Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-MD) Issues Statement on Trump Administration Failing to Meet Court-Imposed Deadline to Reunite Families
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 27, 2018
CONTACT: Aryele Bradford, 202-226-5181
Cummings Issues Statement on Trump Administration
Failing to Meet Court-Imposed Deadline to Reunite Families
Washington, D.C. (July 27, 2018)—Today, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, issued the following statement on the Trump Administration’s failure to meet a second court-imposed deadline to reunite separated children with their families:
“Trump Administration officials admit they had no plan to reunite children when they tore them away from their parents, and they deserve no credit now for failing to fully comply with a federal court order to remedy this crisis they created.
Today, multiple Trump Administration officials are openly obstructing Congress and refusing to comply with a bipartisan request from the Oversight Committee to produce basic information about these children.
Their failure to reunite hundreds of children with their parents—who were deported in some cases after reportedly being coerced to leave their children behind—is an ongoing travesty and a permanent moral stain on our nation.”
MEDIA ADVISORY: Ben Jealous to Speak at the United States Black Chamber 2018 National Conference In Prince George’s County
From: Ben Jealous Press
Sent: Wednesday, July 25, 2018 4:13 PM
Subject: MEDIA ADVISORY: Ben Jealous to Speak at the United States Black Chamber 2018 National Conference In Prince George’s County
Ben Jealous to Speak at the United States Black Chamber 2018 National Conference In Prince George’s County
Former National President and CEO of the NAACP Will Highlight Economic Plan for Maryland
Silver Spring, MD -- TOMORROW, Thursday, July 26, Ben Jealous, former National President & CEO of the NAACP, will speak to the United States Black Chamber National Conference at National Harbor about his vision to build a more inclusive, thriving economy in Maryland.
Under Larry Hogan, Maryland's economy has lagged well behind regional and national benchmarks. In the first quarter of 2018, Maryland reported only 1.5% GDP growth, trailing regional neighbors Pennsylvania at 2.0%, Virginia at 2.4% and Washington D.C. at 2.0%, as well as the national average of 1.8%.
In the past year, Maryland is also dead last in the region for job growth.
Maryland’s wages are also behind regional and national growth. When adjusted for inflation, workers in Maryland have taken home less than $1,000 in wage growth while nationwide that number is more than $5,500, with Virginia at $8,000, and Delaware at a whopping additional $15,000.
Jealous has released a comprehensive plan to build a more inclusive economy. The plan includes measures to raise the minimum wage to $15/hour, boost capital for minority and women owned businesses, expand rural broadband, and institute a statewide "Ban the Box" policy to help the formerly incarcerated become employed.
WHO: Ben Jealous, former National President & CEO of the NAACP
WHAT: United States Black Chamber 2018 National Conference
WHEN: Thursday, July 26, 2018 4:15PM
WHERE: Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, 201 Waterfront St, National Harbor, MD 20745
-end-
For more information or to schedule an interview with Ben Jealous on this topic contactpress@benjealous.com
Paid for by Friends of Ben Jealous, Jason Small, Treasurer
Back to Videos Whoopi Goldberg Blows Up, Ends 'The View' Interview With Judge Jeanine Pirro: "Goodbye"
Story by RealClear Politics
Written by Ian Schwartz
Whoopi Goldberg blew up on Judge Jeanine Pirro in an interview on 'The View' today. Goldberg cut her off, said "bye" and moved to commercial break after Pirro brought up victims of violence committed by illegal immigrants.
The situation between Goldberg and Pirro began after the guest accused the host of having 'Trump Derangement Syndrome.'
"Did you just point at me?" Goldberg reacted. "Listen, I don't have Trump derangement [syndrome]. Let me tell you what I have. I'm tired of people starting a conversation with 'Mexicans are liars and rapists.'"
"Listen, 62 years old. There have been a lot of people in office that I didn't agree with. But I have never, ever seen anything like this. I have never seen anybody whip up such hate. I have never seen anybody be so dismissive," Whoopi added.
"You know what's horrible?" Pirro asked Goldberg. "When people who shouldn't be here end up murdering the children of American citizens. What's horrible is we have sanctuary cities."
"What is horrible is when the president of the United States whips up people to beat the hell out of people," Goldberg responded.
"Say goodbye. I'm done," Goldberg said to wild applause as she ended the interview.
When the show returned from commercial break, Goldberg apologized for her behavior.
"You saw me do something I very rarely do, I very rarely lose my cool and I'm not proud of it," she said. "I don't like it. But I also don't like being accused of being hysterical because that is one of the things I try
not to be on this show."
NBA's San Antonio Spurs (USA) send Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green to the Toronto Raptors for DeMar DeRozan
NBA All-Star Player Kawhi Leonard is now a Toronto Raptor
Story by Reuters
San Antonio shipped Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green to the Toronto Raptors for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a protected 2019 first-round pick, ending a standoff of nearly seven months of off-court drama for the Spurs.
The Spurs announced the deal was official at noon ET on Wednesday.
Leonard requested a trade after a meeting with Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. His absence from the team became a point of consternation for Popovich and the Spurs, who didn't have the All-Star forward on the floor for the final five months of the season because of a quadriceps injury.
The Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers and others checked on Leonard's availability before Wednesday's trade, in which the Spurs were able to acquire another All-Star in DeRozan.
ESPN reported Wednesday morning that Leonard has "no desire" to play in Toronto.
The Raptors are rolling the dice Leonard is healthy and willing to re-sign to stay in Toronto beyond this season. Leonard is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent in July 2019. With Leonard playing this season with Toronto, the Raptors would have the advantage of being able to pay $49 million more in a max deal than other suitors, such as the Lakers.
Los Angeles and other teams with cap space could offer four years at $141 million; Toronto can reach five years, $190 million.
DeRozan's immediate reaction -- after reportedly being informed during a meeting with team brass at Vegas Summer League he would not be traded -- was not positive.
On his Instagram page Wednesday morning, DeRozan wrote, "Be told one thing & the outcome another. Can't trust em. Ain't no loyalty in this game. Sell you out quick for a little bit of nothing... Soon you'll understand... Don't disturb..."
According to multiple reports, the first-rounder is protected if the Raptors pick anywhere from first to 20th next year. In 2020, the pick would become two second-round picks instead of a first-rounder.
DeRozan has three years, $83 million remaining on his contract.
Leonard spent his first seven seasons in the NBA with the Spurs, appearing in a total of 407 games and averaging 16.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists.
Green, a 3-pooint specialist, joined San Antonio in 2010 and averaged 9.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 520 contests.
Rep. Martha Roby is projected to win Alabama’s GOP primary runoff in the state’s 2nd District, overcoming the blowback from her past criticism of President Trump during the 2016 election after earning his endorsement.
Roby defeated former Rep. Bobby Bright, a Democrat-turned Republican whom she unseated in 2010. The AP called the race around 9:30 p.m. ET. With all precincts reporting by 10:30 p.m., Roby led Bright by 68-32 percent.
Roby was forced into the runoff with Bright after failing to clinch the 50 percent needed in the June GOP primary.
The four-term congresswoman has continued to face Republican backlash since declaring in 2016 she wouldn’t vote for Trump in the wake of the “Access Hollywood” tape scandal where the then candidate was heard bragging about kissing and groping women without consent.
But Roby went into Tuesday’s runoff favored to win especially after President Trump endorsed her last month and key Washington allies ran ads on her behalf. She also heavily outraised and outspent Bright.
Roby has sought to come back from her Trump criticism as a fervent supporter of the president’s agenda, voting with him 96.5 percent of the time, according to a FiveThirtyEight analysis.
Outside groups also spent on behalf of Roby to boost her ahead of the runoff. The influential business-friendly U.S. Chamber of Commerce went up on the air, spending nearly $200,000 on ads that in part criticized Bright for his past support for Pelosi as speaker.
And Winning For Women, a GOP group that backs female candidates who support free-market policies and national security, started running five-figure digital ads for Roby back in April, focusing on her conservative record.
Bright faced obstacles winning Republican support after previously serving in the House as a Democrat and voting for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) as Speaker, though he defended it as a "procedural" vote.
Roby’s win delivers Trump some validation after the president previously backed candidates in Alabama who went on to lose their races.
In last year’s special Senate election, Trump endorsed Sen. Luther Strange (R-Ala.), who lost the GOP nomination to former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore.
Trump backed Moore in the general election, but the former judge lost to now-Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.) in the deep-red state after allegations surfaced that Moore had pursued romantic and sexual relationships with women decades his junior.
Roby will go on to face Democrat Tabitha Isner, a business analyst and first-time candidate, in November. But Roby is expected to easily win since Trump won her district by more than 30 points.
