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."
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
Fitz says Walker was involved in attempted ax of open records law
I’ll keep this brief. Here’s the headline: Scott Fitzgerald: Scott Walker’s office was involved with open records changes The most important thing to take away is that Fitz and the boys will make another effort to cut you and the world off from legislative records: “I think it’s something that there are many different entities more »
Charleston activists to visit Congress to push for gun control legislation
A relative of a Charleston shooting victim along with other gun control activists will be on Capitol Hill Wednesday. Photo by Jim Young/Reuters
WASHINGTON — A relative of one victim of the mass church shooting in Charleston, South Carolina, and other activists from the city are coming to the Capitol on Wednesday to try doing what others have failed to achieve before: Pressure lawmakers to approve gun control legislation.
The visitors are planning a news conference with lawmakers and leaders of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence at which they will press Congress to vote on legislation expanding required background checks for firearms buyers at gun shows and online.
Their chances of success seem bleak. Similar bills have gone nowhere in Congress, despite repeated lobbying by victims’ families from the 2012 slaying of 26 children and educators in Newtown, Connecticut, and by former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., who was badly wounded in a 2011 shooting that killed six.
So far, the Charleston killings have prompted little serious activity in Congress related to firearms restrictions.
The group from Charleston is coming exactly three weeks after Dylann Storm Roof allegedly murdered nine black parishioners at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal church. Roof, who is white, faces nine counts of murder and other charges.
The visitors will include Andre Duncan of Charleston, nephew of Myra Thompson, 59, a member of a bible study group that was meeting at the historically black church when the nine were slain.
The shooting and pictures of Roof with Confederate flags have prompted some lawmakers to move toward restricting public displays of the banner in Southern states.
On Tuesday, the South Carolina Senate voted to remove the Confederate flag from a pole in front of the Statehouse. The measure still must be approved by the state House.
The city council of Mobile, Alabama, voted Tuesday to remove the Confederate banner from the city’s official seal.
In 2013, just months after the Newtown killings, the Democratic-run Senate fell short of approving a bill expanding background checks and imposing other gun curbs. The Republican-run House never took up such legislation.
The post Charleston activists to visit Congress to push for gun control legislation appeared first on PBS NewsHour.
Iowa DOT Chief Says Overbuilt Road System Will Have to Shrink
Here’s something you don’t see every day. Or ever.
Charles Marohn at Strong Towns reports that the director of the Iowa DOT, Paul Trombino, said his state’s transportation system is overbuilt and unsustainable. Trombino said Iowans will have to decide what to maintain and what they are willing to let go.
State DOT director Paul Trombino says Iowa has excess and unsustainable road capacity. Photo: Streets.mn
Marohn quotes from Trombino’s remarks:
I said the numbers before. 114,000 lane miles, 25,000 bridges, 4,000 miles of rail. I said this a lot in my conversation when we were talking about fuel tax increases. It’s not affordable. Nobody’s going to pay.
We are. We’re the ones. Look in the mirror. We’re not going to pay to rebuild that entire system.
And my personal belief is that the entire system is unneeded. And so the reality is, the system is going to shrink.
There’s nothing I have to do. Bridges close themselves. Roads deteriorate and go away. That’s what happens.
And reality is, for us, let’s not let the system degrade and then we’re left with sorta whatever’s left. Let’s try to make a conscious choice — it’s not going to be perfect, I would agree it’s going to be complex and messy — but let’s figure out which ones we really want to keep.
And quite honestly, it’s not everything that we have, which means some changes.
“This is a big deal,” says Marohn. “Most DOT directors understand that we’ve overbuilt, that there will never be the money to maintain everything they are asked to maintain. I’ve not heard another DOT chief admit this problem publicly. They need to.”
Elsewhere on the Network today: Streets.mn examines how sprawl development cheapens land values, Mobilizing the Region reports on positive signs for transportation policy in Connecticut, and Biking Toronto celebrates news of a pending bike-share expansion.
Commercial mREITs Poised for Growth
Analysts at Fitch Ratings issued some positive comments about companies in the commercial mortgage real estate investment trust sector, which generally offer current yields of 6% to 8%. Essentially they think that banks, wary of taking on too much commercial real estate debt, are leaving an opportunity for mREITS. Existing players in the space include Blackstone Mortgage [...]
Bill Cosby got drugs to give to women for sex, AP reports
Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images
The Associated Press on Monday obtained documents revealing that Bill Cosby testified in 2005 to acquring quaaludes — a central nervous system depressant — with the intention of providing them to women he wanted to have sex with. According to the AP, he admitted to giving the sedative to at least one woman.
More than two dozen women have accused 77-year-old Cosby of sexual misconduct, including rape, dating back 40 years. Cosby has never been criminally charged.
In early December, following a string of assault allegations, Cosby resigned from his position on Temple University’s board of trustees.
The post Bill Cosby got drugs to give to women for sex, AP reports appeared first on PBS NewsHour.
