program that lets local police seize cash and property with federal help and pulled back on federal scrutiny of local law enforcement.   Continue reading “In Trump, local law enforcement sees a steadfast ally”

New York Times – by Matthew Haag

The mayor of Houston imposed a curfew in his city on Tuesday, ordering nearly everyone off the streets from midnight to 5 a.m. in an effort to stop “small-scale looting” and other crimes following prodigious flooding from Tropical Storm Harvey. Houston has a population of 2.3 million people spread across nearly 670 square miles, making the curfew among the largest and most expansive in United States history.

In times of natural disasters or violent unrest, American cities have imposed curfews to try to bring order during chaos. The following curfews were some of the largest or most significant in the country’s history.

Continue reading “Houston Curfew Follows Many in Big Cities Facing Disaster or Unrest”

NPR – by James Doubek

Tens of thousands of German residents in Frankfurt are being told to evacuate by Sunday morning for authorities to defuse a World War II-era bomb.

A Frankfurt police spokesperson said as many as 70,000 people could be affected, according to The Local Germany, which would make it Germany’s largest evacuation since World War II.   Continue reading “Frankfurt Orders 70,000 To Evacuate To Defuse WWII Bomb”

app.com – by Russ Zimmer, June, 2015

Brad Kieserman, the point person for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s investigation into allegations that superstorm Sandy homeowners were cheated by their flood insurers, is stepping down.

Kieserman, who had been elevated to head of FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program earlier this year, is departing for an executive position with the Red Cross. A FEMA spokeswoman confirmed the impending exit to the Asbury Park Press. It was first reported by Newsday. Kieserman’s last day will be June 13.   Continue reading “FEMA losing head of Sandy insurance fraud probe”

NPR – by Richard Gonzales

As Americans are opening their wallets and donating to relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, one of the most prominent charities is the American Red Cross.

But donors might be surprised to learn the Red Cross won’t, or can’t say, what percentage of their dollars will go directly to helping the victims of the storm.

Dating back to 2014, NPR and Pro Publica have reported that the Red Cross misstated how donor dollars are spent.   Continue reading “Red Cross Exec Doesn’t Know What Portion Of Donations Go To Harvey Relief”

Tech Dirt – by Mike Masnik

Earlier this week, we wrote about Donald Trump and Jeff Sessions bringing back the Defense Department’s 1033 program, which helped militarize local police forces with surplus military equipment. We’ve been covering all sorts of problems with the 1033 program over the years, and people like Radley Balko have written entire books on the problem. And the previous ban on the 1033 only put a fairly narrow limit on the practice of militarizing police — but now even those modest limits are gone.

What’s truly incredible, however, is the complete nonsense being used to justify this. Attorney General Jeff Sessions gave a speech about this on Monday, in which he trotted out his standard misleading and out-of-context stats, falsely claiming that there’s some massive new crimewave across the country, when there’s really just been a tiny bump after decades of decline in crime rates (the use of percentages by Sessions shows the he likely knows the absolute numbers are so meaningless that he has to mislead with percentages working off a small base).   Continue reading “Attorney General Jeff Sessions: Hurricane Harvey Is Proof We Need To Militarize Our Police Forces”

Washington Free Beacon – by Joe Schoffstall

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a liberal, Alabama-based 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charitable organization that has gained prominence on the left for its “hate group” designations, pushes millions of dollars to offshore entities as part of its business dealings, records show.

Additionally, the nonprofit pays lucrative six-figure salaries to its top directors and key employees while spending little on legal services despite its stated intent of “fighting hate and bigotry” using litigation, education, and other forms of advocacy.   Continue reading “Southern Poverty Law Center Transfers Millions in Cash to Offshore Entities”

Top Secret Writers – by Gabrielle Pickard

Documents recently released by legal firms in the United States have revealed how the agricultural company Monsanto launched an attack on the International Agency for Research Cancer (IARC).

The attack followed the IARC’s announcement that glyphosate, which is the active ingredient in Monsanto’s herbicide known as Roundup, is likely to be a human pollutant.

A report in (1) Sustainable Pulse informs how Monsanto had written and edited an ‘independent’ Expert Panel Manuscript in order to rebut the IARC’s findings regarding the potential carcinogenic effects of Roundup. Continue reading “Monsanto Attacks International Cancer Agency for Warning Public”

Breitbart – by John Binder

A study by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s open borders organization revealed that if an Obama-created amnesty program for young illegal aliens is ended, it would open nearly 700,000 American jobs.

Zuckerberg’s FWD.us group – a pro-immigration lobbying group – released the study with the intention to show the hardships of ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, where more than 850,000 young illegal aliens have been given temporary amnesty would have on the American economy.   Continue reading “Zuckerberg Group: 700K American Job Openings If DACA Ends”

CNBC

Early Thursday morning, officials of Beaumont, Texas, announced the city lost both the primary and secondary sources for its water supply system.

“Due to rising waters of the Neches River caused by Tropical Storm Harvey, the City of Beaumont has lost service from the main pump station,” Beaumont fire rescue captain Brad Penisson said in a statement.

Located near the Louisiana border on the Gulf Coast, the city of nearly 120,000 residents will be without water until after floodwaters recede and officials can analyze the extent of the damage.   Continue reading “118,000 people and no drinking water: Flooded Beaumont cannot determine when it will restore water supply”