Maryland Democratic Candidate for Governor Ben Jealous and County Executive Rushern Baker To Tour Minority-Owned Workspace, Highlight Jealous Plan To Build An Inclusive Economy
From: Ben Jealous Press
Sent: Tuesday, July 17, 2018 7:59 PM
Subject: MEDIA ADVISORY: Ben Jealous and County Executive Rushern Baker To Tour Minority-Owned Workspace, Highlight Jealous Plan To Build An Inclusive Economy
Ben Jealous and County Executive Rushern Baker To Tour Minority-Owned Workspace, Highlight Jealous Plan To Build An Inclusive Economy
Former President and CEO of the NAACP and County Executive Will Tout Successful Job Growth In Prince George's County In Comparison to Hogan Administration
Silver Spring, MD -- TOMORROW, Wednesday, July 18, Ben Jealous, former National President & CEO of the NAACP, and Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker will tour Dream Village, a minority-owned co-workspace in Hyattsville, and highlight Jealous' plan to build an inclusive economy.
A civil rights leader and businessman, Jealous' economic plan includes raising the minimum wage to $15/hour, initiatives to boost capital for minority and women owned businesses, expanding rural broadband and a "Ban the Box" statewide policy to help the formerly incarcerated become employed.
Prince George's County led Maryland in job growth for five consecutive quarters, contributing more than a quarter of all new jobs in the state to become the fastest growing County in the Washington area. The county's unemployment rate is down to 4.1% and four of Maryland's top five ranked communities for business ownership diversity are located in Prince George's County.
Under the Hogan Administration, Maryland had the worst job growth in the region over the past year with an anemic .47% job growth rate. Additionally, wages for the average Marylander have been flat.
WHO: Ben Jealous, former National President & CEO of the NAACP, and Rushern Baker, Prince George's County Executive
WHAT: Tour of Co-Working Space, Discuss Plans For Building A More Inclusive Economy
WHEN: TOMORROW, Wednesday July 18, at 9:30AM
WHERE: Dream Village, 5128 Baltimore Ave, Hyattsville MD
-end-
For more information or to schedule an interview with Ben Jealous on this topic contact press@benjealous.com
Paid for by Friends of Ben Jealous, Jason Small, Treasurer
4 Years After NYPD Choked Her Son To Death, Eric Garner’s Mom Gets Closer To Justice
Eric Garner's mother reacted to long overdue plans to discipline the cop who killed her son. But those plans come with one condition.
Story by NewsOne
Written by Nigel Roberts
Eric Garner‘s mother on Monday doubled down on her demand that New York City fire the police officers involved in her son’s killing four years ago. Gwen Carr was responding to the New York Police Department’s (NYPD) announcement hours earlier that it would proceed with disciplinary actions against the cop who used a banned chokehold that killed Garner in an act of illegal violence that was recorded on cellphone video.
“I’m always going to have faith, because the whole world saw what happened to my son,” Carr reportedly said during a press conference alongside the Rev. Al Sharpton at National Action Network headquarters in Harlem.
Carr repeated her years-old demand to have Officer Daniel Pantaleo, her son’s killer, kicked off the force.
The news came with one condition: If federal authorities failed to prosecute the cops by the end of August, the NYPD said it would act on its own.
“The NYPD has come to the conclusion that given the extraordinary passage of time since the incident without a final decision on the US DOJ’s criminal investigation, any further delay in moving ahead with our own disciplinary proceedings can no longer be justified,” a letter from Lawrence Byrne, the department’s deputy commissioner of legal matters, to the DOJ said, according to the New York Post.
NYPD officials released the letter one day before the fourth anniversary of the infamous killing that was caught on video and went viral worldwide.
Garner died after Pantaleo placed him in an illegal chokehold while attempting to arrest him for selling “loosie,” untaxed, single cigarettes, as Garner cried out that he couldn’t breathe.
Police officials placed Pantaleo on desk duty after the incident, stripping him of his badge and gun. A New York State grand jury declined to indict the officer on criminal charges in 2014, but a federal grand jury began hearing evidence in February 2016 on civil rights charges.
The Obama Justice Department launched a civil rights investigation that has been held up by the Donald Trump’s DOJ, headed by Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
Sessions, who has been unabashedly pro law enforcement in civil rights matters, asked city officials to delay an administrative trial that could, at least, result in Pantaleo getting fired from the department.
Meanwhile, Pantaleo has been collecting a salary and raises. He reportedly earned over $20,000 in overtime pay while on desk duty in the two years following the killing. Pantaleo’s salary rose to $119,996 in fiscal year 2016.
Giant Rats Plague New York City As 4 Homeless Men Found Eaten Alive
This is just one of the rats that was captured while eating a homeless man who was passed out from drinking an entire bottle of E&J Brandy. Unfortunately, the unidentified man did not survive. He was just one of 4 homeless people who were found dead last week by these rodent attacks.
Magic Johnson: Lakers to consult with LeBron James on moves
Magic Johnson is eyeing another max-contract player next summer. Chris Elise/NBAE via Getty Images
Story by ESPN
Written by Ohm Youngmisuk
Magic Johnson says LeBron James' arrival has taken the Los Angeles Lakers' three-year rebuilding plan to "a whole 'nother level" and that the team plans to remain disciplined and maintain salary-cap space to pursue another max free agent next summer.
The Lakers president of basketball operations said the team's rebuilding timetable remains on track to take another significant step next season.
"If we feel there's somebody out there or a deal to be made to make our team better, then we'll do it as long as it's a great deal for us," Johnson said during a conference call Friday. "If it's not, we have our team and we'll go to battle, go to war with this team. We feel really good about this team.
"Then we'll have enough room for next summer to give another player a max deal. [General manager] Rob [Pelinka] and I, we already put the strategy together. LeBron, of course, changed some of that, but we're still going to stay disciplined and hope we'll be a team that can have a championship run for a long time."
Calling him the "greatest player" and "greatest leader in sports," Johnson said the Lakers will lean on James and consult with him when contemplating new additions.
"It's not about influence. It's about sitting down with the world's greatest player and picking his brain and saying, 'You're playing in the game today,'" Johnson said. "Just like when I was playing, [late owner] Dr. [Jerry] Buss and [former Lakers GM] Jerry West would come to me when we were thinking about making moves. ... It's gonna be the same way here. We're gonna go to LeBron and say if there's a deal to be made for guys available, we'll say to him, 'What do you think about this guy? You know him. You play against him. You know the backstory and everything about the guy.'
"That's why you have guys that are superstars in this league. You want to have a line of communication and want to know what they're thinking. LeBron, we've done that with the guys we brought in. He's done an excellent job of giving us great feedback. We will continue to do that. The ultimate decision-maker on the team and who we bring in is me. I take that to [Lakers president] Jeanie [Buss] and see what she says and whether she signs off or not."
While Johnson is confident about the pieces added around James, he did say it could take "probably closer to two months" for James, Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson and JaVale McGee to learn how to play alongside Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope -- a core that went 35-47 last season.
"I think one thing that we have to, and the fans have to be patient about, is the chemistry on the court," Johnson said. "Because we're putting together, basically all these guys will be new to each other, playing with each other, right? So it's probably going to take us at least a month or two, probably closer to two months, to really understand how to play with each other and how to feed each other, all those things.
"We saw that LeBron and Miami struggled for the first two months or so when he was in Miami, then they finally got together and they were a championship-caliber team. And I'm sure when he went back to Cleveland in the beginning, they struggled until they got to know each other and then they were a championship-caliber team. It will be no different here. We'll struggle to understand how to play with each other and where everybody likes the ball and those types of things, but eventually we'll get it together and I feel we'll be one of the best teams in the West."
Johnson said he studied film of James at every significant stage of his career -- from his early Cleveland days to the Miami championships and back to Cleveland -- to help him prepare for his July 1 meeting with James, understand where his game is currently and figure out how to best design the Lakers' roster around the star.
He also watched how Houston and Boston had success in the postseason. Johnson said he and James were in agreement that adding multiple playmakers and defenders with playoff experience was a way to combat Golden State.
The Lakers' rebuilding plan has been accelerated with the arrival of LeBron James. Kirby Lee/USA TODAY
"We have to remember the game is not the same anymore," Johnson said. "There's no team in basketball that can duplicate Golden State. But what you can do is try to make sure -- Houston, they really gave Golden State problems because they had guys, multiple guys, that can break the defense down. Not only shoot but also create off the dribble. And on the defensive end they were right there.
"When you think of some of the teams that had great shooting besides Golden State, all those teams really got beat. But then you look at a team like Boston who had, again, multiple ball handlers, guys that can put it down on the ground and get their own shot, they advanced all the way to the Eastern Conference finals.
"I watched every series and had to say, 'OK, the game is played different.' Then I talked to him -- he felt the same way, so now let's get guys that can handle the basketball, get their own shots, also are tough on defense, tough-minded. And that's how Rob and I decided to build the roster. So we're really happy with the additions that we have, and LeBron is really happy."