Surveillance video shows inside of PA firehouse as it burns
video has been released showing some inside views of the Father’s Day fire that heavily damaged the Robinson Township Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 on Hayes Avenue in Groveton, Pennsylvania.
The blaze at the Robinson Township Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 sent smoke pouring into the garage after an ATV caught fire.
A fire truck was in the garage at the time. It was saved when a firefighter rushed into the burning building and drove it out through a closed garage door.
Other vehicles inside the garage included an air rescue truck, a squad truck and a rescue boat.
CLICK HERE to make a donation to Robinson Township VFC No. 1.
Monday, July 6, 2015
I have to ask: Are the Old Boys down at M.J.Sentinel shitting their pants right now?
Plenty of facebook commenters and at least two bloggers have proposed that the JFC’s attack on WI open records law is actually a set-up to eventually make Walker look the hero. As in, they think that the “dirty dozen” on the Joint Finance Committee conspired to nuke open records law with the budget add-on called more »
At least 7 states limit patient costs for high-priced drugs
Sovaldi, which treats hepatitis C, costs $1,000 per pill, or $84,000 for a 12-week treatment course, but more states are limiting what consumers have to pay for high-priced drugs. Photo by Bob Ecker/MCT via Getty Images
As more expensive specialty drugs come on the market to treat some of the most serious chronic diseases, more states are stepping in to cushion the financial pain for patients who need medicine that can cost up to hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.
At least seven states — Delaware, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Montana, New York and Vermont — limit the out-of-pocket payments of patients in private health plans. Montana, for instance, caps the amount that patients pay at $250 per prescription per month. Delaware, Maryland and Louisiana set the monthly limit at $150 and Vermont at $100. Maine sets an annual limit of $3,500 per drug.
New York prevents insurers from listing specialty drugs in a separate category that allows for charging higher payments out of pocket.
In an effort to hold down prices, legislators in other states, including California, Massachusetts and North Carolina, have proposed requiring companies to make broad financial disclosures justifying their high drug prices. So far, no such law has passed.
Critics of pharmaceutical pricing say that while the measures would help bring financial relief to some patients, they would fail to control spiraling drug prices set by drugmakers. As expensive specialty drugs proliferate, consumers likely will incur higher out-of-pocket payments and health insurance premiums.
“None of those measures is going to be very effective in my view because they don’t get at the underlying issue of how drug prices are set,” said John Rother, president and CEO of the National Coalition on Health Care, a nonprofit that focuses on improving health care while lowering costs.
Expensive class of drugs
Specialty drugs are in a class called biologics, extremely complex medicines made from organic materials. They are often used to treat serious, chronic diseases, including some advanced forms of cancer, autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and diseases of the central nervous system such as multiple sclerosis. They also are used to treat hepatitis C, which afflicts approximately 2.7 million Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In most cases, biologics are far more effective and cause fewer side effects than conventional drugs, leaving patients with no alternative but to take them.
But the price for these drugs far exceeds that of conventional drugs, largely because they have little or no competition. They also require special handling, such as refrigeration, and often must be administered intravenously, adding to their costliness.
On average, biologics cost 22 times what conventional medicines do. A 2011 AARP Public Policy Institute report said that the average specialty medicine cost more than $34,550 for a year’s course of treatment.
“The cost of these drugs is simply unsustainable,” said Leigh Purvis, director of health services research in AARP’s Public Policy Institute.
Biologics also are gaining a growing share of the prescription market. According to a report last year from Express Scripts, a large prescription management company, specialty drugs already represent nearly a third of the spending on pharmaceuticals in the U.S., although they represent only 1 percent of all prescribed medications. Within two years, Express Scripts projects that spending on specialty drugs will account for $4.40 out of every $10 spent on medicine.
Coinsurance limits
At least seven states are tackling the problem of high out-of-pocket payments for expensive specialty drugs by limiting coinsurance payments.
Insurers use coinsurance and copayments to impose cost-sharing on beneficiaries. Copayments are a set price — often $5, $10, or $15 — that patients pay for medicine, whatever the cost of the drug. With coinsurance, patients are required to pay a percentage of the actual cost of the drug. That means that the higher the cost of the drug, the more the patient has to pay out of pocket.
Coinsurance payments for specialty drugs range nationally from 28 to 50 percent of the price of a drug, according to a 2013 policy paper by Chad Brooker, a lawyer with the Connecticut health exchange.
The state-imposed caps apply both to copayments and to coinsurance. They provide some price protection for the patients taking the drugs, but also spread the high cost of the drugs to a wider population of consumers in the form of higher insurance premiums.
“The caps don’t actually lower the costs of the medicine, it just raises the premiums for everyone,” said Rother of the National Coalition on Health Care.
Covered California, that state’s health exchange, this year became the first state exchange in the country to impose a coinsurance cap on specialty drugs of $250 per prescription per month.
James Scullary, a spokesman for Covered California, said the cap would result in an overall premium increase of no more than 1 percent in the first year and no more than 3 percent in the first three years.
