Thursday, December 17, 2015
Mechanics of Fed Rate Hike: ‘So Far So Good’
Day one of implementation of a 25 basis point rate hike to the fed funds is going as planned. Overnight lending rates moved higher. The fed funds this afternoon was trading at 35 basis points -- right in the mid-range of the Fed's new 25-50 basis point target announced Wednesday.
It wasn't considered a slam dunk. Read More»
Monday, December 7, 2015
New study ranks the colleges that produce the highest paid graduates
A new study released Tuesday by Georgetown University ranks 1,400 four-year colleges and universities by how much money students earn ten years after starting classes.
In Table 1, below, a degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology will put an alum over $90,000 in yearly earnings. The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Harvard, and Georgetown, the next three on the list, have students earning $80,000-plus.
More than half of the spots in the top 20 salary earners went to schools with significant science, technology or engineering programs, including Stevens Institute of Technology, California Maritime Academy, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Colorado School of Mines.
Table 1 focuses solely on earnings, Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce
The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce based their findings on the U.S. Department of Education’s Scorecard, a web tool released in September 2015 designed to help students choose the right college and get an idea of how much debt they would accrue.
According to the Center’s report, the choice of major or type of program a student chooses has significant effects on their level of income. “For example, petroleum engineering majors earn $136,000 annually at mid-career, while early childhood education majors earn $36,000,” the report says, and colleges vary greatly in terms of the majors they offer to students.
In Table 2 below, the Center looked at whether it’s possible to tell if a student’s high earnings are a result of the quality of education or by the large number of students who enrolled in majors that tend to lead to high earnings. In order to look at the quality of the education, researchers adjusted for differences in the majors or programs.
Table 2 adjusts for choice of major or program, Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce
Students from a wide array of schools including Harvard, Providence College and Carnegie Mellon had higher earnings than would be expected based on their majors. MIT students fell to fourth place and many of the maritime academies dropped out of the top 20 all-together. In other words, if a school ranks high strictly in earnings but much lower after adjusting for choice of major, it would show that the type of major a student chooses is of significant importance.
Lastly, in Table 3, below, the Georgetown Center takes into account academic preparation and the likelihood of students earning a graduate degree. While the results, similar to Table 2, showed that several of the same schools still made it into the top 20, some shifts also took place. University of Colorado-Denver students earned the most above their expected earnings, which were set at $47,600. Instead, the former lynxes earned a median income of $73,800.
Table 3 accounts for differences in a student’s academic preparation and whether they earn a graduate degree, Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce
In the midst of the Ivy Leagues or top-tier schools including Duke, Stanford, and University of Pennsylvania, sits the all-men’s Catholic Saint John’s University in Minnesota, California State University-Bakersfield, and Molloy College in Long Island, New York.
In a statement, the Georgetown Center says students who earn a graduate degree lead to 28 percent higher earnings than a Bachelor’s degree alone.
The post New study ranks the colleges that produce the highest paid graduates appeared first on PBS NewsHour.
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
Radio traffic from Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood active shooter
Police officer and two civilians murdered
The post Radio traffic from Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood active shooter appeared first on Statter911.
Sunday, November 29, 2015
Caught on video: Philly Ladder 13 crash
Injuries minor to five firefighters
The post Caught on video: Philly Ladder 13 crash appeared first on Statter911.
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Can I Fight a Child Support Increase?
You can challenge a request for additional child support in court. When it comes to child support payments, the parents can either agree to a modification or they can put the request before a judge. When asked, courts do...
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Joining Forces to Assist Veterans Experiencing Homelessness
Supporting veterans and military families is an important priority for Uber and our employees. Just over a year ago, we launched our UberMILITARY program, and since then, nearly 40,000 veterans and members of the military community have joined the Uber platform.
In honor of Veterans Day tomorrow, we are proud to announce that Uber will work with the White House and Joining Forces to help make life a little easier for veterans experiencing homelessness.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates that there are more than 49,000 veterans experiencing homelessness on any given night. The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans estimates that sixty-eight percent of these veterans reside in cities where a lack of reliable transportation makes it difficult to reach much-needed services and employment opportunities.
Over the coming year, Uber will contribute an estimated 10,000 rides — a value of $125,000 — across five veterans organizations affiliated with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program to provide on-demand transportation to jobs, interviews, and other employment events.
“Veterans experiencing homelessness face many obstacles during their reintegration back into the workforce. Lack of transportation should not be one of these issues. This initiative by Uber will have a major impact in helping our nation’s veterans get to where they deserve to be…employed.” — Baylee Crone, Executive Director of the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans
Riders and drivers will also have an opportunity to participate in this meaningful effort. Tomorrow, in more than 150 cities nationwide, riders will be able to donate $5 towards a ride for a veteran experiencing homelessness.*
Here’s how riders can donate:
- On Nov. 11, move the slider over to ‘VETS DAY’ in your Uber app.
- Your uberX — sporting a new look in honor of Veterans Day — will pick you up.
- At the end of your trip, you’ll get an SMS text message from Uber. All you have to do is reply YES to complete the donation.
- After you donate, you’ll get a receipt for your trip, as well as a receipt for your donation.
- Drivers will receive an email with instructions on how they can participate.
We are also recognizing the service of some of our top UberMILITARY driver-partners this year by joining efforts with our strategic partners Starwood Preferred Guest and American Airlines. The top 100 UberMILITARY driver-partners will receive a free night’s stay at a Starwood hotel, such as Sheraton, Westin, W and more. Of these 100, the top 10 driver-partners will also receive 25k AAdvantage miles on American Airlines.
Thank you to the brave men and women who have served our country and to the military families who have supported their service. It takes tremendous sacrifice and commitment to be a servicemember. We’re proud to strengthen our commitment to you, and we salute you this Veterans Day and every day.
Emil Michael is Senior Vice President of Business for Uber and the Executive Leader of UberMILITARY. Earlier in his career, Emil spent a year and a half as a Special Assistant to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, who is currently chairman of the UberMILITARY Advisory Board.
*$0.25 of each $5 donation will be used to cover processing fees.
Monday, November 2, 2015
Video – Ladder truck fails during certification in Clymer, PA – one person injured
This is from Clymer, Pennsylvania in Indiana, Pennsylvania. Bob Stiles, TribLive: A man doing a fire truck certification test was flown to a Pittsburgh hospital Monday afternoon after he was struck by a ladder at the Clymer Fire Department, the fire chief said. Chief Mike Aikens said a rigger that supports the truck broke about
The post Video – Ladder truck fails during certification in Clymer, PA – one person injured appeared first on Statter911.
Thursday, October 22, 2015
60% of WI disapproves of Walker’s job performance in WPR/St. Norbert poll
This comes from a poll with a small sample: 603. Notables: 57 percent of those polled say that Wisconsin is headed in the wrong direction. Russ Feingold leads against Ron Johnson. 51 percent to 40 percent. 60 percent of Wisconsinites disapprove of the way Scott Walker is doing his job. In fact, 40% of Wisconsinites more »
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Why Hire a Lawyer for New Business Permits
Starting a small business is a big challenge. You are up for it and ready to be in charge. But you should still use an attorney to help you obtain permits and licenses. Federal, state, and local licensing laws all...