After James committed, the Lakers agreed to deals with Rondo, Stephenson and McGee while re-signing Caldwell-Pope, looking to add basketball IQ, playmakers, defenders and playoff experience. Even though the Lakers averaged just 34.5 percent from 3-point range -- second to last in the NBA last season -- management feels the team has enough 3-point shooting with Hart (39.6 percent), Ingram (39), Caldwell-Pope (38.3), James (36.7) and Kuzma (36.6).
The Lakers added veteran leadership and championship experience but also injected the locker room with some strong-willed personalities such as James and Rondo and even quirky characters such as Stephenson and McGee to go with quiet and reserved young players such as Ingram and Ball.
Johnson had no doubts about the different personalities meshing well and forming a unified locker room.
"It's easy; we're bringing in championship-caliber players," Johnson said. "They understand chemistry. They understand there's going to be the ultimate leader in the locker room of LeBron. And then we have a second guy who will be a great leader in Rondo. They will take care of the locker room. ... Leaders take care of the locker room. I have no problem. I don't see us never having no problem with that. LeBron is the greatest leader in sports. So I think that's going to be easy.
"When you think about Lonzo ... I've told everybody when we drafted him, the one thing that was missing was a mentor," Johnson added. "We really didn't have a mentor for him to really teach him and help him how to play the point guard position. And now we have one in Rondo that can really take him through how to read defenses, how to play and defend certain guys in the league at the position."
"So this is really going to be an important year for Lonzo, and I think Rondo will really help him out a lot."
As for James, Johnson sees someone who is much like himself, who has followed a similar path out of the Midwest to win championships playing team basketball and who has had success off the court as well.
"It was so funny. I think we both felt we were probably talking to ourselves," Johnson said. "We're looking at each other, and we were mirrors of each other when it comes to basketball mindset, championship DNA, playing the game the right way and also being a great teammate."
Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein Delivers Remarks Announcing the Indictment of Twelve Russian Intelligence Officers for Conspiring to Interfere in the 2016 Presidential Election Through Computer Hacking and Related Offenses
Washington, DC
Friday, July 13, 2018
Remarks as prepared for delivery:
Today, a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia returned an indictment presented by the Special Counsel’s Office. The indictment charges twelve Russian military officers for conspiring to interfere with the 2016 presidential election.
Eleven of the defendants are charged with conspiring to hack into computers, steal documents, and release documents in an effort to interfere with the election.
One of those defendants, and a twelfth Russian officer, are charged with conspiring to infiltrate computers of organizations responsible for administering elections, including state boards of election, secretaries of state, and companies that supply software and other technology used to administer elections.
According to the allegations in the indictment, the defendants worked for two units of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Russian General Staff, known as the GRU. The units engaged in active cyber operations to interfere in the 2016 presidential election. One GRU unit worked to steal information, while another unit worked to disseminate stolen information.
The defendants used two techniques to steal information. First, they used a scam known as “spearphishing,” which involves sending misleading email messages and tricking users into disclosing their passwords and security information. Second, the defendants hacked into computer networks and installed malicious software that allowed them to spy on users and capture keystrokes, take screenshots, and exfiltrate data.
The defendants accessed the email accounts of volunteers and employees of a U.S. presidential campaign, including the campaign chairman, starting in March 2016. They also hacked into the computer networks of a congressional campaign committee and a national political committee. The defendants covertly monitored the computers, implanted hundreds of files containing malicious computer code, and stole emails and other documents.
The conspirators created fictitious online personas, including “DCLeaks” and “Guccifer 2.0,” and used them to release thousands of stolen emails and other documents, beginning in June 2016. The defendants falsely claimed that DCLeaks was started by a group of American hackers and that Guccifer 2.0 was a lone Romanian hacker.
In addition to releasing documents directly to the public, the defendants transferred stolen documents to another organization, not named in the indictment, and discussed timing the release of the documents in an attempt to enhance the impact on the election.
In an effort to conceal their connections to Russia, the defendants used a network of computers located around the world, and paid for it using cryptocurrency.
The conspirators corresponded with several Americans through the internet. There is no allegation in the indictment that the Americans knew they were communicating with Russian intelligence officers.
In a second, related conspiracy, Russian GRU officers hacked the website of a state election board and stole information about 500,000 voters. They also hacked into computers of a company that supplied software used to verify voter registration information; targeted state and local offices responsible for administering the elections; and sent spearphishing emails to people involved in administering elections, with malware attached.
The indictment includes eleven criminal charges and a forfeiture allegation.
Count One charges eleven defendants for conspiring to access computers without authorization, and to cause damage to those computers, in connection with efforts to steal documents and release them in order to interfere with the election.
Counts Two through Nine charge eleven defendants with aggravated identity theft by employing the usernames and passwords of other persons to commit computer fraud.
Count Ten charges the eleven conspirators with money laundering by transferring cryptocurrencies through a web of transactions in order to purchase computer servers, register domains, and make other payments in furtherance of their hacking activities, while trying to conceal their identities and their links to the Russian government.
Count Eleven charges two defendants for a separate conspiracy to access computers without authorization, and to cause damage to those computers, in connection with efforts to infiltrate computers used to conduct elections.
Finally, a forfeiture allegation seeks the forfeiture of property involved in the criminal activity.
There is no allegation in this indictment that any American citizen committed a crime. There is no allegation that the conspiracy altered the vote count or changed any election result.
The Special Counsel's investigation is ongoing. There will be no comments from the Special Counsel at this time.
Assistant Attorney General John Demers is here with me today because we intend to transition responsibility for this case to our Department’s National Security Division while we await the apprehension of the defendants.
I want to caution you that people who speculate about federal investigations usually do not know all of the relevant facts. We do not try cases on television or in congressional hearings. Most anonymous leaks are not from the government officials who actually conduct investigations.
We follow the rule of law, which means that we follow procedures and reserve judgment. We complete our investigations and evaluate all of the evidence before we reach any conclusion.
In our justice system, everyone who is charged with a crime is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. It should go without saying that people who are not charged with a crime also are presumed innocent.
The indictment was returned today because prosecutors determined that the evidence was sufficient to present these allegations to a federal grand jury. Our analysis is based on the facts, the law, and Department of Justice policies.
I briefed President Trump about these allegations earlier this week. The President is fully aware of today’s actions by the Department.
In my remarks, I have not identified the victims. When we confront foreign interference in American elections, it is important for us to avoid thinking politically as Republicans or Democrats and instead to think patriotically as Americans. Our response must not depend on who was victimized.
The Internet allows foreign adversaries to attack America in new and unexpected ways. Free and fair elections are hard-fought and contentious. There will always be adversaries who work to exacerbate domestic differences and try to confuse, divide, and conquer us. So long as we are united in our commitment to the values enshrined in the Constitution, they will not succeed.
The partisan warfare fueled by modern technology does not fairly reflect the grace and dignity of the American people.
The blame for election interference belongs to the criminals who committed election interference. We need to work together to hold the perpetrators accountable, and keep moving forward to preserve our values, protect against future interference, and defend America.
Speaker:
Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein
Topic(s):
National Security
Component(s):
Office of the Deputy Attorney General
Congressman Elijah Cummings (Md.) Issues Statement on Latest Mueller Indictments of 12 additional Russian officials for interfering in the 2016 election
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 13, 2018
CONTACT: Aryele Bradford, 202-226-5181
Cummings Issues Statement on Latest Mueller Indictments
Washington, D.C. (July 13, 2018)—Today, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, issued the following statement in response to the announcement by the Department of Justice that Special Counsel Robert Mueller has indicted 12 additional Russian officials for interfering in the 2016 election:
“Will President Trump finally demand accountability from Vladimir Putin when he meets with him on Monday? Will he insist that Putin immediately turn over these Russians to be tried in the courts of the United States for their attacks against our nation? Or will President Trump continue to give Putin every conceivable gift—from lifting sanctions to blessing the illegal Crimea annexation to threatening the very foundations of NATO? And will he continue to demonize the United States law enforcement authorities who are battling against these Russian attacks? Finally, to the President’s minions in Congress who have been desperately trying to smear Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation and halt it in its tracks, I ask you this—whose side are you on? Ours or Putin’s?”
__________________________________________
Read more:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-07-13/mueller-indicts-12-russian-spies-for-hacking-in-2016-campaign
https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/13/politics/russia-investigation-indictments/index.html
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/mueller-charges-russian-intelligence-officers-hacking-dnc-clinton-n891236
https://www.c-span.org/video/?448407-1/12-russian-intelligence-officers-indicted-dnc-hacking
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/watch-live-deputy-ag-rod-rosentein-to-make-law-enforcement-announcement
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/07/13/rosenstein-says-12-russian-intel-officers-indicted-in-special-counsels-probe.html
Action Alert from the Civil Rights Leadership Coalition – #STOPKAVANAUGH FLOOD THE PHONES CALL YOUR SENATORS
OUR time to act is NOW!
CALL YOUR SENATORS at 202-224-3121!