New York has taken a slightly different approach. It won’t allow insurers to put biologics in their own special category of drugs. Insurers place medications in separate tiers depending on whether they are generics, preferred prescription drugs or specialty drugs. The higher the tier, the greater the cost-sharing burden for the patient. New York has prohibited the use of the specialty tier.
In Delaware, the state forbids insurers from putting all specialty drugs for a particular disease in the specialty tier, so that patients are given at least one lower-cost alternative.
Neither method gets around the problem of higher premiums for everyone, Rother said. He and other critics call for another method of setting the price of prescription medicine.
Right now, drug prices are set by manufacturers subject to mandated discounts for various federal health plans and Medicaid, and through negotiation with other health plans. Critics have argued for a system of pricing based on the relative effectiveness of each drug.
‘Shaming’ drugmakers
A bill currently before the California Assembly would require drugmakers to report their costs for the development and manufacture of any drug with a price tag of more than $10,000 for a course of treatment. Massachusetts and North Carolina are considering similar measures.
The purpose of disclosure measures is to create pressure on the drug companies to lower their prices, AARP’s Leigh Purvis said.
“It’s meant to be educational and also to be used in kind of a shaming way,” she said. “If the manufacturer can’t produce information that makes the prices seem justifiable, it may give people more ammunition to say that they’re not.”
The pharmaceutical industry argues that transparency laws, which it opposes, would not provide a fair representation of what it costs drugmakers to develop new drugs. For every drug that makes it to market, the industry says, nine or 10 do not. Nor would disclosure provide information on what costs patients would have to bear, it says.
“All of [the proposed transparency laws] would create an inaccurate and misleading overview of costs of providing treatment, and don’t provide information on costs patients will have to pay out of pocket,” said Priscilla VanderVeer, a spokeswoman for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.
This copyrighted story comes from Stateline, the daily news service of the Pew Charitable Trusts.
The post At least 7 states limit patient costs for high-priced drugs appeared first on PBS NewsHour.
Greece Is Just The Beginning Of The Great Austerity Backlash
WASHINGTON -- The global politics of austerity seeped into the press room of the White House on Monday, the day after the Greeks voted overwhelmingly to reject a harsh bailout deal with Europe.
Reporters pressed Josh Earnest, President Barack Obama’s spokesman, for details of what his boss thought of the vote and of the bailout deal, and whether he agreed with 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders that the latter was outrageous. Earnest answered with streams of polite words that added up to ... nothing. Obama was staying out of the issue, as he apparently had promised German Chancellor Angela Merkel he would when they met at the G-7 summit recently.
Obama favors “a package of relief and reform,” was all Earnest would say.
Nevertheless, the exchange with reporters in Washington was another of the many signs that the debate over the power that should accrue to money -- and what those who wield it can fairly demand -- is spreading around the world.
It’s a new echo on a global scale of the politics of a much earlier, but in some ways remarkably similar, era in the U.S. As the U.S. became a continental economy in the late 19th century, with vast new hordes of wealth built in railroads, coal, electricity and communications, a political backlash arose. The new “money power” was judged too big and uncontrollable: an engine not of prosperity, but of inequality and corruption. The backlash launched America's Progressive movement, which among other reforms pushed laws to rein in the power of big corporations in the interests of ordinary people.
Now that the planet’s economies have essentially become one, and the world’s top dozen banks control $30 trillion in assets, the callous demands of a new and even larger “money power” is starting to spark a worldwide backlash.
Even the ever-cautious Obama has alluded to it. This past winter, he defended Greece, saying that “you can’t keep squeezing countries that are in the midst of depression” to pay off debt and warning that "eventually the political system, the society can’t sustain it.”
Around the same time, he sent the U.S. Congress a budget proposal with many new spending plans, declaring that it was time to end the “mindless austerity” of his Republican foes. They responded by proposing their stingiest budget plan in years.
This fall, Obama will again be battling the Republican Party over cutting spending to reduce debt -- even as he declines to get involved in the more intense version of the same debate going on in Europe.
Europe, meanwhile, is likely to see the Greek anti-austerity sentiment spread -- in the first instance to Portugal and Spain, which have national elections this fall and winter, respectively. Governments in both countries are responding to heavy borrowing and debt with controversial austerity measures sure to be at issue with the voters. French and Italian national elections are much further away, but the leftist parties in each nation have been invigorated by the fight in Athens. Representatives of parties and movements in all four countries were on the scene in Greece this week, cheering on the Syriza party and trying to learn from its victories and mistakes.
The leftists face long odds despite growing evidence that what British economist John Maynard Keynes warned during the Great Depression (and what Obama said this winter) remains true: You can’t “squeeze” a country into prosperity. Just the opposite, in fact.
This was something the founders of the International Monetary Fund understood. Their original aim was to provide guidance to national governments in economic distress but also to feed in more money where needed, not cut it back. Today the IMF has become something akin to a collection agency, insisting on harsh measures that guarantee the repayment of loans made to vulnerable countries by private global banks.
Something has to change, as the Greeks declared with their vote this weekend.