Sunday, October 18, 2015
How AP and the WI press does damage control for Governor Drunken Sailor
Yet again I get the impression that Associated Press does whatever it can to protect and/or repair Scott Walker’s image. Compare the headlines and stories on Walker’s recent FEC filing: From Washington Post (author – Jenna Johnson): How Scott Walker spent $90,000 a day to lose an election From U.S. News and World Report more »
Saturday, October 17, 2015
Everybody didn’t have access to the Democratic Party debate
The editor of Buzzflash at Truthout recently wrote that, “By offering the debates on television only to paid subscribers of television packages that included CNN and Fox News, the most important political interaction between candidates for president of the United States was, essentially, privatized.” If you’re living with a net-enabled digital device seemingly glued to your more »
Monday, October 5, 2015
Al Jazeera America feature on Madison, Wisconsin homelessness
A friend of mine had shared this story on facebook and I idly clicked it not knowing what I was in for. I saw the string of cars and vans along a curved street and thought, “Hey. That looks sorta like that area by Milwaukee Street.” Oh. That *IS* that area by Milwaukee Street. The more »
Al Jazeera America feature on Madison, Wisconsin homelessness
A friend of mine had shared this story on facebook and I idly clicked it not knowing what I was in for. I saw the string of cars and vans along a curved street and thought, “Hey. That looks sorta like that area by Milwaukee Street.” Oh. That *IS* that area by Milwaukee Street. The more »
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
The Limits of Telecommuting: How Far Away Can Your Employees Be?
Employee perks, especially at tech startups, are becoming the stuff of legend. When you have companies competing for the best and brightest by mandating paid sabbaticals, you know it's a decent time to be in the job market. When...
Sunday, September 27, 2015
Wisconsin week in review
Here’s a quickie rundown and review of recent Wisconsin political stories. WONDER BOY FAILS WONDERFULLY On Monday at 5PM Walker dropped out of the race. Well, technically he “suspended his campaign”. This LA Times cartoon sums it up for us. And this cartoon by Phil Hands sums up the average Wisconsinite’s response: Tomorrow's @WiStateJournal cartoon more »
From John Boehner To Government Shutdown, 2016 Campaign Is Pushing Congress To The Edge
WASHINGTON -- To understand what drove John Boehner out of office, and the government to the brink of another shutdown, look no further than the campaign trail, and the increasingly inflammatory rhetoric coming out of the mouths of candidates.
The race to capture the Republican presidential nomination in 2016 has left candidates jockeying to be the ultimate outsider, playing to the hearts of voters fed up with politics as usual. And one of the most battered targets of those candidates is Boehner.
Why isn’t the government securing the border? Boehner. Why isn’t Obamacare or Planned Parenthood defunded? Boehner. The outright disgust at those in the old guard, or those who have served entire careers in elected office, is a wave that candidates like Donald Trump, Carly Fiorina and Ben Carson are riding eagerly, proclaiming their outsider status with angry taunts at immigrants, Muslims, and establishment Republicans.
That anti-Washington fervor lit a fresh fire within the ranks of conservative hard-liners already in Congress. After Boehner’s resignation announcement, lawmakers who were a part of the movement to oust him were eager to make a ready connection to all that dark energy on the campaign trail.
Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.) charged that if people in Washington had any doubt whether there was a sizable group within the Republican Party that carried heavy anger and disappointment, that evaporated Friday morning.
“This anger and frustration about the way our party is being run is real, and now it’s very, very tangible,” said Mulvaney. “By the way, that is a direct reflection of what the people are feeling back home, not only in my district, but all across [the state]. I think it’s the same group of people who are voting for Donald Trump, Carly Fiorina and Carson.”
Mulvaney added that those three candidates, “plus [Sens.] Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas),” would have support from about 65 percent of the voters in South Carolina. And it stands to reason then, he said, that those candidates were “the folks who spoke in the last 24 hours about their frustrations” with Congress as Boehner appeared ready to pass a clean government funding measure, instead of placating conservatives with an amendment that would defund Planned Parenthood and ultimately cause a shutdown.
Asked if the rhetoric, and accusations coming from the campaign trail about Boehner and other old guard leaders, gave them the momentum and ammunition they needed, Mulvaney said “yes.”
“What it gave us is another example of how perhaps folks in the establishment wing of the party were disconnected with what’s happening back home,” he said.
Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-Kan.), a member of the conservative Freedom Caucus, argued that the shift in focus on the campaign trail from candidates like former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush -- who shares the name of two of the last four presidents -- to a TV entertainer, former Hewlett-Packard CEO, and former neurosurgeon, is a sign of where the party needs to head.
"If you look at the Republican primary -- and the Democrat primary -- if you're tied to Washington, you're not doing well,” Huelskamp said. "I think this is a great opportunity to set us up, not just in the House, not just dealing with President Obama, but how do we want to race in 2016.”
Huelskamp suggested picking Boehner's replacement is the starting point. Get a speaker “who actually has lived and can articulate conservative principles of the Republican Party” and “that's going to be the pathway to victory in 2016.”
The importance of the conservative electorate arguably goes back to 2013, when Cruz, then a little-known junior Texas senator, raised his national profile dramatically by playing a key role in sparking a government shutdown. Since, he’s been praised by the far right of the party for standing up to Senate leadership. And he has fed that fervor by going so far as to call Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) a “liar” on the Senate floor.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), one of the targets of such outsiders a few months ago, and known for tiffs with Cruz, didn’t outright say he thinks 2016 politics is the reason conservatives are vying for another shutdown fight. But he offered an ear-to-ear grin and laugh that spoke clearly.
“That has nothing to do with what goes on of the floor of the Senate,” McCain chuckled, when asked if the language coming from the Republican presidential candidates played a role.
“I think they’re completely divorced from each other," McCain added. "I think the senators who are running for president -- it wouldn’t cross their mind to use the floor of the Senate as a vehicle to enhance their chances.” He was barely able to finish the sentence without laughing.
Pressed on recent comments by Chris Christie, the New Jersey governor and GOP presidential candidate, that the Senate should go nuclear and break procedural rules to pass a more conservative agenda, McCain threw up his hands, saying he’s not sure what conservatives think they’d accomplish.
“Tell me what you do when the president vetoes, after we go to 51 votes, and become just like the House of Representatives. What are we going to do?” McCain said. “Assassinate the president? No. No, I retract that. Or maybe, pass a constitutional amendment that changes the Constitution so that the president’s veto can be overridden with 51 votes?”
That disagreement over how to accomplish shared goals among Republicans was on full display Friday after Boehner announced his resignation. Conservative members called it “victory.” The establishment exited the room where Boehner broke the news looking teary-eyed and upset.
Democrats -- many of whom praised Boehner for at least trying to make Congress work -- saw his departure as evidence that frightened, apocalyptic rhetoric of the campaign trail was already winning in Washington.