Strongly urge them to #STOPKAVANAUGH SCOTUS confirmation until after the November 2018 election and the 116th Congress is sworn in.
Last night, leading national Civil Rights Leaders held a SCOTUS Emergency African American Leaders' Tele-Townhall. On Monday July 9th, President Trump announced Judge Brett Kavanaugh as his nominee to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy on the U.S. Supreme Court. If Judge Brett Kavanaugh is confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court, it could take generations to undo the damage to our voting protections, civil rights, access to healthcare, environmental protections, consumer rights, women’s reproductive rights, and immigration rights…just to name a few! Let’s send a CLEAR, COLLECTIVE, and CONSISTENT message that we will NOT allow our hard-earned gains to be destroyed!
________________________________________________________ Here are just a few of his documented opinions:
VOTING INTEGRITY
• In 2000, Kavanaugh was on the legal team that helped stop the Florida recount and secure the Bush presidency.
EXECUTIVE POWER
• In 2009, Kavanaugh argued in a law review article that a sitting president should not be subject to civil lawsuits, criminal investigations, questions from a prosecutor or defense attorney, or be criminally indicted no matter what evidence of wrongdoing is uncovered.This could have serious implications for the current Mueller investigation.
HEALTHCARE
• In 2011, Kavanaugh wrote a dissenting opinion in a case in which others on his appellate court upheld the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. Kavanaugh argued that a president could decline to enforce a statute such as Obamacare even if a court upholds its constitutionality.
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONS
• In 2012, Kavanaugh wrote a majority opinion for the D.C. Circuit Court striking down an Obama-era program to regulate air pollution that cross state boundaries. The Supreme Court later took up the case and overruled him 6-2.
CONSUMER RIGHTS
• In 2016, Kavanaugh wrote a 110-page opinion arguing that the structure of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau—a financial regulatory entity that returned nearly $12 billion to 29 million customers from 2011 to 2017—is unconstitutional.
WOMEN’S REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS
• In 2017, Kavanaugh wrote a dissenting opinion concerning whether a pregnant 17-year-old being held by immigration authorities was allowed to leave their custody to obtain an abortion. The court ruled in agreement with a Texas judge that the teenager was legally entitled to an abortion.
_________________________________________________________ As mentioned on the call, the immediate next step is to flood your US Senators’ office with phone calls urging them to delay the confirmation for Brett Kavanaugh until after the 2018 November election and the 116th Congress has been sworn in.
OUR time to act is NOW!
CALL YOUR SENATORS at 202-224-3121!
Strongly urge them to #STOPKAVANAUGH SCOTUS confirmation until after the November 2018 election and the 116th Congress is sworn in.
District of Columbia Residents: Please direct your calls to Senate Judiciary Committee leaders Chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Ranking Member Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California)
This is the first action alert from the Civil Rights Leadership coalition. Please check your email for additional action alerts and communications concerning the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the United States Supreme Court.
Government probing 'new information' in Emmett Till slaying
Story by AP
Written by Jay Reeves
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The federal government has reopened its investigation into the slaying of Emmett Till, the black teenager whose brutal killing in Mississippi shocked the world and helped inspire the civil rights movement more than 60 years ago.
The Justice Department told Congress in a report in March that it is reinvestigating Till's slaying in Money, Mississippi, in 1955 after receiving "new information." The case was closed in 2007 with authorities saying the suspects were dead; a state grand jury didn't file any new charges.
Deborah Watts, a cousin of Till's, said she was unaware the case had been reopened until contacted Wednesday by The Associated Press.
The federal report, sent annually to lawmakers under a law that bears Till's name, does not indicate what the new information might be.
But it was issued in late March after the publication last year of "The Blood of Emmett Till," a book that says a key figure in the case acknowledged lying about events preceding the slaying of the 14-year-old youth from Chicago.
A Mississippi prosecutor declined comment Thursday on whether federal authorities had given him new information since they reopened the probe.
"It's probably always an open case until all the parties have passed away," said District Attorney Dewayne Richardson, whose circuit includes the community where Till was abducted.
Richardson said if a case were to move forward, he and the district attorney in the county where Till's body was found could decide who would prosecute it.
The book, by Timothy B. Tyson, quotes a white woman, Carolyn Donham, as acknowledging during a 2008 interview that she wasn't truthful when she testified that Till grabbed her, whistled and made sexual advances at a store in 1955.
Two white men — Donham's then-husband, Roy Bryant, and his half-brother, J.W. Milam — were charged with murder but acquitted in the slaying of Till, who had been staying with relatives in northern Mississippi at the time. The men later confessed to the crime in a magazine interview but weren't retried. Both are now dead.
Donham, who turns 84 this month, lives in Raleigh, North Carolina. A man who came to the door at her residence declined to comment about the FBI reopening the investigation.
"We don't want to talk to you," the man said before going back inside.
Paula Johnson, co-director of an academic group that reviews unsolved civil rights slayings, said she can't think of anything other than Tyson's book that could have prompted the Justice Department to reopen the Till investigation.
"We're happy to have that be the case so that ultimately or finally someone can be held responsible for his murder," said Johnson, who leads the Cold Case Justice Initiative at Syracuse University.
The Justice Department declined to comment on the status of the investigation.
The government has investigated 115 cases involving 128 victims under the "cold case" law named for Till, the report said. Only one resulted in in a federal conviction since the act became law, that of Ku Klux Klansman James Ford Seale for kidnapping two black teenagers, Charles Moore and Henry Dee, who were killed in Mississippi in 1964. At least 109 of the investigations have been closed, the report said.
State prosecutions assisted by federal authorities have resulted in additional convictions, most recently when a one-time Alabama state trooper was convicted of shooting a black man, Jimmie Lee Jackson, during a protest in 1965. Jackson's slaying was an impetus for the Selma-to-Montgomery voting rights march later that year.
Watts, co-founder of the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation, said it's "wonderful" her cousin's killing is getting another look, but she didn't want to discuss details.
"None of us wants to do anything that jeopardizes any investigation or impedes, but we are also very interested in justice being done," she said.
Abducted from the home where he was staying, Till was beaten and shot, and his body was found weighted down with a cotton gin fan in the Tallahatchie River. His mother, Mamie Till, had his casket left open. Images of his mutilated body gave witness to the depth of racial hatred in the Deep South and helped build momentum for subsequent civil rights campaigns.
Relatives of Till pushed Attorney General Jeff Sessions to reopen the case last year after publication of the book.
Donham, then 21 years old and known as Carolyn Bryant, testified in 1955 as a prospective defense witness in the trial of Bryant and Milam. With jurors out of the courtroom, she said a "nigger man" she didn't know took her by the arm.
"Just what did he say when he grabbed your hand?" defense attorney Sidney Carlton asked, according to a trial transcript released by the FBI a decade ago.
"He said, 'How about a date, baby?'" she testified. Bryant said she pulled away, and moments later the young man "caught me at the cash register," grasping her around the waist with both hands and pulling her toward him.
"He said, 'What's the matter baby, can't you take it?'" she testified. Bryant also said he told her "you don't need to be afraid of me," claiming that he used an obscenity and mentioned something he had done "with white women before."
A judge ruled the testimony inadmissible. An all-white jury freed her husband and the other man even without it. Testimony indicated a woman might have been in a car with Bryant and Milam when they abducted Till, but no one else was ever charged.
In the book, author Tyson wrote that Donham told him her testimony about Till accosting her wasn't true.
"Nothing that boy did could ever justify what happened to him," the book quotes her as saying.
Sen. Doug Jones, D-Alabama, introduced legislation this week that would make the government release information about unsolved civil rights killings. In an interview, Jones said the Till killing or any other case likely wouldn't be covered by this legislation if authorities were actively investigating.
"You'd have to leave it to the judgment of some of the law enforcement agencies that are involved or the commission that would be created" to consider materials for release, Jones said.
___
Associated Press writers Emily Wagster Pettus in Jackson, Mississippi, and Allen G. Breed in Raleigh, North Carolina, contributed to this report.
Senate overwhelmingly rebukes Trump with tariff vote
Story by CNN
Written by Ted Barrett
For the second day in a row, the Senate pushed back on President Donald Trump, showing stiff resistance to his key policy decisions on tariffs and NATO even as the President is at a summit in Europe wrestling with allies over those same issues.
Senators voted overwhelmingly Wednesday calling on Trump to get congressional approval before using national security as a reason for imposing tariffs on other nations, as he did recently with steel and aluminum levies against Mexico, Canada and the European Union.
The bipartisan 88-to-11 tally on the non-binding resolution sends a message to the White House about how frustrated senators are over Trump's disruptive moves on tariffs.
However, future efforts to pass enforceable legislation likely face an uphill battle over Trump's objections.
"Let's be clear, this is a rebuke of the President's abuse of trade authority," said Sen. Jeff Flake, an Arizona Republican and a frequent and vocal critic of Trump's policies. "Can you imagine being Canada and being told your steel and aluminum exports to the United States (are) a national security threat?"