Reporters pressed Josh Earnest, President Barack Obama’s spokesman, for details of what his boss thought of the vote and of the bailout deal, and whether he agreed with 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders that the latter was outrageous. Earnest answered with streams of polite words that added up to ... nothing. Obama was staying out of the issue, as he apparently had promised German Chancellor Angela Merkel he would when they met at the G-7 summit recently.
Obama favors “a package of relief and reform,” was all Earnest would say.
Nevertheless, the exchange with reporters in Washington was another of the many signs that the debate over the power that should accrue to money -- and what those who wield it can fairly demand -- is spreading around the world.
It’s a new echo on a global scale of the politics of a much earlier, but in some ways remarkably similar, era in the U.S. As the U.S. became a continental economy in the late 19th century, with vast new hordes of wealth built in railroads, coal, electricity and communications, a political backlash arose. The new “money power” was judged too big and uncontrollable: an engine not of prosperity, but of inequality and corruption. The backlash launched America's Progressive movement, which among other reforms pushed laws to rein in the power of big corporations in the interests of ordinary people.
Now that the planet’s economies have essentially become one, and the world’s top dozen banks control $30 trillion in assets, the callous demands of a new and even larger “money power” is starting to spark a worldwide backlash.
Even the ever-cautious Obama has alluded to it. This past winter, he defended Greece, saying that “you can’t keep squeezing countries that are in the midst of depression” to pay off debt and warning that "eventually the political system, the society can’t sustain it.”
Around the same time, he sent the U.S. Congress a budget proposal with many new spending plans, declaring that it was time to end the “mindless austerity” of his Republican foes. They responded by proposing their stingiest budget plan in years.
This fall, Obama will again be battling the Republican Party over cutting spending to reduce debt -- even as he declines to get involved in the more intense version of the same debate going on in Europe.
Europe, meanwhile, is likely to see the Greek anti-austerity sentiment spread -- in the first instance to Portugal and Spain, which have national elections this fall and winter, respectively. Governments in both countries are responding to heavy borrowing and debt with controversial austerity measures sure to be at issue with the voters. French and Italian national elections are much further away, but the leftist parties in each nation have been invigorated by the fight in Athens. Representatives of parties and movements in all four countries were on the scene in Greece this week, cheering on the Syriza party and trying to learn from its victories and mistakes.
The leftists face long odds despite growing evidence that what British economist John Maynard Keynes warned during the Great Depression (and what Obama said this winter) remains true: You can’t “squeeze” a country into prosperity. Just the opposite, in fact.
This was something the founders of the International Monetary Fund understood. Their original aim was to provide guidance to national governments in economic distress but also to feed in more money where needed, not cut it back. Today the IMF has become something akin to a collection agency, insisting on harsh measures that guarantee the repayment of loans made to vulnerable countries by private global banks.
Something has to change, as the Greeks declared with their vote this weekend.
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
Raw video of strip mall fire in Los Angeles County
Raw video from firelensman of Los Angeles County FD early Sunday at a strip mall fire in Huntington Park. Here’s some of the description with the video:
Firefighters advanced handlines and attacked the fire on the roof and inside the involved units. There were no reported injures. There was a heavy use of fireworks in the neighborhood at the time of the late night blaze.
Can I Have a 401(k) If I'm Self-Employed?
We have all been told the importance of contributing to a 401(k) as a retirement plan. 401(k)s are great because your employer sends your contribution straight to the company managing the investment plan, tax-free. Some employers will even make matching...
Legal Shark Week: Avoid Loan Sharks!
It's Shark Week both on the Discovery Channel, and here at FindLaw! While many of will never see a shark in the sea, some of us will have to deal with a different kind of shark: loan sharks. Get...
‘I salute Donald Trump’ on immigration, Cruz says
Senator Ted Cruz speaks with reporters at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., June 23, 2015. Cruz voiced support Sunday for Donald Trump’s positions on immigration. Photo by Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz voiced support Sunday for embattled fellow Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who has drawn widespread criticism for statements he made last month about Mexican immigrants.
On NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday, Cruz expressed admiration for the business magnate’s outspokenness on immigration, and criticized media coverage of Trump’s remarks.
“I salute Donald Trump for focusing on the need to address illegal immigration,” Cruz said told host Chuck Todd.
“He has a colorful way of speaking,” Cruz added. “It’s not the way I speak, but I’m not going to engage in the media’s game of throwing rocks and attacking other Republicans.”
In a June 16 speech announcing his presidential run, Trump said of Mexican immigrants, “They are bringing drugs. They are bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.”
Trump, himself the son of a Scottish immigrant, has stood by his statements, even as a series of companies cut ties with him.
Both Trump and Cruz support a legal path to immigration, advocate for strong border security and denounce so-called amnesty policies that provide a path to citizenship for immigrants living in the United States without documentation.
“The Washington cartel supports amnesty,” Cruz said Sunday. “The Washington cartel does not support securing our borders.”
The post ‘I salute Donald Trump’ on immigration, Cruz says appeared first on PBS NewsHour.