"I think that it is absolutely connected. It's an indication of the deep, deep, deep divisions in the Republican Party and a faction, which obviously is a large faction within their party, that is not as interested in governing as they are in dividing the country, dividing their party and taking some of the most strident position on issues that drive the country apart," said House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.).
“We see this in the presidential primary, and debates," Hoyer said. "They're much more comfortable in attacking than they are in constructively engaging.”
Across town, another presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, offered fresh fodder for critics like Hoyer.
“You have some people who are just focused on making the trains run and getting things done as opposed to standing up for the that things we need to fight for,” Santorum said. “And look beyond running the organization and look at what the greater purpose is and why you’re there.”
Trump, too, told reporters at the Values Voter Summit that Boehner didn’t fight enough for conservative principles. “I think it’s time. I think it’s a good thing and I think it’s time,” Trump said. "Somebody else will come in and maybe they’ll have a little bit tougher attitude.”
Boehner's departure may ironically defuse the right wing's current attempt to use a government shutdown to defund Planned Parenthood, since the outgoing speaker will be free to act as he sees fit, without fear of repercussions.
But that only lasts until Oct. 30.
Elise Foley contributed reporting.
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Friday, September 25, 2015
Scott Walker plans a not so “unintimidated” public appearance in Beaver Dam today
Update: I have confirmation from Madison radio journalist Michael Crute that Scott Walker will be at the site at Noon today. I had this information 1 hour and 45 minutes in advance of the so-called “public event”. Site: Apache Stainless, 200 Industrial Dr, Beaver Dam, WI Google Map Street view Just to record what goes more »
Remains Of WWII Marine Headed Home After 72 Years On Pacific Atoll
HONOLULU (AP) — The recently identified remains of a Marine hailed for his bravery in battle are heading home 72 years after he was killed on a remote Pacific atoll during World War II.
First Lt. Alexander "Sandy" Bonnyman died at age 33 while leading Marines against entrenched Japanese forces during a three-day fight for the strategically important island of Tarawa in 1943. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in 1947, but his remains weren't found until earlier this year by a nonprofit organization called History Flight that has been searching for missing servicemen.
A bugler played taps and a color guard rendered honors for Bonnyman during a departure ceremony on Thursday in Honolulu. Bonnyman's family plans to lay him to rest Sunday at the same Knoxville, Tennessee, cemetery where his parents were buried.
"I feel I'm carrying on that mission that they started in 1944," Clay Bonnyman Evans, Bonnyman's grandson, said of his great-grandparents. "Here we are in 2015. All those years later, it's being done. He's going to be buried exactly where they wanted him."
More than 990 U.S. Marines and 30 sailors died in the Battle of Tarawa. Japanese machine gun fire killed scores ofMarines when their boats got stuck on the reef at low tide during the U.S. amphibious assault. Americans who made it to the beach faced brutal hand-to-hand combat.
Only 17 of the 3,500 Japanese troops survived. Of 1,200 Korean slave laborers Japan brought to the island, just 129 lived.
Bonnyman led his Marines over a pier to the beach, where they used flamethrowers and demolitions to destroy installations and attack a bombproof shelter that was protecting about 150 Japanese soldiers. The Marines flushed out more than 100 of the occupants into the open, where they were shot down. Bonnyman killed three attackers before he was mortally wounded. The U.S. secured the island the day Bonnyman died.
His Medal of Honor citation noted his "dauntless fighting spirit, unrelenting aggressiveness and forceful leadership through three days of unremitting, violent battle." It said he "inspired his men to heroic effort, enabling them to beat off the counterattack and break the back of hostile resistance."
The U.S. quickly buried the thousands of dead on the tiny atoll, about 2,400 miles southwest of Hawaii. But the graves were soon disturbed as the Navy urgently built a landing strip to prepare to attack the next Pacific island on their path to Japan.
Bonnyman was among 36 unidentified servicemen the group History Flight exhumed in Tarawa in the Republic of Kiribati earlier this year. The remains were brought to Hawaii for identification in July.
The Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced Monday it had identified Bonnyman using dental records and other evidence.
Also on HuffPost:
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Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Video: “Walker’s critics celebrate, supporters reminisce …”
Despite having no more than a few hours notice of the 5PM press conference announcing Walker’s drop out from the presidential campaign, protesting Wisconsinites were ready, able, and willing to serenade Wisconsin’s delusional governor. This TMJ4 footage includes just a SNIPPET of protest singing. This brief broadcast also includes snippets from Wisconsinites who do not more »
Monday, September 21, 2015
Gawker seeks details on “a very bad story” connected with Scott Walker
It seems that both Republican communications operative Liz Mair and a writer with Buzzfeed are hinting about either the same scandalous story or differing stories that is/are related to Scott Walker – but neither is releasing the details to the public. Frustrating. Gawker is asking readers to help spill the beans completely. Gawker is providing more »
Scott Walker dropping out of campaign, 5PM Central Time, Edgewater Hotel, Madison
Wow. I expected him to hang in another month and a half! News Conference: 5PM Central Time Edgewater Hotel Madison, Wisconsin More details here. You just finished reading Scott Walker dropping out of campaign, 5PM Central Time, Edgewater Hotel, Madison! Consider leaving a comment!Visit bluecheddar.net for more news and opinion. You can contact blue cheddar more »
Saturday, September 19, 2015
Bernie Sanders appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Would you believe this was the first time I tuned into Colbert’s new show on CBS? Enjoy. Colbert cracking jokes on the presidential election [backup link]: The Interview [backup link]: Date of appearance: 09/18/2015 You just finished reading Bernie Sanders appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert! Consider leaving a comment!Visit bluecheddar.net for more more »
Friday, September 18, 2015
Wisconsin State Journal only employs white people
I’m embarrassed that I’m so late to the party on this issue. I learned this yesterday and promptly felt like puking: “..the Wisconsin State Journal, the newspaper that proudly proclaims itself “Madison’s largest reporting team,” the second-largest newspaper in the state and the newspaper of record for our entire region, is an all-white newspaper.” SOURCE: more »
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
The backlash on Bernie Sanders begins!
Despite the fact that this [barely functioning] blog has tried to be Wisconsin-centric, I’m going to try to do some more posts to help people keep up on Bernie Sanders news. —————————————————- It appears that the establishment and its candidates have decided to quit dismissing Bernie Sanders and start attacking Bernie Sanders. The guy more »
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
If Walker could see past his enormous ego, he’d realize he’s in 7th place and has no chance
Scott Walker only has 2% in the latest national ABC poll. The average of Scott Walker’s national polls put him in 7th place according to Real Clear Politics. The Republican Party only needs 1 nominee to run for president. I suppose it’s very difficult for a megalomaniac to quit looking in the mirror long enough more »
Thursday, September 10, 2015
Video: Full Throttle Saloon in Sturgis, SD destroyed in fire
Bills itself as "The World's Largest Biker Bar"
The post Video: Full Throttle Saloon in Sturgis, SD destroyed in fire appeared first on Statter911.