On Tuesday, the Senate voted 97-2 in favor of a pro-NATO resolution, just as Trump was touching down in Brussels and blasting the security alliance on Twitter for a host of reasons, including that many nations don't spend 2% of their GDP on defense.
_________________________________
Read More: https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/11/politics/senate-trump-tariff-vote/index.html
Documentary "Stranger Fruit" - The story of the police killing and cover-up of Ferguson, Missouri citizen Michael Brown Jr.
Trailer for "Stranger Fruit". Available on Starz, ITunes, Vimeo, Amazon, Charter On-Demand, and Target
On August 9th, 2014, Officer Darren Wilson stopped Michael Brown in the street. 95 seconds later Officer Wilson killed this 18-year-old recent high school graduate in cold blood. After killing Mike in the street, Ferguson police then left his body there for 4 and half hours while his parents and the community looked on in horror. Michael's death instantly became global news and sparked protests for his justice in cities around the world. These mass protests led to the phrase “Black Lives Matter” becoming a cultural phenomenon. So what really happened in Ferguson, Missouri? "Stranger Fruit" is the story of what happened to Mike Brown, told through the eyes of those closest to him. Michael’s parents & family members bravely retell the worst event of their lives to help the world understand the facts around what took place. Filmmaker Jason Pollock delivers an in depth look at the case of Michael Brown in an effort unravel the mystery.
Congressman Elijah Cummings (MD.) Statement on Nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 9, 2018
Contact: Alexa Papadopoulos (202) 225-4741
Cummings Statement on Nomination of
Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court
Washington, D.C. (July 9, 2018)—Today, Congressman Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD) issued the following statement on the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court:
“This nomination carries even more weight than that of Neil Gorsuch, and confirming Judge Brett Kavanaugh would put in place an enduring conservative majority for decades to come. He will sharply curb—if not outright deny—a woman’s right to choose, take away affordable health care, further crumble the rights of organized labor, and erode voting rights. He will continue to apply the law unfairly to protect the rights of powerful corporations and the wealthy, but not the rights of minorities and the poor.”
“I urge my colleagues in the Senate to take their responsibility seriously and stand up to President Trump. We must have a Justice who will apply the law fairly even for the most vulnerable among us, and not interpret it to protect the privileges of the most powerful. Judge Kavanaugh will not be that Justice.”
California Prosecutor, San Bernadino's Michael Selyem, under fire for offensive social media posts - One statement Selyem made: "...WONDERS WHY 'GHETTO' MAXINE WATERS (Congresswoman Ca.) HASN'T BEEN SHOT..."
Michael Selyem, the lead hard-core gang prosecutor in the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office, is under internal investigation for a series of offensive posts on social media accounts that have now been deleted. (Staff photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher/The Sun/SCNG)
Story by the San Bernadino Sun
Written by Teri Sforza and Joe Nelson (Orange County Register)
The lead hard-core gang prosecutor in the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office is under investigation for a series of offensive rants on social media, triggering demands for his dismissal.
Deputy District Attorney Michael Selyem, who joined the D.A.’s Office 12 years ago, targeted outspoken U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, former first lady Michelle Obama, Mexican immigrants and the victim of a police shooting in Facebook and Instagram posts labeled by one critic as “hateful rhetoric.”
Of Waters, Selyem said: “Being a loud-mouthed c#nt in the ghetto you would think someone would have shot this bitch by now …”
In an online argument with someone over the police shooting of a civilian, Selyem wrote, “That s—bag got exactly what he deserved. … You reap what you sow. And by the way go f— yourself you liberal s—bag.”
It was unclear which police shooting Selyem was referencing, and whether or not it was an open case in San Bernardino County or had occurred elsewhere.
Selyem also posted a doctored picture of Michelle Obama holding a sign saying, “Trump grabbed my penis.”
Selyem, a 50-year-old resident of Placentia, is the lead attorney in a unit tasked with cracking down on criminal gang activity that surged as members moved inland from Los Angeles County in search of more affordable housing. Many of those gangs are predominantly Latino. One of Selyem’s posts showed a man in a giant sombrero with the words, “Mexican word of the day: Hide.”
Internal complaint made June 25
The District Attorney’s Office has been aware of the posts since June 25, when someone in the office complained. Since then, Selyem has been the subject of an internal investigation, sources said.
Selyem hung up on a reporter when reached by phone. He did not return calls and emails seeking comment on the posts that appeared under his name. Both his Facebook and Instagram accounts have been deleted.
In a statement Friday, outgoing District Attorney Mike Ramos said: “We have been made aware of the negative comments and they do not represent the views of the District Attorney’s Office. Since this is a personnel matter I cannot comment any further.”
District attorney’s spokesman Chris Lee would not say whether the office has an official policy on social media postings, or, if not, whether it is now considering implementing such a policy.
‘Ugly viewpoints’
Some already have called for Selyem’s termination, saying the posts were not only offensive, unprofessional and beneath the dignity of a public prosecutor, but that anyone who publicly espouses such sentiments cannot impartially administer justice.
“It is disgusting that a public official sworn to protect the public would have these ugly viewpoints,” said Zeke Hernandez, president of the Santa Ana League of United Latin American Citizens No. 147. “The district attorney needs to take any and all appropriate action to let the public know that it does not agree with Selyem’s hateful rhetoric.”
That includes Selyem’s dismissal, Hernandez said.
‘Beyond a simple error in judgment’
“This has gone beyond a simple error in judgment,” he said. “It is clearly outside the boundaries of civil service norms. Law enforcement personnel and officers of the court system should not incite violence.”
Brian Levin, a Cal State San Bernardino professor who teaches criminal and hate crime law, said the district attorney needs to take this “incredibly seriously and address it forthwith.”
“Such declarations are deplorable, reprehensible, disgusting and bigoted and have no place in the public domain of a trusted public official,” Levin said. “It’s shocking if these allegations are true.”
Before his accounts were deleted, Selyem’s rants were captured in screenshots sent to Los Angeles accountant Pedro Cala, who then forwarded them to public officials and the Southern California News Group. Cala received them from someone who once worked in the District Attorney’s Office.
“He literally holds the lives of citizens in his hands, and it’s just not right,” Cala said. “I am disgusted by his spouting of racist, xenophobic and sexist posts. A person that harbors these types of views, and feels such courage to espouse them with impunity, does not belong in the District Attorney’s office administering prejudiced and jaundiced jurisprudence.
“I fail to see how this man can be impartial in his solemn task of helping to seek truth and justice.”
The deleted posts also included pictures of friends and family, dogs and artsy shots of elaborate cocktails and glistening wine glasses. There were photos of cakes decorated with the Grateful Dead’s skull logo, sports team rivalries, and a newspaper ad for a lost cat named Satchi.
Selyem apparently is an ardent supporter of President Donald Trump. Beneath a Facebook post offering free tickets to Trump’s presidential inauguration, Selyem wrote, “I love that all of you liberal f—–g p—–s are so filled with hate. Gonna be a long 8 years for you scumbags. choo choo trump”
Beneath a Breitbart News post about the Budweiser Super Bowl ad that celebrated the immigrant success story of the beer empire’s founder, Selyem wrote: “I am all for white males immigrating here legally and starting a business. It is the terrorist a–holes sneaking in here wanting to kill me an (sic) my family that I am opposed to. I cannot believe how shallow democrats are. They must really think people are stupid. I guess that is evident because they actually thought Hilary (sic) Clinton could win a presidential election… TWICE!!! LMFAO!!!”
Lawyer comes to his defense
Seylem graduated from UCLA’s School of Law in 2004 and went to work in the Central Hardcore Gang Unit of the D.A’.s office in 2006, according to his LinkedIn profile. He has endorsements for trial practice, litigation and legal writing.
San Bernardino attorney Stephen Levine called Seylem a “very disciplined and ethical member of the District Attorney’s Office.” After seeing screenshots of the posts Friday, Levine’s opinion didn’t change much.
“I of course oppose Mr. Selyem in court on a regular basis,” Levine said. “I also was friends on Facebook and Instagram. I do not defend the tenor of his posts but defend his right to his beliefs. I have seen no evidence that his personal beliefs have influenced his professional responsibilities and prefer to give him the benefit of the doubt.”
Doug Poston, president of the San Bernardino County Public Attorneys Association, the union representing county prosecutors and deputy public defenders, declined to comment Friday, citing the internal investigation. A former hard-core gang prosecutor himself, Poston did confirm that Selyem is a member of the union.
District Attorney-elect Jason Anderson said in a telephone interview Friday he was limited in what he could say given Selyem’s conduct is the subject of a pending personnel matter, but he did say Selyem’s tone and language in his social media postings was a “little bit salty.”