Your attention please, Independence Day-celebrating Wisconsinites. Still LOTS of alarming BS in that last minute add-on to the WI budget.
Wisconsin’s Governor has released yet another Orwellian decree. It asserts that despite the fact that a radical stripping of open records law was tucked into Thursday’s “motion 999″ that the changes were “never intended to inhibit transparent gov’t in any way“. That’s special. Let’s assume I can pretend that Scott Walker and associated Republican legislators more »
Raw video from a 3-alarm embassy fire in Washington, DC in 2001
Raw video posted by John Z Wetmore of a three-alarm fire on January 11, 2001 at the Algerian Embassy on Kalorama Road, NW in Washington, DC. The video begins as the evacuation order was given and defensive operations begin.
This fire occurred when Ronnie Few was chief. News coverage of the fire is here and here.
Sunday, July 5, 2015
How MLP Weakness Affects Legg Mason, Piper Jaffray: Susquehanna
The Alerian MLP Index (AMLP) lost 3.8% in the second quarter, and is down 8.8% since the start of the year. Susquehanna Group’s DougSipkin and Justin LaSalle-Tarantin today take a look at how that’s affecting assets managers. They note that Legg Mason (LM) and Piper Jaffray (PJC) are two notable companies in their coverage feeling [...]
Independent TV network Reelz to air Miss USA pageant
Erin Brady poses with Donald Trump, co-owner of the Miss Universe Organization, at a news conference after being crowned Miss USA 2013 at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada June 16, 2013. NBC dropped its contract with Trump and will no longer air the Miss USA pageant after Trump’s recent comments regarding Mexican immigrants that are being described as ‘bigoted’ and ‘racist.’ Photo by Steve Marcus
LOS ANGELES — The Miss USA pageant, left without a TV home following blowback against co-owner Donald Trump over his comments on Mexican immigrants, has been rescued by the Reelz channel.
Reelz CEO Stan E. Hubbard said in a statement Thursday that the cable and satellite channel acquired the rights because of a belief that the pageant and the women who compete in it “are an integral part of American tradition.”
“As one of only a few independent networks, we decided to exercise our own voice and committed ourselves to bringing this pageant to American viewers everywhere,” Hubbard said.
While Reelz, which reaches 70 million homes, said it considered the interests of Miss USA contestants, the host city of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and viewers in making its decision, it made no mention of Trump or the hot water he’s found himself in since he announced his presidential bid in June.
In an interview, Hubbard said the pageant is the issue, not Trump. He said the billionaire won’t make any money off the telecast.
“I completely understand why millions of people were offended by what Donald Trump said. I think his comments were incredibly insensitive and wrong. I disagree with them completely and totally,” Hubbard said, adding, “I also believe this pageant is as nonpolitical” as an event can be.
In his June presidential campaign announcement, Trump said that some Mexican immigrants to the U.S. bring drugs and crime, and some are rapists. NBC, Trump’s partner in the Miss USA pageant, cited his comments when it cut business ties with him and dropped its pageant telecast.
That left Miss USA adrift and created an opening for Reelz.
Hubbard said the license fee negotiated with the pageant was well below market value for such events and so small that it “won’t put even a dent in the production costs” shouldered by the pageant. He declined to specify the amount.
“The point is that people who were offended want to make sure he’s (Trump) not going to profit from our decision,” and that won’t happen, Hubbard said.
Trump declined to comment on the Reelz acquisition.
The pageant also won’t make money from commercial spots; any revenue will go to Reelz. Hubbard said it will be a scramble to sign advertisers both because of timing and the controversy surrounding the pageant.
This isn’t the first time Reelz has gone its own way. When the History channel dropped “The Kennedys” miniseries that had been made for it, saying it didn’t fit its brand, Reelz aired it in 2011 and was rewarded with record channel ratings and awards attention.
Reelz said the Miss USA pageant will be televised July 12, its originally scheduled date on NBC. The pageant will have to scramble after a mass exodus of performers, hosts and judges who cited opposition to Trump’s views as the reason.
Hubbard said he’s optimistic the telecast will be “loaded with talent and heavy entertainment value,” and said he’d prefer to see a Hispanic host.
Rapper Flo Rida had been the highest profile performer scheduled for Miss USA, and his representative confirmed Wednesday that he wouldn’t perform. Country singer Craig Wayne Boyd, winner of “The Voice” last year, and pop singer Natalie La Rose also dropped out. There were no more announced performers.
In a Miss USA news release last month, the judges were listed as HGTV star Jonathan Scott, country singer Jessie James Decker, E! News anchor Terrence Jenkins, TV host and former Miss Universe winner Zuleyka Rivera and Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith.
Of that quintet, only Decker’s name was listed as a judge by Miss USA on its website Wednesday. That’s the day Smith dropped out.
The pageant lost both of its co-hosts, Cheryl Burke of “Dancing With the Stars” and MSNBC anchor Thomas Roberts, on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Jeannie Mai, who hosted a show on the Style Network, was listed as a show host.
Last week, the hosts of the now-abandoned Univision Spanish-language simulcast, Roselyn Sanchez and Cristian de la Fuente, said they wouldn’t take part in it.