Democrats struggle to block Iran deal disapproval resolution
Congress returns to Washington from their summer recess this week, and will focus on the partisan debate over the Iran nuclear deal. Photo by Karen Bleier/AFP/Getty Images
WASHINGTON — Democrats clinched the crucial Senate votes Tuesday to block passage of a disapproval resolution against the Iran nuclear accord, an outcome that would be a major win for President Barack Obama against united Republican opposition.
But supporters of the deal stopped short of declaring victory amid the fast-paced developments as lawmakers returned to Washington from their five-week summer recess. That was because it remained uncertain whether all 41 Democratic and independent senators now on record in favor of the deal would also support a filibuster to block a final vote on the disapproval resolution.
Still, the complicated machinery of Congress was turning in favor of the president on his top foreign policy priority, despite GOP control of both the House and the Senate. Already supporters of the deal have the votes in hand to uphold Obama’s veto of a disapproval resolution, should that become necessary. Blocking the disapproval resolution with a filibuster, while ideal from the White House view because it would spare Obama from a veto fight, would not change the ultimate outcome.
“This agreement will stand,” Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Tuesday morning at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “America will uphold its commitment and we will seize this opportunity to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.”
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest made clear the administration’s preference for the Senate to block the disapproval resolution before it could reach Obama’s desk.
“We certainly would expect that those members of Congress who support the agreement to take the necessary steps in Congress to prevent Congress from undermining the agreement,” he told reporters.
As the day began Tuesday Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia announced his opposition to the deal, a surprise “no” vote from a moderate Democrat who had sounded like he favored the pact aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
But that setback for supporters was erased within the hour as three Democrats seen as potential “no” votes on the deal all announced they would support it. Those senators were Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Ron Wyden of Oregon and Gary Peters of Michigan.
“The fundamental question for me is what this agreement means for the prospects of Iran getting a nuclear bomb,” Wyden said. “This agreement with the duplicitous and untrustworthy Iranian regime falls short of what I had envisioned, however, I have decided the alternatives are even more dangerous.”
The agreement struck by Iran, the U.S. and five other world powers in July will provide Iran hundreds of billions of dollars in relief from international sanctions in exchange for a decade of constraints on the country’s nuclear program.
Republicans who control the House and Senate strongly oppose the pact, saying it makes dangerous concessions to Iran, and they hope to push through a resolution of disapproval this week.
Leaders of Israel have been strongly lobbying against the deal they say could empower Iran, but had succeeded in winning over only three Senate Democrats, albeit all of them prominent figures — Chuck Schumer of New York, Bob Menendez of New Jersey and Ben Cardin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Manchin added his name to that list Tuesday.
But the majority of Democrats have swung behind the president, and predictions that the issue would dominate discussion during Congress’ August recess never came to pass as political headlines were largely overtaken by Donald Trump’s presidential candidacy. The two topics will converge on Wednesday, though, when Trump joins Texas Sen. Ted Cruz for a rally to oppose the deal — the same day Hillary Rodham Clinton delivers a speech supporting it.
The deal aims to keep Iran at least a year away from being able to produce enough nuclear material for a weapon, before the restrictions ease after a decade. Iran is currently assessed to be only two to three months away from being able to enrich enough uranium for a bomb, though the Iranians insist they have no intention of producing a nuclear weapon.
The post Democrats struggle to block Iran deal disapproval resolution appeared first on PBS NewsHour.
Monday, August 31, 2015
Walker goes full Forrest Gump, says Canadian border wall is “legitimate issue for us to look at”
Update: Readers who hunger for more mockery of Scott Walker should check out the #CanadaWall tag on twitter. ————————————– Today on Meet the Press, Scott Walker said that a border wall between the United States and Canada is “a legitimate issue for us to look at”. I expect his campaign will tomorrow release a “clarifying” more »
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Walker goes full Forrest Gump, says Canadian border wall is “legitimate issue for us to look at”
Update: Readers who hunger for more mockery of Scott Walker should check out the #CanadaWall tag on twitter. ————————————– Today on Meet the Press, Scott Walker said that a border wall between the United States and Canada is “a legitimate issue for us to look at”. I expect his campaign will tomorrow release a “clarifying” more »
Thursday, August 27, 2015
How a 22-year-old is sparking deadly riots in India
Members of the Patel community climb a police vehicle at a protest rally in Ahmedabad, India. Thousands of the community members on Tuesday held the huge protest rally to demand reservation for their community, local media reported. Photo by Reuters/Amit Dave.
Riots broke out in Gujarat in West India Tuesday and today after 22-year-old Hardik Patel — the man responsible for a protest movement — was detained by police.
Patel’s movement is trying to change the reservation system, the world’s oldest affirmative action quota system.
The reservation system is intended to fill spaces in public jobs, publicly funded colleges, and elected assemblies for less dominant castes. The system was put in place to level the playing field. But Patel is demanding the Patidar community, or Patel caste — one of the most affluent and advantaged groups — be given “backwards” status, which would result in more government and college access.
On Tuesday, Patel had over half a million supporters come out (There’s a great picture of this by the AP you may want to consider adding) to hear him speak of the injustices that face his caste.
“If you do not give us our right, we will snatch it,” Patel reportedly said to the large crowd. “Whoever will talk of Patel interests will rule over Patels.”
Later that night, Patel was detained by police after announcing a hunger strike and a 48-hour ultimatum.
Local outlets are reporting at least five dead and over 100 injured as Gujarat’s riots have turned violent after news broke of Patel’s detainment.
Patel supporters began throwing stones, destroying private and public property, and set fire to cars and three police stations.
The Gujarat government deployed army and paramilitary forces, and ordered the first curfew since 2002. Internet and mobile services have also been suspended to stop the circulation of campaign messages.
Schools and colleges remain closed for the second day.
The post How a 22-year-old is sparking deadly riots in India appeared first on PBS NewsHour.
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Monday, August 24, 2015
Quinnipiac poll of FL,OH,PA: fortunes of Walker and Clinton sink as Biden’s rise
Notice that in the crucial state of Ohio, Scott Walker is only at 2%. This is all come to a poll looking for these days: Walker’s failure. But other people are paying attention to the bigger picture, of course. Rubio is the only Republican polling ahead of Clinton in Ohio. Quinnipiac Poll: @MarcoRubio is the more »
Sunday, August 23, 2015
Scott Walker flip flops on birthright citizenship. Blames tiredness.
"Scott Walker said he accidentally took a position on [citizenship] because he was 'tired'"
https://t.co/BBMDYMZQJo pic.twitter.com/vqBv0rSU8b — Billmon (@billmon1) August 21, 2015 At the Iowa state fair, Walker was for elimination of birthright citizenship. By Friday he had “no position” on it. “I’m not taking a position one way or the other,” Walker said in an more »
Saturday, August 22, 2015
Scott Walker flip flops on birthright citizenship. Blames tiredness.