“It’s not a reflection of the image I would like to portray of the D.A.’s Office,” Anderson said. He said Selyem’s comments on the police shooting could be an even bigger issue if he was referring to a case that is still under investigation or review by law enforcement.
“I don’t want someone commenting on an officer-involved shooting in a public forum if it is something that the DA’s office is currently reviewing or determining if it’s a justified shooting,” Anderson said.
Laurie Levenson, a criminal law professor at Loyola Law School and a former federal prosecutor, found Selyem’s comments “appalling and unprofessional.”
“It certainly reflects poorly on his office, so I hope they take the matter seriously in their internal review,” Levenson said in an email Friday. “It is also likely that he has seriously hurt his credibility with his colleagues, opposing counsel and the judges. Lawyers, especially public servants, should be held to the highest standards of civility.”
World Cup semifinals: Pressure on Belgium's golden generation, England can outlast Croatia
Story by ESPN
Written by Mark Ogden, Senior Football Writer
With the quarterfinals done and dusted, there are just four teams left standing at the 2018 World Cup.
Out of Belgium, France, England and Croatia, who will book a place in the final on July 15?
Belgium vs. France, Saint Petersburg
It's a game between two European neighbours and arguably the two teams that have produced the most outstanding performances so far.
Belgium's so-called golden generation have fallen short in recent tournaments, failing to deliver at the past two European Championships and the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, but their destruction of the Brazilians in the quarterfinal was the performance of a team that believes it can become world champions.
France, who laboured through their group with only three goals in three games against Australia, Peru and Denmark, showcased their incredible depth of talent when teenager Kylian Mbappe led their second-round dismantling of Argentina in Kazan.
France are perhaps peaking ahead of their time, with Didier Deschamps' young team viewed by many as not likely to mature into potential World Cup winners until Qatar 2022.
Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Samuel Umtiti, Paul Pogba and Antoine Griezmann will almost certainly all be around in four years' time, but for Belgium, this World Cup has to be their moment. With so many players in or approaching their 30s, Roberto Martinez's men have to grasp this opportunity or risk seeing it evaporate forever.
But Belgium -- led by outstanding efforts from Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku -- were so hot against Brazil, they go into this game against their big-brother neighbour as favourites.
France have the greater pedigree -- winners in 1998 and finalists in 2006 -- but Belgium are the team that seems to have come together at just the right time in Russia.
The Belgians, having kept Neymar quiet against Brazil, must find a way to do the same with Mbappe, but Vincent Kompany's return to fitness ensures that Martinez can rely on the Manchester City captain's experience to marshal the defence.
France, in turn, have to find a way to nullify De Bruyne and Hazard, but the Belgians possess more match winners.
Do they have the mentality to beat France in a huge game? That is the only real question.
Winners: Belgium
Croatia vs. England, Moscow
An unlikely semifinal matchup at the start of the tournament, Croatia and England now stand on the verge of the World Cup final after negotiating a favourable route to reach this stage of the competition.
England have eliminated Colombia and Sweden, while Croatia, so impressive having won their group with three victories, have been taken to penalties by Denmark and Russia in the knockout rounds.
But having twice endured the draining yet ultimately successful ordeal of extra time and penalties, the big question over Croatia going into Wednesday's semifinal will be how much they have left in the tank.
Will goalkeeper Danijel Subasic, the shootout hero against Denmark and Russia, be fully fit after appearing to injure his hamstring late in Saturday's game against Russia?
England have no such fitness concerns after coasting to a 2-0 quarterfinal win against Sweden in normal time in Samara, but manager Gareth Southgate does have tactical questions to answer before the Croatia clash.
Should he break up the attacking midfield trio of Jesse Lingard, Raheem Sterling and Dele Alli to accommodate an extra holding midfielder (Eric Dier) to help snuff out the threat of Luka Modric, or did their combined performance against Sweden make a change a gamble?
If it boils down to a football contest in Moscow, Croatia's ability on the ball will be a huge test for England.
The two countries have a colourful history, having met seven times since Croatia earned its independence in the early 1990s.
England won 4-2 at Euro 2004 in the only meeting at a major tournament, but the most famous encounter was in November 2007, when Croatia's 3-2 win at Wembley denied England a place at Euro 2008 and earned manager Steve McClaren the nickname of the "Wally with the Brolly" after he forlornly patrolled the touchline under an umbrella.
The past two meetings have ended in big wins -- 4-1 and 5-1 -- for England, so Southgate's men will have no fear on Wednesday, and their extra energy could be decisive.
Winners: England
If it boils down to a football contest in Moscow, Croatia's ability on the ball will be a huge test for England.
Maryland Governor hogan Responds to Trump’s Healthcare Sabotage with Hoax-Filled Video
For Immediate Release:
July 9, 2018
Contact: Fabion Seaton (410) 972-7230
HOGAN’S HOAXES
Annapolis, MD — Once again, U.S. President Donald Trump is raising insurance rates for Maryland families—this time with his administration’s announcement that it will not release billions of dollars in risk adjustment payments to insurers. The State of Maryland (USA) Governor Larry Hogan’s solution for Maryland families is… another hoax-filled video? Link: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/07/08/insurance-obamacare-adjustment-payments-701907
United States President Donald Trump’s continued healthcare sabotage is already raising rates on Maryland families. Since Hogan entered office, the average benchmark marketplace premium has exploded from $220 to $486 per month for a single person—an increase of more than 120 percent, with the majority of increases occurring under the Trump administration. Trump’s decision not to release billions in risk adjustment payments, which stabilize rates for consumers, will only make matters worse.
“Maryland families are already feeling the financial pain of Trump’s healthcare sabotage, and Larry Hogan is more interested in remaining loyal to Republican policies than standing up for Marylanders,” said Maryland Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Matthews. “While Hogan tries to run away from his record and remains silent in the face of Trump’s healthcare sabotage, Ben Jealous has a plan to lower healthcare costs for Maryland families and will stand up for Marylanders.”
In the 48 hours since Trump’s announcement, Larry Hogan has not only been silent, he is trying to run away from his record of not standing up for Marylanders’ healthcare with his latest video, so let’s set the record straight.
Larry Hogan has consistently refused to stand up for Marylanders’ healthcare, even when his fellow GOP governors are fighting for their citizens:
• In March 2017, Hogan declined to sign on to a letter sent by four other Republican governors opposing the House ACA repeal bill. Link: http://www.healthtransformation.ohio.gov/Portals/0/Governors%20letter%203-16-2017.pdf?ver=2017-03-17-083220-263
• In June 2017, Hogan declined to sign on to a bipartisan letter sent by 7 governors calling on Congress to take a bipartisan approach to healthcare reform and rejecting the House ACA repeal bill. Link: https://www.scribd.com/document/351485286/Bipartisan-Governors-Letter-to-Senate-Leadership
• In August 2017, Hogan refused to join a bipartisan group of 8 governors who released a plan to strengthen the insurance markets and improve healthcare for Americans. Link: https://www.colorado.gov/governor/sites/default/files/press_releases/bipartisan_governors_blueprint.pdf
• In September 2017, Hogan declined to sign on to a bipartisan letter sent by 10 governors opposing the Graham-Cassidy ACA repeal plan.
• In October 2017, Hogan declined to sign on to a bipartisan letter sent by 10 governors urging Washington shore up the insurance markets by restoring CSR payments.
Progressive Talk Radio Pioneer Ed Schultz Dead At 64
Story by Inside Radio
Liberal talk radio pioneer and TV host Ed Schultz died Thursday morning at his home in Washington, DC. He was 64. Along with Stephanie Miller, Rachel Maddow and others, Schultz formed the backbone of radio’s progressive talk format in the early 2000s. In radio he was best known for the nationally syndicated “Ed Schultz Show.”
Schultz went on to host “The Ed Show” on MSNBC from Washington. Most recently he anchored “News with Ed” on Washington-based TV channel RT America and hosted a one-hour podcast, “Ed Schultz News and Commentary.”
“We at RT America are sad to announce the passing of Edward Andrew Schultz,” RT Amercia said in a statement. “Ed Schultz passed quietly early morning on July 5 at his home in Washington, D.C. This announcement comes as a shock to all of us here at RT America.”
A former college All American quarterback, Schultz began his broadcast career in Fargo, North Dakota, where he held sportscaster positions at local radio and TV stations. From sports Schultz moved to talk, hosting a conservative talk show on WDAY Fargo (970) and then KFGO. He eventually leaned left after visiting a Salvation Army kitchen and then taking the show on the road with a trip throughout rural North Dakota in a 38-foot RV, according to the Virginian Pilot. Schultz had strong ties to rural America and his Fargo-based left-of-center talk program, “The Ed Schultz Show,” was eventually syndicated nationally through Jones Radio Networks and later Dial Global, from 2004-2014. The radio show overlapped with his MSNBC program “The Ed Show,” which ran from 2009-2015. After his radio show ended, Schultz began the podcast, “Ed Schultz News and Commentary.” He joined RT America in January 2016, six months after his program on MSNBC was cancelled.