Trump’s campaign comments struck many Latinos as insensitive, and Univision’s decision last week to back out of televising Miss USA and break off its business ties with Trump led to a cascade of others following suit. Trump responded by suing Univision on Tuesday.
Aside from the pageant world, there has growing fallout on other fronts for the GOP presidential hopeful and businessman.
On Wednesday, the Macy’s department store chain, which carried a Donald Trump menswear line, said it was “distressed” by Trump’s remarks and was ending its relationship with him.
Trump said in a statement that he had decided to end his relationship with Macy’s because of pressure on them by outside sources.
“Both Macy’s and NBC totally caved at the first sight of potential difficulty with special interest groups who are nothing more than professional agitators,” Trump said.
Also on Wednesday, New York City officials said they were reviewing the city’s contracts with Trump in light of his comments, and Mayor Bill de Blasio issued a statement calling them “disgusting and offensive,” adding that “this hateful language has no place in our city.”
The Trump Organization currently operates several city concessions, including a golf course, ice skating rink and carousel.
Representatives for Trump did not respond Wednesday to an email seeking comment on the city’s review.
The PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, USGA and PGA of America also on Wednesday distanced themselves from Trump in a statement and said his remarks were “inconsistent with our strong commitment to an inclusive and welcoming environment in the game of golf.”
Gov. Susana Martinez of New Mexico, the nation’s only Latina governor and a rising star in the Republican party, added her voice Wednesday to criticism of the GOP presidential hopeful, denouncing his comments as “horrible.”
This article was written by Lynn Elber of the Associated Press.
The post Independent TV network Reelz to air Miss USA pageant appeared first on PBS NewsHour.
Uber + MADD Partner to Keep Drunk Drivers off the Road This Holiday Weekend
Meet Janet, an ambulance medic for over 20 years. During that time, she responded to thousands of incidents, many of which involved drunk driving. Today, Janet drives with Uber to prevent those crashes before they happen.
“In the 20 years that I was a paramedic I saw more drunk-driving tragedies than anybody should ever have to see. Driving with Uber makes me proud that I can get people home safe.”
—Janet Weiser, Portland, Oregon Uber Driver-Partner
This Fourth of July weekend, we are partnering with Mothers Against Drunk Driving® (MADD) to thank Janet—and thousands of other Uber driver-partners—for making sure revelers have access to a safe ride home. As part of this nationwide public service campaign, we are asking our riders to help us support this important mission by taking the MADD pledge to not drink and drive.
“We are proud to work with Uber on this important awareness campaign to highlight the dangers of drunk driving and to remind individuals nationwide to always designate a non-drinking driver. Thank you to the Uber driver-partners who are ensuring that riders have access to a reliable ride and for helping keep our streets safe this Fourth of July weekend.”
—Colleen Sheehey-Church, MADD National President
Riders will also have an opportunity to donate to MADD, with Uber matching donations made during the holiday. We’re making it easy for people to leave their keys at home this weekend so they can just enjoy the fireworks — along with the knowledge that they’re helping to keep our streets and cities safe.
DETAILS
MADD’s mission is to end drunk driving, help fight drugged driving, support the victims of these violent crimes and prevent underage drinking. If you or someone you love has been impacted by drunk or drugged driving, MADD is here to help. Call MADD’s 24-Hour Victim Help Line at 877.MADD.HELP. Uber will match the total amount of MADD donations made through madd.org/uber between 7/1/2015 and 7/5/2015 up to $25,000.
“The burning churches south of the Ohio River are a striking reminder that fascism thrives in America”
The note below appears at the blue cheddar blog with Tom Neale’s permission. The burning churches south of the Ohio River are a striking reminder that fascism thrives in America; for one of fascism’s most telling characteristics is its racist component. The demonized other is essential to this evil. In the wisdom traditions it is more »
Friday, July 3, 2015
Raw video & radio traffic from 4-alarm NJ pizza shop fire
Video above and radio traffic from Mike Villanova (homer218) of a four-alarm fire Monday at Bella’s Pizza in Carlstadt, New Jersey. Two minor injuries to firefighters.
UPDATED: Walker will “make changes” / WI Legislature aims to destroy public access to drafting docs. IT TAKES EFFECT JULY 1st.
UPDATE: Gov. Scott Walker plans to work with lawmakers to change heavy restrictions on public records before the state budget is voted on, his spokeswoman said Friday. “Prior to the budget going to the full Legislature for action, Governor Walker plans to work with legislative leaders to make changes to the provisions included in the more »
Killing a Transit Project Isn’t Going to Fix Your City’s Parking Crunch
Broad Street in Richmond. Photo: Jeff Auth/Wikimedia Commons via GGW
Yesterday we ran a post from Michael Andersen about how Newark fixed the glut of parked cars on Mount Prospect Avenue, the first street in New Jersey to get a protected bike lane: Instead of letting people park in the bikeway, the city started charging for parking. With a price on parking, people stopped storing their cars on the street all day long, and there was finally some turnover. Problem solved.