"Scott Walker said he accidentally took a position on [citizenship] because he was 'tired'"
https://t.co/BBMDYMZQJo pic.twitter.com/vqBv0rSU8b — Billmon (@billmon1) August 21, 2015 At the Iowa state fair, Walker was for elimination of birthright citizenship. By Friday he had “no position” on it. “I’m not taking a position one way or the other,” Walker said in an more »
Thursday, August 20, 2015
Marquette U. Poll of Wisconsinites: 39% approve of job Walker is doing as Guv, 57% disapprove
The most significant bit of news in this poll, in my opinion, is the fact that Wisconsinites are taking a dim view of Scott Walker’s performance. His 39% “job approval” rating is down 2 points from where it was in April when 41% approved of his performance as Governor. Walker’s doing much worse than Obama more »
Thursday, August 6, 2015
John Doe developments: Walker was target in 2011, Appeal impending
Eagle Scout integrity: “Gov. Scott Walker was under criminal investigation in 2011 for misconduct in office — even as he insisted he wasn’t — over a proposed real estate deal when he was Milwaukee County executive, according to records filed Wednesday in federal court” Source: Despite denials, Scott Walker was target of probe in 2011 more »
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Proof: Scott Walker’s aide Archer lied. Maltreatment she claimed rec’d during #JohnDoe raid refuted by newly released recording
Recorded audio from the FBI-assisted raid of Cynthia Archer’s home has been released. “The audio of the raid is being released now in an attempt to rebut claims Archer makes in her suit. For instance, she said in her filing that officers stormed into her house “throwing the (search) warrant at her without giving her more »
Saturday, August 1, 2015
Milwaukee Bucks arena is product of bizarre and bipartisan bedfellows
It takes an incestuous bipartisan pile of snakes to foist this expense upon Wisconsin when only 9%* of the Wisconsin public wants to help fund it AND when the administration is slashing public education funding. Steve Horn and Michael Arria have a long and interesting piece out on Truthdig that exposes backroom bipartisanship and public more »
Thursday, July 30, 2015
Walker’s Philadelphia cheesesteak mockery
Several Philly tourists not amused with Scott Walker crashing their lunch. Overheard: “Stand in line with the rest of us.” “Who is that?” — Jenna Johnson (@wpjenna) July 28, 2015 This is silly but sometimes you just gotta stop, smell the roses, and indulge in some mockery of Scott Walker’s cheesesteak choices. It’s the standard more »
Walker’s Philadelphia cheesesteak mockery
Several Philly tourists not amused with Scott Walker crashing their lunch. Overheard: “Stand in line with the rest of us.” “Who is that?” — Jenna Johnson (@wpjenna) July 28, 2015 This is silly but sometimes you just gotta stop, smell the roses, and indulge in some mockery of Scott Walker’s cheesesteak choices. It’s the standard more »
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
WI Supreme Court “went well beyond what any court has ever held in opening the floodgates to secret money in politics”
Brendan Fischer of PRWatch was recently interviewed by Janine Jackson of Fair.org. A couple of exerpts: JJ: Well, it sounds as though the charge was that Walker actively sought to skirt finance laws and that the ruling is: Yes, he did, but it’s OK? I mean, help us to understand exactly what happened here. BF: That’s about right. more »
Monday, July 27, 2015
Republican presidential candidates cluster accounts at bank with only 1 branch in McLean, Virginia
Hmmmmm. From Bloomberg: “According to the most recent Federal Election Commission filings, Chain Bridge is the sole bank serving Jeb Bush’s presidential campaign, which reported raising $11.4 million as of June 30, and his allied super-PAC, Right to Rise, which says it’s raised $103 million so far. Donald Trump’s campaign banks at Chain Bridge, and it’s more »
Why Are MLPs Doing Worse than So Many Oil Stocks?
It’s understandable that master limited partnerships, which are mainly made up of the infrastructure holdings of energy companies, would trade off with the broader energy sector. But the sector shouldn’t fall as far as direct plays on the commodity. And it shouldn’t be doing even worse. But it is. In the past six months, an [...]
Sunday, July 26, 2015
Trump nails Walker on crumbling roads, deficit, underfunded education, Common Core flip-flops
Times are strange when you’re pleased to hear from Donald Trump, eh? What’s really wild is not only do I enjoy hearing Trump slam Walker, I have to admit that Trump is essentially telling the truth about the state of affairs in Wisconsin and about Walker’s flip-flops on Common Core. Donald Trump says he wasn’t more »
Saturday, July 25, 2015
“Scott Walker is not Joe McCarthy, but his technique is similar”
This is a bit from an opinion piece by Dana Milbank in the Washington Post: “Scott Walker is not Joe McCarthy, but his technique is similar: He suggests that the nation’s ills can be cured by fighting labor unions (foremost among the “big government special interests” hurting America), even though unions represent just 11 percent more »
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
One of the shady recipients of Walker’s WEDC welfare faces criminal investigation (finally)
As blogger lufthase puts it, “If WEDC had done a simple search on Green Box chairman Ronald Van Den Heuvel before making this loan, they’d have found at least 8 six-figure judgements from 2008 to 2011 against him or the many, many companies he has registered at the same address as Green Box.” Basically, Scott more »
Pre-arrival video from Niagara Falls motel fire
Pre-arrival video from Keth John of a fire on the morning of July 6 at the Gateway Motel on Bender Street in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Click here for news coverage.
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Round-up of Wisco news: Walker puzzled by gayness, Walker v. G.A.B., 20 wk. abortion ban, MORE
These seem like the key WI political stories from the last 3 or 4 days. If I missed something, please do leave it in a comment. WALKER AND GAYNESS This is how conservative blog NewsMax frames it: Gay marriage opponent and Republican presidential candidate Scott Walker said in a CNN interview broadcast on Sunday he more »
Monday, July 20, 2015
“Governor Walker, why are you trying to break my family apart?” – Leslie Flores
Because a new poll shows that Donald Trump polls nationally at 24% among Republican registered voters while Walker polls 13% I have to admit that I have no idea whether Walker’s comments to this family have an impact positive or negative within the Republican Party base. This guy’s tweet sums up their bigoted wingnuttery: "Obama's more »
Sunday, July 19, 2015
Iowa is smelling the BS around Walker’s Kohls speech
Iowans are learning that Scott Walker doled out over $68 million to Kohls. It’s undermining his “brown bag government” schtick. Excellent! If they keep pulling at loose threads on his stories they’re going to turn up tales of unaccountable millions in corporate welfare he gave out through WEDC. Des Moines Register has the story: Some more »
Saturday, July 18, 2015
Can I Sue for Being Overworked?
You’re lucky if you work 40 hours per week. Many other employees work 50, 60, or even 70 hours per week. Constantly working too many hours can have serious negative impact on your health, your state of mind, and even...