President Donald J. Trump Officials Reverse Obama’s Policy on Affirmative Action in Schools
The Trump Administration rescinds guidance that encouraged colleges to consider race during the admissions process. Video by Fox News.
Story by New York Times
Written by Erica L. Green, Matt Apuzzo and Katie Benner
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration said Tuesday that it was abandoning Obama administration policies that called on universities to consider race as a factor in diversifying their campuses, signaling that the administration will champion race-blind admissions standards.
In a joint letter, the Education and Justice Departments announced that they had rescinded seven Obama-era policy guidelines on affirmative action, which, the departments said, “advocate policy preferences and positions beyond the requirements of the Constitution.”
“The executive branch cannot circumvent Congress or the courts by creating guidance that goes beyond the law and — in some instances — stays on the books for decades,” said Devin M. O’Malley, a Justice Department spokesman.
Striking a softer tone, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos wrote in a separate statement: “The Supreme Court has determined what affirmative action policies are constitutional, and the court’s written decisions are the best guide for navigating this complex issue. Schools should continue to offer equal opportunities for all students while abiding by the law.”
The Trump administration’s moves come with affirmative action at a crossroads. Hard-liners in the Justice and Education Departments are moving against any use of race as a measurement of diversity in education. And the retirement of Justice Anthony M. Kennedy at the end of this month will leave the Supreme Court without its swing vote on affirmative action while allowing President Trump to nominate a justice opposed to policies that for decades have tried to integrate elite educational institutions.
A highly anticipated case is pitting Harvard against Asian-American students who say one of the nation’s most prestigious institutions has systematically excluded some Asian-American applicants to maintain slots for students of other races. That case is clearly aimed at the Supreme Court.
“The whole issue of using race in education is being looked at with a new eye in light of the fact that it’s not just white students being discriminated against, but Asians and others as well,” said Roger Clegg, the president and general counsel of the conservative Center for Equal Opportunity. “As the demographics of the country change, it becomes more and more problematic.”
Democrats and civil rights organizations denounced the administration’s decisions. Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, the House Democratic leader, said the “rollback of vital affirmative action guidance offends our nation’s values” and called it “yet another clear Trump administration attack on communities of color.”
Guidance documents like those rescinded on Tuesday do not have the force of law, but they amount to the official view of the federal government. School officials who keep their race-conscious admissions policies intact would do so knowing that they could face a Justice Department investigation or lawsuit, or lose funding from the Education Department.
The Obama administration believed that students benefited from being surrounded by diverse classmates, so in 2011, the administration offered schools a potential road map to establishing affirmative action policies and race-based considerations that could withstand legal scrutiny from an increasingly skeptical Supreme Court.
In a pair of policy guidance documents issued in 2011, the Obama Education and Justice Departments informed elementary and secondary schools and college campuses of “the compelling interests” established by the Supreme Court to achieve diversity. They concluded that the court “has made clear such steps can include taking account of the race of individual students in a narrowly tailored manner.”
But Trump Justice Department officials identified those documents as particularly problematic and full of “hypotheticals” intended to allow schools to skirt the law.
The Trump administration’s decision returned the government’s policies to the George W. Bush era. The administration did not formally reissue the Bush-era guidance but in recent days did repost a Bush administration affirmative action policy document online. That document states, “The Department of Education strongly encourages the use of race-neutral methods for assigning students to elementary and secondary schools.” For several years, that document had been replaced by a note declaring that the policy had been withdrawn.
The Education Department had last reaffirmed its position on affirmative action in schools in 2016 after a Supreme Court ruling said schools could consider race as one factor among many. In that case, Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin, a white woman claimed she was denied admission because of her race.
“It remains an enduring challenge to our nation’s education system to reconcile the pursuit of diversity with the constitutional promise of equal treatment and dignity,” Justice Kennedy wrote for the 4-to-3 majority.
Some colleges, such as Duke and Bucknell universities, said they would wait to see how the Education Department proceeds in issuing new guidance. Other colleges said they would proceed with diversifying their campuses as the Supreme Court intended.
Melodie Jackson, a Harvard spokeswoman, said the university would “continue to vigorously defend its right, and that of all colleges and universities, to consider race as one factor among many in college admissions, which has been upheld by the Supreme Court for more than 40 years.”
A spokeswoman for the University of Michigan, which won a major Supreme Court case in 2003, suggested that the flagship university would like more freedom to consider race, not less. But it is already constrained by state law. After the case, Michigan voters enacted a constitutional ban on race-conscious college admissions policies.
“We believe the U.S. Supreme Court got it right in 2003 when it affirmed our law school’s approach at the time, which allowed consideration of race as one of many factors in the admissions process,” said Kim Broekhuizen, the Michigan spokeswoman. “We still believe that.”
Attorney General Jeff Sessions has indicated that he will take a tough line against such views. Federal prosecutors will investigate and sue universities over discriminatory admissions policies, he said.
But a senior Justice Department official denied that these decisions were rolling back protections for minorities. He said they were instead hewing the department closer to the letter of the law. In the departments’ letter, officials wrote that “the protections from discrimination on the basis of race remain in place.”
“The departments are firmly committed to vigorously enforcing these protections on behalf of all students,” the letter said.
Anurima Bhargava, who headed civil rights enforcement in schools for the Justice Department under President Barack Obama and helped write that administration’s guidance, said the withdrawal of the guidelines was timed for brief filings in the Harvard litigation, due at the end of the month.
“This is a wholly political attack,” Ms. Bhargava said. “And our schools are the place where our communities come together, so our schools have to continue to promote diversity and address segregation, as the U.S. Constitution demands.”
Catherine Lhamon, who served as the Education Department’s head of civil rights under Mr. Obama, called the departments’ move confusing.
“There’s no reason to rethink or reconsider this, as the Supreme Court is the highest court in the land and has spoken on this issue,” Ms. Lhamon said.
On Friday, the Education Department began laying the groundwork for the shift, when it restored on its civil rights website the Bush-era guidance. Conservative advocacy groups saw that as promising. Mr. Clegg, of the Center for Equal Opportunity, said that preserving the Obama-era guidance would be akin to “the F.B.I. issuing a document on how you can engage in racial profiling in a way where you won’t get caught.”
Ms. DeVos has seemed hesitant to wade in on the fate of affirmative action policies, which date back to a 57-year-old executive order by President John F. Kennedy, who recognized systemic and discriminatory disadvantages for women and minorities. The Education Department did not partake in the Justice Department’s formal interest in Harvard’s litigation.
“I think this has been a question before the courts and the courts have opined,” Ms. DeVos told The Associated Press.
But Ms. DeVos’s new head of civil rights, Kenneth L. Marcus, may disagree. A vocal opponent of affirmative action, Mr. Marcus was confirmed last month on a party-line Senate vote, and it was Mr. Marcus who signed Tuesday’s letter.
Under Mr. Marcus’s leadership, the Louis D. Brandeis Center, a human rights organization that champions Jewish causes, filed an amicus brief in 2012, the first time the Supreme Court heard Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin. In the brief, the organization argued that “race conscious admission standards are unfair to individuals, and unhealthy for society at large.”
The organization argued that Asian-American students were particularly victimized by race “quotas” that were once used to exclude Jewish people.
As the implications for affirmative action for college admissions play out in court, it is unclear what the decision holds for elementary and secondary schools. New York City is embroiled in a debate about whether to change its entrance standard — currently a single test — for its most prestigious high schools to allow for more black and Latino students.
Craig Raymond Turner, eldest son of Tina Turner, dies from gunshot wound - Son of superstar singer, who was a real estate agent in Los Angeles, dies in an apparent suicide
Craig Raymond Turner, standing right, with the rest of the Turner family. Clockwise from bottom left: Michael, Ike Jr. (both sons of Ike and Lorraine Taylor), Ike, Craig Raymond, Ronnie and Tina. Photograph: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Story by The Guardian
Tina Turner’s eldest son, Craig Raymond Turner, has died in an apparent suicide aged 59.
A Los Angeles coroner confirmed to Variety that Turner was found dead at his home in Studio City, California, from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. His mother hasn’t commented on the news.
Craig was born to Tina Turner – then Anna Mae Bullock – when she was 18 and Raymond Hill, a saxophonist for the Kings of Rhythm, the backing band for Ike Turner. Tina and Raymond’s relationship soon fell apart, and Tina began a relationship with Ike as well as joining his band and later marrying him.
Their relationship was fractious and Tina was subjected to domestic violence, something that Craig witnessed. “Ike’s children never reacted, but my oldest son, Craig, was a very emotional kid,” Turner told Oprah Winfrey in 2005. “He’d always look down in sadness. One day when Ike was fighting me, Craig knocked on the door and said, ‘Mother, are you all right?’”