The same approach makes sense any time free or cheap on-street parking gets stuffed with cars, but street redesigns often intensify the need to get parking prices right. Canaan Merchant at Greater Greater Washington reports on another case in point — a Bus Rapid Transit project called The Pulse in Richmond, Virginia.
On some sections, The Pulse will run on dedicated bus lanes along the median of Broad Street, and the city will remove some parking spaces to make room. That has a neighborhood association in the nearby Fan District riled up, but as Merchant points out, parking dysfunction can’t be pinned on the transit project:
It may be harder to park in the Fan in the future, but the Pulse won’t be to blame if that happens. Lots of people park on the street because parking there is usually convenient and cheap, or even free. In most cities, parking is drastically underpriced given how valuable the space spots take up is.
This is especially true for Fan District residents since the city introduced a permit parking program (which is similar to DC’s) where residents can park wherever they want for twenty five dollars per year, per car. That’s an incredibly low price for parking in an otherwise high-demand area, which incentivizes people to park there rather than somewhere else.
For those concerned about the availability of street parking in the Fan, stopping the Pulse would actually be counterproductive because the service will give people an alternative to driving. It’d be smarter to focus efforts on finding ways manage street parking in a way that matches the demand for it.
Elsewhere on the Network today: Transportation for America has an update on three amendments that would make the Senate transportation bill better. Streets.mn notes that gender parity holds steady among Dutch cyclists regardless of age. And Cyclelicious shares the first-person account of a cyclist run off the road by a driver who ended up getting charged for attempted murder.
World Police & Fire Games athlete dies in bike crash in Virginia
A competitor in the World Police and Fire Games died Thursday evening after he was hurt in a cycling crash Thursday afternoon, Prince William County Police said in an update. Two other riders were in critical condition after the devastating accident.
The rider was identified as Carlos Silva, 48, of Brazil. He died about 5 p.m. Thursday. The two injured competitors are a 43-year-old man and a 44-year-old man, police said.
fox5newsdc: Cyclist killed at World Police & Fire Games ID’ed as Carlos Silva, 48, officer from Brazil … pic.twitter.com/D4LV40t4sd
— Sendler Nies (@Cust_Service_) July 3, 2015
News reports indicate that Carlos Silva was an investigator with the Civil Police of the Federal District of Brazil
One bicyclist was killed and two others were seriously injured after a cycling crash at the World Police and Fire Games Thursday afternoon.
The crash happened on the Loop, a 7.5 mile paved, windy road with hills at the Prince William Forest Park in Triangle, Va.
Prince William County police say the riders, all from Brazil, were transported to area hospitals for treatment. The two other riders remain in serious condition.
According to police, the crash was triggered when one of the riders sustained a front tire blowout, which caused a chain reaction with the other cyclists.
The deceased bicyclist was identified as 48-year-old Carlos Silva. The two other cyclists are a 44-year-old man and a 43-year-old man. Police have not released their names.
Riders familiar with the Loop say it’s a tough course and can be dangerous for those who are not familiar with the road. The injured cyclists were coming down a steep, curvy hill over Quantico Creek.
The incident happened around noon, and the competition at the park ended shortly after.
The World Police and Fire games are an athletic competition featuring law enforcement officers from all over the world.
Official statement:
Joint Statement from Chairman Sharon Bulova; Police Chief Ed Roessler; Fire Chief Richard Bowers; Sheriff Stacey Kincaid; Dave Rohrer, Deputy County Executive for Public Safety; Bill Knight, President & CEO, Fairfax 2015 Inc; Michael Graham, President, World Police & Fire Games Federation; and Robert Vogel, Regional Director, National Park Service, National Capital Region
For Immediate Release: July 2, 2015
We are deeply saddened that an athlete participating in the World Police & Fire Games passed away today at the cycling event in Prince William County. Two other athletes are severely injured. Please join us as we keep these athletes, their families and friends in our thoughts and prayers during this tragic and challenging time.
Drug Traffickers Get Creative When Mailing Meth To Hawaii
HONOLULU (AP) — Federal agents last month intercepted a package mailed to Hawaii from Southern California containing a toaster oven. Hidden inside the four-slice toaster, there appeared to be 6 pounds of crystal meth.
Leland Akau Sr. and Allen Gorion, who allegedly received the package in Kapolei, pleaded not guilty Thursday to meth distribution and conspiracy charges. Lab analysis results to determine the purity of the methamphetamine are pending, Assistant U.S. Attorney Tony Roberts said. It's one of the latest cases involving drug packages mailed to Hawaii.
Crystal meth is known as the drug of choice in Hawaii, where it gained a stronghold across the islands long before becoming popular on the mainland. "It's the No. 1 dangerous drug here in Hawaii," Gary Yabuta, director of the federal High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program in Hawaii.
In an island state where crowded living makes meth labs scarce, there are limited ways to get the drug. So, traffickers get creative: hiding them in stuffed animals or wrapping them up like Christmas presents before sending them in the mail.