Friday, July 17, 2015
Looks like my governor is cruisin’ through Iowa in a big gay RV
I sent this to George Takei Dear George: This is a photo of Scott Walker’s new RV. I must say, all I can see is an equal sign with those two red bars on the right. And when I see a red equal sign I am reminded of the red equal sign which you encouraged more »
Thursday, July 16, 2015
Appeal of John Doe decision to SCOTUS unlikely according to Hasen
This is from Hasen’s “Analysis of Wisconsin John Doe Ruling: Bad News for Campaign Finance Laws” U.S. Supreme Court review? The dissent notes that under the U.S. Supreme Court’s Caperton decision, the failure to recuse in this case could be a due process violation. At least theoretically, that’s an issue which could go to the more »
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
How to Fire an Employee Without Being Sued
Firing an employee is never pleasant, even if you think he or she deserves it. Bringing a wrongful termination lawsuit can only add to the unpleasantness. No doubt you'd rather be focusing on your business than going to court....
Text Neck Is Real
http://www.crawfordchiropractic.com/text-neck-is-real/
Is technology convenient or is it a pain in your neck?
Live video: Fire & explosions at Missouri oil company
Raw video above from Robert Knott taken at a fire with explosions at the Santie Oil Company in Sikeston, Missouri today (Monday). Live video from KFSV-TV is here when available. Additional live video from KMOV-TV.
Highway 60 in Sikeston is shut down after several explosions caught the Santie Oil building on fire. Several explosions caught the Santie Oil building on fire in Sikeston.
The entire building is on fire, according to the Sikeston Department of Public Safety.
A 30,000 gallon tank that was at least half full is on other side of building.
The Sikeston Department of Public Safety says there’s a vessel containing approximately 15,000 gallons of propane at the facility on Larcel Drive.
Authorities are urging everyone to stay at least one-half mile away from the location as a precaution.
The Missouri Department of Transportation says both directions of US 60 west of Sikeston are currently closed. Interstate 55 is open.
Fire near our building in Sikeston. Gas and propane company. Many evacuated. pic.twitter.com/mfY15zIHrB
— Glen Cantrell (@PastorGlenCan) July 13, 2015
.@SikestonDPS asking residents to stay away from large fire at Santie Oil http://t.co/e5QJM7W1QC pic.twitter.com/dLxk1YAQki
— WSIL News (@WSILNews) July 13, 2015
Saturday, July 11, 2015
GOP primary candidates compete for anti-abortion vote
Thousands participate in the anti-abortion March for Life past the U.S. Capitol and Supreme Court, January 22, 2015. GOP presidential hopefuls convened in New Orleans Friday to try to distinguish their anti-abortion credentials. Photo by Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
NEW ORLEANS — Trying to distinguish themselves in front of an important group of social conservative activists, Republican White House hopefuls on Friday used the National Right to Life Convention to share personal stories and detail the abortion restrictions they’ve helped write into law.
The question now is whether the scramble helps or hinders an anti-abortion movement seeking unity as Republicans look to win back the presidency next November.
National Right to Life Political Director Karen Cross urged the assembly to “make a decision right now that the issue of life trumps all else.”
“There is no such thing as the perfect candidate,” she warned.
Carol Tobias, the group’s president, argued in an interview that President Barack Obama benefited in both of his national victories from social conservatives who didn’t back John McCain in 2008 or Mitt Romney in 2012.
“The quickest way to defeat a pro-lifer,” Tobias said, “is to fall in love with your candidate and then get your feelings hurt when they don’t win the nomination.”
The candidates gave repeated nods to those sentiments, praising each other and hammering Democratic favorite Hillary Rodham Clinton, who supports abortion rights. Still, they spent most of their energy asserting their own conservative supremacy on the issue.
Santorum boasted of how he sponsored the federal law that bans certain late-term abortion procedures after initially soft-pedaling his abortion stance because of Pennsylvania’s closely divided electorate.
“You know me; there’s no quit in this dog,” he said. “Go ahead and nominate somebody who’s just going to go along. Then try to convince yourself you’ll make a difference.”
Rick Perry predicted the next president will nominate as many as four Supreme Court justices – who could presumably overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationally. “If I have the opportunity to put justices on the Supreme Court, they will not be squishy,” the former Texas governor said.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio explained his abortion opposition as “inseparable from the effort to reclaim the American dream … for every child,” and recalled abortion restrictions he helped pass as speaker of the Florida House of Representatives.
Jeb Bush, whose tenure as Florida governor overlapped Rubio’s speakership, mentioned some of the same laws in a video presentation. He did not physically attend the convention.
Ben Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, has never held elected office, but he blasted abortion providers as “evil.”
Tobias said her group doesn’t wade into primaries in part because it’s hard to find meaningful distinctions between candidates, though she acknowledged the campaigns will find them.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie supported abortion rights earlier in his career, something he generally avoids talking about now.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker celebrated passage of a new state ban on most abortions beyond the 20th week of pregnancy. Yet late in his 2014 re-election campaign, he aired an ad in which he affirmed his abortion opposition while emphasizing that Wisconsin law “leaves the final decision to a woman and her doctor.”
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham has sponsored a ban on abortions after 20 weeks. But some conservatives blast him for voting to confirm Obama’s two Supreme Court nominees.
Tobias said those details sometimes matter to abortion opponents, but she maintained that nitpicking is counter-productive.
For many anti-abortion voters, she said, choosing a primary candidate is about “trust” and “personal feel” rather than policy. The candidates’ approaches here suggest they understand that.
Rubio and Perry talked about seeing their children on ultrasounds during pregnancy. Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, talked about how he gravitated to pediatric surgery because of how much he values children.
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal talked Thursday night about having to defend his anti-abortion stance in his interviews for medical school.
Santorum tells the story of doctors advising that his daughter, Bella, who suffers from a rare genetic disorder, would not have a good quality of life and could die as an infant. “There is no better way to preach the gospel of life,” Santorum said Friday, than to have school-age Bella “in the White House.”
Public opinion, meanwhile, remains divided.
An Associated Press-GfK poll conducted in January and February found that 51 percent of Americans think abortion should be legal in all or most cases, while 45 percent think it should be illegal in most or all cases.
At NARAL Pro-Choice America, a leading abortion rights advocacy group, Sasha Bruce said that means Republicans “are fighting over a slice of the minority,” putting them at a disadvantage in November.
Tobias countered that among voters who rank abortion as a key issue in deciding on a candidate, “we win a majority of them.” Her movement’s job, she said, is to increase the share of voters who cast their vote “based on the life issue. If we do, we win.”
Bruce said her organization is focused on educating general election voters about the success abortion opponents have had limiting abortion access through state-by-state restrictions. “They aren’t overturning Roe v. Wade, but they’re just chipping away,” she said.
The post GOP primary candidates compete for anti-abortion vote appeared first on PBS NewsHour.
Friday, July 10, 2015
Taking 1 Million Cars Off the Road in New York City
With more than 2.7 million vehicles entering the city each day—most carrying just a single passenger—it’s no wonder New York City has a congestion problem. We’ve all experienced the frustration of bumper-to-bumper traffic, delaying us from getting to where we need to be. And while New York’s traffic problem predates Uber’s arrival in New York just four years ago, we believe that technologies like Uber will be part of the solution to congestion.