Craig went on to become a real estate agent, working for Rodeo Realty in Beverly Hills. His biological father died in 1996, but he is survived by his mother and half-brother Ronald.
Boogie Cousins: "I'm a Warrior". Yes, the World Champs get the NBA's best center.
Story by ESPN
Written by Kevin Pelton
That sound you just heard was jaws around the NBA hitting the floor with the news that All-Star DeMarcus Cousins has agreed to a one-year, $5.3 million deal with the two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors.
In a move straight out of a poorly designed video game, the Warriors -- when healthy -- can add a fifth All-Star to their starting lineup for less money than the New York Knicks just agreed to pay Mario Hezonja.
How will Cousins fit in the Bay Area? And how much will his addition help Golden State's chances of making it four titles in five years?
How the Warriors got Cousins
Let's start by answering the question of how this happened. As I explained last week, the tight market for free agents and particularly centers made bargains possible. Given those constraints, Cousins' market was squeezed in a hurry.
The Dallas Mavericks, the team with cap space most motivated to sign a center, quickly agreed to terms with DeAndre Jordan. The Los Angeles Lakers evidently prioritized perimeter players for the one-year contracts they were offering, signing former Golden State center JaVale McGee for the veteran's minimum. And Cousins' former team, the New Orleans Pelicans, got a cheaper, younger replacement in Julius Randle after the Lakers renounced his rights.
With the remaining teams with cap space either rebuilding (Atlanta and Chicago), in no need of a center (Philadelphia) or uninterested in a reunion (Sacramento), those moves left a sign-and-trade deal as Cousins' only real hope of getting more than the $8.6 million non-taxpayer midlevel exception.
Unless there's a suitor we don't know about, odds are Cousins actually didn't sacrifice much money to take the Warriors' smaller taxpayer midlevel. At that point, the chance to join the defending champs was probably worth taking slightly less money for one year. Cousins will return to free agency in a year hoping for a better market, as more teams will have cap space and he'll be a year further removed from the ruptured Achilles tendon that ended his 2017-18 season before the All-Star break.
What can Golden State expect from Cousins?
The Achilles injury should temper expectations for Cousins to some extent. As I've noted before, the track record for players coming back from a ruptured Achilles tendon shows them playing about 8 percent worse the following season than projected based on their pre-injury stats.
Of course, Cousins has plenty of room to decline and still be an elite player. Even after accounting for the injury, I projected Cousins to be 8.6 wins better than a replacement-level player next season before considering where he'd sign. That's more than the 7.4 WARP the Warriors' centers combined for last season, and of course, they'll still get contributions from backup Jordan Bell (1.8 WARP in 57 games as a rookie) and any other centers they sign.
That projection did not factor in a late start to Cousins' season, and ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Cousins is hoping to return sometime in December or January. That would be a conservative timetable for a return from the Achilles rupture suffered Jan. 26. Last season, we saw Rudy Gay return at the start of training camp from an Achilles injury suffered on Jan. 18.
If any team can afford to wait on Cousins, it's Golden State, which has prioritized peaking in the playoffs over piling up regular-season wins. Adding Cousins might force the Warriors to spend an additional roster spot on center depth, but that's a price Golden State will surely pay.
How will Cousins fit with the Warriors?
Adding Cousins will require adjustment for both him and his new Golden State teammates. Cousins has used more than 30 percent of his team's plays each of the past five seasons, including 32 percent last season with the Pelicans. By contrast, only one Warriors center used more than 20 percent of the team's plays while on the court in 2017-18: David West at 22 percent. Previous starters McGee (19 percent) and Zaza Pachulia (17 percent) had much lower usage rates, so something will have to give with the new starting five when Cousins is healthy. Ideally, that will be Cousins, a lower-efficiency scorer in the past than most of his new All-Star teammates.
Cousins will also have to get comfortable making quicker decisions with the ball on offense. He has had the opportunity to hold the ball and survey the defense before deciding whether to shoot, pass or drive, something that is frowned upon in the Golden State offense because of the way it allows defenses to load up.
According to Second Spectrum tracking, Cousins' average touch last season saw him hold the ball for 2.6 seconds, far longer than the Warriors' centers. Bell had the longest average touch time of those players, at 1.7 seconds. For that matter, Cousins' touches were longer even than those of Draymond Green (2.2 seconds on average).
At the other end of the court, Cousins isn't ideally suited for Golden State's switch-heavy defense. Per Second Spectrum tracking, Cousins switched on just 46 screens all of 2017-18, 2.7 percent of the screens he defended. Even Pachulia, the slowest-footed of the Warriors' centers last season, switched 13 percent of the screens he defended. Steve Kerr will want to avoid putting Cousins in situations in which he has to switch.
I would say there's some risk to this signing for the Warriors. Cousins' relationships with his teammates have been mixed, and those with coaches worse than that. If he's unwilling or unable to adapt his game, it's even possible that Cousins could hurt Golden State more than he helps. In that case, however, the Warriors could simply look to trade or move Cousins and move on with relatively little pain.
For all the critics bemoaning Golden State's continuing to ruin the NBA, the good news is this is almost certainly a one-year partnership. The Warriors will be able to offer Cousins only $6.4 million to return in 2019-20 using non-Bird rights, and if he plays well, Cousins will easily beat that in free agency.
That said, in this case, the critics do have something of a point. The addition of Cousins plus the Houston Rockets' losing starter Trevor Ariza means the gap between Golden State and the rest of the NBA appears to have only widened so far this offseason.
Mid-Year Report: Steady Deal Market, $254M In Transactions.
Story by Inside Radio
Translators may be helping stimulate AM radio deals in 2018, but they’ve yet to make a significant impact on pricing. That’s according to a mid-year analysis by Kagan which says the average price paid for an AM station was largely the same in the first half compared to 2017.
“I had expected an increase in AM prices the moment they had translators and that didn’t happen,” Kagan research analyst Volker Moerbitz tells Inside Radio. “So far there is no statistical difference for AMs selling with a translator compared to those that don’t have one.”
During the past several years the Federal Communication Commission’s moves to help AM stations secure translators, following a 2009 decision allowing such simulcasts, has stimulated the buying and selling of the signals. But Moerbitz said the volume of translator sales has essentially returned to normal levels.
As of early last week there had been 27 single AM station sales and 21 sales of single AM stations with FM translators. Moerbitz notes that AM stations are still selling for less than $1 on a “per pop” price metric—the measurement of how much it cost for each person covered by the signal.
‘Slow But Steady’ 2018
Kagan calculates $254 million of radio transactions were announced during the first half of 2018, including $102.3 million worth of deals announced during the second quarter. The biggest deal in the first half of the year was Hubbard Radio’s $45 million deal in St. Louis to buy rock KSHE (94.7) and modern rock “105.7 The Point” KPNT from Emmis Communications. It was followed by Merlin Media’s sale of its two Chicago stations to Educational Media Foundation and Cumulus Media—which had renegotiated an earlier $50 million deal to acquire both FMs. After that came Townsquare Media’s $17.3 million deal to buy three New Jersey stations from Connoisseur Media.
“There is consolidation going on,” Moerbitz said. “The medium-sized players are still looking at expanding while the big companies have pretty much all run out of money.”
Overall, Moerbitz characterized the 2018 deal market as “slow but steady” with multiples for most FM deals hovering between 6.0- and 6.5-times cash flow. That’s about where it’s been for the past several years. Kagan reports 387 radio deals were announced through last week, including 162 FMs and 95 AMs. In addition, 130 FM translators changed hands.
The average price paid for an FM so far this year is $1.5 million. On a “per pop” basis most deals are around $1, which he explained is also on par with a year ago. “All the low hanging fruit has been picked and the people that are still in the market don’t really want to sell for a six-times multiple,” Moerbitz said. “So anybody who is able to hold on and wait for better times does that. And those that aren’t able to hold on sell for almost panic prices, which mean all the averages go further down.” Meantime the average AM station sale price tag this year is $400,000.
What may help stimulate the sales market is action by the FCC, which is expected to consider relaxing local radio ownership caps as part of the upcoming quadrennial review. The National Association of Broadcasters has proposed that it include eliminating the subcap limits—the rule that caps a company from owning no more than five FMs or AMs in the largest markets. Moerbitz thinks a lot of broadcasters are sitting back and waiting to see what the FCC embraces as part of the quadrennial review before signing any contracts to buy or sell stations. Should the Commission go along with eliminating the AM/FM subcaps, it would result in a decline in the value of AMs, Moerbitz says, with the potential to be a “death blow” for commercial AM radio as companies buy a low-performing FM in order to shift their AM programming over to the FM dial. “That could increase the number of sales although I don’t think it will bring up the prices a lot,” Moerbitz added.
As for the future fate of AM radio, Moerbitz expects more ethnic and religious operators will proliferate the dial. He suggests broadcasters consider donating signals to local high schools to stimulate interest in traditional radio by the next generation of listener.