In 2013, 6 pounds of meth were shipped to Hawaii from San Bernardino, California, stuffed into three mannequin heads, according to court documents. The mannequin heads were in boxes wrapped in pink and gold paper. The parcel also contained shirts, shorts, slippers and towels.
In a separate case last year, 4 pounds of the drug was shipped to Hawaii from Ontario, California, stuffed inside two mannequin heads.
"If it fits, it ships," said Robin Dinlocker, assistant special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's Honolulu district.
Mailing or shipping drugs to Hawaii became more common with increased airport security after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, when it became more difficult to smuggle drugs through air travel, authorities said.
During the 2014 fiscal year, the Honolulu office of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which also covers Guam and the Marianas, participated in more than 50 arrests of people who were using the mail to transport drugs. The majority of the cases involved methamphetamine, said Postal Inspector Brian Shaughnessy. For 2012 and 2013, there were about 40 each year, also mostly meth.
The figures don't include other package delivery services such as FedEx and UPS.
Crystal meth first arrived in Hawaii from Korea and the Philippines around 1979, said Dr. William Haning, professor of psychiatry at the University of Hawaii's medical school.
Geography wasn't the only reason the drug took root here, Haning said. It fit in well with Hawaii's largely service economy, where many residents work multiple, low-wage jobs to survive a high-cost of living. "After a while, with everybody working so many hours ... this becomes the perfect performance drug for getting by," he said.
These days, crystal meth isn't coming from Asia, but from Mexico, Dinlocker said.
The appetite for the drug, along with the difficulty in getting it here, is reflected in its street value: A pound of meth goes for $20,000 in Honolulu — double what it goes for on the mainland.
The meth hidden in the toaster was in vacuum-sealed plastic bags, according to the criminal complaint filed in the case. The Black & Decker oven box was then placed into a cardboard box and shipped to a residential address in Kapolei from North Hollywood, California.
The parcels of meth are sent here so frequently, "I know we're not catching them all," Dinlocker said.
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Follow Jennifer Sinco Kelleher at http://www.twitter.com/JenHapa.
___
This story has been corrected to show that the plea was Thursday, not Friday.
Leland Akau Sr. and Allen Gorion, who allegedly received the package in Kapolei, pleaded not guilty Thursday to meth distribution and conspiracy charges. Lab analysis results to determine the purity of the methamphetamine are pending, Assistant U.S. Attorney Tony Roberts said. It's one of the latest cases involving drug packages mailed to Hawaii.
Crystal meth is known as the drug of choice in Hawaii, where it gained a stronghold across the islands long before becoming popular on the mainland. "It's the No. 1 dangerous drug here in Hawaii," Gary Yabuta, director of the federal High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program in Hawaii.
In an island state where crowded living makes meth labs scarce, there are limited ways to get the drug. So, traffickers get creative: hiding them in stuffed animals or wrapping them up like Christmas presents before sending them in the mail.
In 2013, 6 pounds of meth were shipped to Hawaii from San Bernardino, California, stuffed into three mannequin heads, according to court documents. The mannequin heads were in boxes wrapped in pink and gold paper. The parcel also contained shirts, shorts, slippers and towels.
In a separate case last year, 4 pounds of the drug was shipped to Hawaii from Ontario, California, stuffed inside two mannequin heads.
"If it fits, it ships," said Robin Dinlocker, assistant special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's Honolulu district.
Mailing or shipping drugs to Hawaii became more common with increased airport security after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, when it became more difficult to smuggle drugs through air travel, authorities said.
During the 2014 fiscal year, the Honolulu office of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which also covers Guam and the Marianas, participated in more than 50 arrests of people who were using the mail to transport drugs. The majority of the cases involved methamphetamine, said Postal Inspector Brian Shaughnessy. For 2012 and 2013, there were about 40 each year, also mostly meth.
The figures don't include other package delivery services such as FedEx and UPS.
Crystal meth first arrived in Hawaii from Korea and the Philippines around 1979, said Dr. William Haning, professor of psychiatry at the University of Hawaii's medical school.
Geography wasn't the only reason the drug took root here, Haning said. It fit in well with Hawaii's largely service economy, where many residents work multiple, low-wage jobs to survive a high-cost of living. "After a while, with everybody working so many hours ... this becomes the perfect performance drug for getting by," he said.
These days, crystal meth isn't coming from Asia, but from Mexico, Dinlocker said.
The appetite for the drug, along with the difficulty in getting it here, is reflected in its street value: A pound of meth goes for $20,000 in Honolulu — double what it goes for on the mainland.
The meth hidden in the toaster was in vacuum-sealed plastic bags, according to the criminal complaint filed in the case. The Black & Decker oven box was then placed into a cardboard box and shipped to a residential address in Kapolei from North Hollywood, California.
The parcels of meth are sent here so frequently, "I know we're not catching them all," Dinlocker said.
___
Follow Jennifer Sinco Kelleher at http://www.twitter.com/JenHapa.
___
This story has been corrected to show that the plea was Thursday, not Friday.
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