At Uber, our vision for the future is one of many fewer cars on the road. We believe traditional car ownership can be a thing of the past. Why own an extremely expensive asset, worth tens of thousands of dollars, that sits unused most of the time?
As demand for Uber grew, we noticed an interesting phenomenon: more than half of all Uber trips had a look-a-like trip, or a ride occurring along a similar route at around the same time. That’s when we thought, why not match those riders, let them ride together and split the fare? Enter uberPOOL: share the ride, share the cost, share the #UberLove.
Since its launch in December, hundreds of thousands of riders have tried uberPOOL in NYC, not only making their ride more affordable but also negating the need for another car to make that same trip. Occasionally, the ride even takes a turn for the magical: uberPOOL trips have resulted in job offers, hilarious tweets, and at least one happily ever after.
With uberPOOL, our goal is simple: take 1 million cars off the road in New York City and help eliminate our city’s congestion problem for good. We want to do our part and invest in creating a less congested, greener future for New York City. So, for a limited time, all uberPOOL rides South of 96th Street in Manhattan will be a $10 flat rate. As long as your ride begins and ends in Manhattan (south of 96th)—and regardless of whether or not you’re matched with another rider—the trip will be just $10.
Ride uberPOOL for $10 flat and help reduce congestion in Manhattan
Together, we can demonstrate that innovative technology—not regressive policies—can actually transform our city and fix congestion. Let’s uberPOOL together.
Get details about these $10 uberPOOL flat rates here.
5 Personal Injury Laws Every Small Business Owner Should Know
Any business that has never had to deal with at least one personal injury case must be the luckiest business in the world. For many businesses, personal injury lawsuits are just another cost of doing business. So, to help...
Fidelity Gets an A-Plus
Even investors that don’t intend to buy the corporate bonds of Fidelity, are likely glad to know that it got an A-plus rating. After all, they may well own Fidelity mutual funds or house their 401k or brokerage account at the firm. At the end of March, Fidelity administered more than $5 trillion assets in its [...]
Thursday, July 9, 2015
Munis Face Little Spillover from Puerto Rico’s Woes, So Far
Even as Puerto Rico moves closer to a debt default and its bonds trade near record lows, the repercussions for the broader municipal market have been muted. For example, iShares AMT-free Muni Bond (MUB) only fell slightly the day after it was reported June 28 that Puerto Rico’s governor said it’s debts are “not payable.” It has [...]
Residential Parking Reforms Should Benefit All of Minneapolis
In June Streets.mn reported that Minneapolis might drop parking minimums for residential developments near transit stations. By doing so, the city would promote walkable development and reduce housing costs.
All of Minneapolis would benefit from parking reforms that spur walkable development. Image via Streets.mn
However, City Council President Barb Johnson wants to exclude neighborhoods in north Minneapolis from the parking reforms. Writing at Streets.mn, affordable housing expert Kris Brogan says this would be a “big mistake.”
This move to reduce parking requirements in multi-family development along transit corridors is a good idea–not just for portions of the City, but for the City as a whole.
North Minneapolis, particularly Camden, needs multi-family development. Being exempt from the parking ordinance — increasing development costs by hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars — will keep developers from considering Camden.
Creating housing opportunities along transit corridors will give residents more options for housing and more options to use alternative transportation modes. Let’s be very clear here: If we don’t create more multi-family housing options with greater density, increasing the population along our transit corridors, we will not get those improved transportation options.
Elsewhere on the Network today: Greater Greater Washington looks at road projects Maryland Governor Larry Hogan plans to build with funds that were supposed to expand transit in Baltimore and DC; Human Transit says LA might beef up bus service in some parts of the city, but will have to do so at the expense of lines with lower ridership; and Rebuilding Place in the Urban Space reports on a misguided campaign by DC pedestrian advocates to remove unmarked crosswalks.
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Kraft Heinz Gets Investment Grade Rating — Barely
With the completion of the merger of Kraft Foods and H.J. Heinz on July 2, Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services assigned a BBB- corporate credit rating to the combined company, Kraft Heinz (KHC) on Tuesday. That rating is the lowest investment grade rating, one notch above junk rating BB+. It amounts to an upgrade for [...]
Hillary Clinton Piles On San Francisco Officials, Putting Sanctuary Cities Under Even More Heat
WASHINGTON -- After a deadly shooting in San Francisco, allegedly by a man who had been deported five times, lawmakers are calling on the county to drop its policy against cooperating with immigration enforcement.
Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton became the most high-profile Democrat to wade into the debate on Tuesday, telling CNN that San Francisco should have worked with agents at Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
"The city made a mistake, not to deport someone that the federal government strongly felt should be deported," she said in an interview. "So I have absolutely no support for a city that ignores the strong evidence that should be acted on."
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), meanwhile, sent a letter on Tuesday to San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee urging him to cooperate with ICE, implying the county's failure to do so allowed for the shooting of 32-year-old Kathryn Steinle, allegedly at the hands of a previously deported undocumented immigrant named Francisco Sanchez.
GOP lawmakers, who are more prone to support a greater federal thumbprint on detention policy, have decried San Francisco leaders for acting irresponsibly. One of them, Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), said he plans to introduce a bill penalizing cities that do not cooperate with ICE.
With the debate around immigration already red hot due to the charged rhetoric of the 2016 campaign, the incident in San Francisco could end up prompting a shift in recent trends in detention policy. For years, local communities have been limiting their collaboration with immigration enforcement officials, with more than 300 cities and counties adopting policies against fully complying with ICE's requests. Some, like San Francisco, barely deal with the agency at all, while others limit interactions except in cases of more serious crimes.
The widespread resistance led the Obama administration to announce in November that it would drop the Secure Communities program, which asked police to hold individuals for ICE so they could be picked up for deportation purposes.
The immediate fallout from the shooting in San Francisco appears to be a change in those particular political winds.
But the debate remains a sensitive one, with activists and even local officials warning that a greater federal role could harm other law enforcement activities, drain resources and spark court challenges.
At issue is whether local law enforcement, at the request of ICE, should -- or even legally could -- hold individuals who it otherwise would have released. Immigration advocates have warned that doing so creates fear in the undocumented community and sweeps up people for deportation because of low-level crimes or arrests they are never convicted for.
To accommodate those concerns, the administration is pushing a new policy called the Priority Enforcement Program, which was announced last November. Under PEP, according to the administration, ICE would target individuals at higher priority for deportation, such as convicted criminals. The program also will ask local law enforcement to notify the agency when it plans to release a suspected deportable immigrant, rather than for holds.
That program hasn't been rolled out nationwide, and an ICE official said their appeals to San Francisco officials to work with them haven't gone anywhere. But critics are charging that had ICE implemented PEP in San Francisco sooner, Sanchez, who said he shot Steinle last Wednesday before saying on Tuesday that he was not guilty, would not have been released into the community.
Francisco Sanchez enters court for an arraignment on July 7 in San Francisco. Francisco Sanchez pleaded not guilty to charges that he shot and killed 32-year-old Kathryn Steinle as she walked on Pier 14 in San Francisco with her father last week. (Photo by Michael Macor-Pool/Getty Images)
Prior to the shooting, Sanchez had been deported five times and had seven felony convictions, according to authorities. Twice, ICE put in detainer requests for him. The first was with the Bureau of Prisons, where he was serving a sentence for the federal crime of illegally re-entering the U.S. as a felon. Sanchez was transferred by the Bureau of Prisons to the San Francisco sheriff's office because he had an arrest warrant for a 20-year-old marijuana case. ICE then put in a request to the sheriff's office to detain him. After the district attorney declined to prosecute that charge, he was released in April.
Officials at the San Francisco County Sheriff's Office and ICE have since blamed each other for that release, with the local authorities saying ICE should have gotten a judicial warrant if they wanted Sanchez to be held, and ICE claiming it was never notified that the man was about to be let go.
With the debate expanding beyond the particulars of what happened and into the realm of public policy, critics of Secure Communities worry the tragedy in San Francisco will be used as a cudgel against cities that have tried to move their police departments out of the immigration enforcement business. They warn there are not just humanitarian and budget constraints to consider, but constitutional complications as well.
"I've seen this happen over and over again where anti-immigrant groups try to use these types of horrible cases to change policies but there are constitutional protections, and people cannot be held for immigration without a judge signing a warrant," said Angela Chan, a policy director at the Asian Law Caucus.
Police chiefs could be an ally in pushing back against greater federal involvement in local immigration matters. Many have contended that they need to strike a balance between acting as enforcement agents and performing their duties to protect the public. Montgomery County Police Chief J. Thomas Manger, also the president of the Major Cities Chiefs Association, said doing too much of the former risks hurting the relationship law enforcement has with the broader community.
Montgomery County officials announced last year that immigrants would no longer be held for ICE without demonstration that the individual likely committed a crime. Manger approves of PEP and said his office notifies ICE when individuals are being released upon request. But the fact that individuals are released and go on to commit crime is a risk in all law enforcement, he insisted, and not just specific to immigration.
"I've been a cop for 38 years," he said. "And for longer than I've been a cop, [criminals] have been getting out of jail and doing bad things again. The fact is that the law allows you to hold someone for a certain amount of time and when the law says you've got to release them, you've got to release them."
Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton became the most high-profile Democrat to wade into the debate on Tuesday, telling CNN that San Francisco should have worked with agents at Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
"The city made a mistake, not to deport someone that the federal government strongly felt should be deported," she said in an interview. "So I have absolutely no support for a city that ignores the strong evidence that should be acted on."
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), meanwhile, sent a letter on Tuesday to San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee urging him to cooperate with ICE, implying the county's failure to do so allowed for the shooting of 32-year-old Kathryn Steinle, allegedly at the hands of a previously deported undocumented immigrant named Francisco Sanchez.
GOP lawmakers, who are more prone to support a greater federal thumbprint on detention policy, have decried San Francisco leaders for acting irresponsibly. One of them, Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), said he plans to introduce a bill penalizing cities that do not cooperate with ICE.
With the debate around immigration already red hot due to the charged rhetoric of the 2016 campaign, the incident in San Francisco could end up prompting a shift in recent trends in detention policy. For years, local communities have been limiting their collaboration with immigration enforcement officials, with more than 300 cities and counties adopting policies against fully complying with ICE's requests. Some, like San Francisco, barely deal with the agency at all, while others limit interactions except in cases of more serious crimes.
The widespread resistance led the Obama administration to announce in November that it would drop the Secure Communities program, which asked police to hold individuals for ICE so they could be picked up for deportation purposes.
The immediate fallout from the shooting in San Francisco appears to be a change in those particular political winds.
But the debate remains a sensitive one, with activists and even local officials warning that a greater federal role could harm other law enforcement activities, drain resources and spark court challenges.
At issue is whether local law enforcement, at the request of ICE, should -- or even legally could -- hold individuals who it otherwise would have released. Immigration advocates have warned that doing so creates fear in the undocumented community and sweeps up people for deportation because of low-level crimes or arrests they are never convicted for.
To accommodate those concerns, the administration is pushing a new policy called the Priority Enforcement Program, which was announced last November. Under PEP, according to the administration, ICE would target individuals at higher priority for deportation, such as convicted criminals. The program also will ask local law enforcement to notify the agency when it plans to release a suspected deportable immigrant, rather than for holds.
That program hasn't been rolled out nationwide, and an ICE official said their appeals to San Francisco officials to work with them haven't gone anywhere. But critics are charging that had ICE implemented PEP in San Francisco sooner, Sanchez, who said he shot Steinle last Wednesday before saying on Tuesday that he was not guilty, would not have been released into the community.
Francisco Sanchez enters court for an arraignment on July 7 in San Francisco. Francisco Sanchez pleaded not guilty to charges that he shot and killed 32-year-old Kathryn Steinle as she walked on Pier 14 in San Francisco with her father last week. (Photo by Michael Macor-Pool/Getty Images)
Prior to the shooting, Sanchez had been deported five times and had seven felony convictions, according to authorities. Twice, ICE put in detainer requests for him. The first was with the Bureau of Prisons, where he was serving a sentence for the federal crime of illegally re-entering the U.S. as a felon. Sanchez was transferred by the Bureau of Prisons to the San Francisco sheriff's office because he had an arrest warrant for a 20-year-old marijuana case. ICE then put in a request to the sheriff's office to detain him. After the district attorney declined to prosecute that charge, he was released in April.
Officials at the San Francisco County Sheriff's Office and ICE have since blamed each other for that release, with the local authorities saying ICE should have gotten a judicial warrant if they wanted Sanchez to be held, and ICE claiming it was never notified that the man was about to be let go.
With the debate expanding beyond the particulars of what happened and into the realm of public policy, critics of Secure Communities worry the tragedy in San Francisco will be used as a cudgel against cities that have tried to move their police departments out of the immigration enforcement business. They warn there are not just humanitarian and budget constraints to consider, but constitutional complications as well.
"I've seen this happen over and over again where anti-immigrant groups try to use these types of horrible cases to change policies but there are constitutional protections, and people cannot be held for immigration without a judge signing a warrant," said Angela Chan, a policy director at the Asian Law Caucus.
Police chiefs could be an ally in pushing back against greater federal involvement in local immigration matters. Many have contended that they need to strike a balance between acting as enforcement agents and performing their duties to protect the public. Montgomery County Police Chief J. Thomas Manger, also the president of the Major Cities Chiefs Association, said doing too much of the former risks hurting the relationship law enforcement has with the broader community.
Montgomery County officials announced last year that immigrants would no longer be held for ICE without demonstration that the individual likely committed a crime. Manger approves of PEP and said his office notifies ICE when individuals are being released upon request. But the fact that individuals are released and go on to commit crime is a risk in all law enforcement, he insisted, and not just specific to immigration.
"I've been a cop for 38 years," he said. "And for longer than I've been a cop, [criminals] have been getting out of jail and doing bad things again. The fact is that the law allows you to hold someone for a certain amount of time and when the law says you've got to release them, you've got to release them."
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