Kelly Macias

Kelly Macias https://www.dailykos.com/user/Kelly Macias/rss/index.xml News Community Action Copyright 2005 - Steal what you want Mon, 01 Feb 2021 18:04:27 +0000 Mon, 01 Feb 2021 18:04:27 +0000 Daily Kos rss@dailykos.com (Daily Kos) Daily Kos rss@dailykos.com (Daily Kos) Got funding? White school districts get billions more than schools with students of color https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/3/1/1838603/-Got-funding-White-school-districts-get-billions-more-than-schools-with-students-of-color Though Brown v. Board of Education established that segregated schools are unconstitutional back in 1954, we’ve made little progress toward improving educational opportunity for students of color in America since then. According to writer and MacArthur “genius grant” recipient Nikole Hannah Jones, in some districts, school segregation is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jy9bGH5vR1U#action=share" target="_blank" title="">worse now than it was in the 1970s.</a> And now we have recent financial data that demonstrates the incredible funding disparity between white school districts and districts that serve mostly students of color. <a href="https://edbuild.org/content/23-billion" target="_blank" title="">A new report from the nonprofit EdBuild</a> singles out states in which school districts that serve predominantly white students receive $23 billion more in funding than those with predominantly black and brown students. Yes, you read that right: billions, with a B. According to <a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/02/26/696794821/why-white-school-districts-have-so-much-more-money?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20190226" target="_blank" title="">NPR</a>, the report states that “for every student enrolled, the average nonwhite school district receives $2,226 less than a white school district.” The data comes from 21 different states where this disparity exists. These include California, New York, and New Jersey, which are some of the most demographically diverse places in the United States. However, this is an issue that impacts students all across the country. According to the EdBuild report, more than half of students in the U.S. go to segregated, or what they refer to as “racially concentrated,” schools. Not all predominantly black and brown schools are in high-poverty areas. But the ones that are tend to fare the worst. Schools that serve primarily students of color in areas where there is a high concentration of poverty receive less money. Those districts get about $1,600 less per student than the national average, compared to schools that serve predominantly white and poor students, which receive only about $130 less. There goes the argument about class trumping race. The data shows that poor white students still get more school funding than black and brown students. If anything, the parents of poor black and brown students should really be the ones with all that economic anxiety that supposedly elected Donald Trump. rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) BrownvBoardofEducation Education Racism schoolsegregation _1838603 Fri, 01 Mar 2019 19:38:19 +0000 Bill Jenkins, minority health advocate who worked to expose Tuskegee syphilis study, dies at age 73 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/2/26/1837886/-Bill-Johnson-minority-health-advocate-who-worked-to-expose-Tuskegee-syphilis-study-dies-at-age-73 Dr. Bill Jenkins devoted most of his professional life to addressing racism in health care. While he had many accomplishments over the course of his extraordinary career, he was best known for trying to put an end to the <a href="https://www.history.com/news/the-infamous-40-year-tuskegee-study" target="_blank" title="">Tuskegee Experiment</a>, an unethical study conducted on black men by the U.S. government in order to learn the effects of syphilis on the human body. Jenkins died in Charleston, South Carolina, on Feb. 17 at the age of 73. Jenkins was employed at the United States Public Health Service as a statistician when he learned about the study. The federal government had intentionally lied to hundreds of black men in Macon, Alabama, about treating their “bad blood,” a term used locally to describe a variety of illnesses. The men, many of whom had syphilis, were initially recruited under the belief that they were receiving free medical treatment at the Tuskegee Institute. Most of them were sharecroppers who had never before seen a doctor. The men were never informed of the experiment which denied them treatment for their condition, even as they suffered blindness, illness, brain damage, and death—even though penicillin became the recommended treatment for syphilis in 1947. The study lasted 40 years, from 1932 to 1972. In that time, some of the infected men passed the disease on to their wives, some of whom subsequently passed it on to their children. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/25/obituaries/bill-jenkins-dead.html?fbclid=IwAR0z50_GdnaXvM34Lw1vAzlBhy9oXtSY2FGVEwJpV5I1WatH14iPNbrCscA" target="_blank" title="">The New York Times</a> describes Jenkins’ quest to halt the study. He was first told of it by a colleague, and proceeded to do research on it. He found numerous articles about it in medical journals and even found that local chapters of the American Medical Association (AMA) supported it. Jenkins took his concerns to his then-supervisor who told him, “Don’t worry about it.” He later discovered that same supervisor was a monitor of the study. Jenkins and some of his colleagues then wrote about the study and sent the article to several black doctors and reporters. However, the story was never picked up. It wasn’t until later that another employee at the health service sent the information to the Associated Press (AP). The AP story made the front page of The New York Times and soon after, the study was stopped. Learning about the study informed Jenkins’ choice to become an advocate in his medical career. rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) Alabama BillJenkins CentersforDiseaseControl HealthCare PublicHealth Racism Tuskegeeexperiment _1837886 Tue, 26 Feb 2019 22:40:58 +0000 Measles outbreaks force states to move toward mandatory immunization, spurring anti-vaxxer protests https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/2/26/1837852/-Measles-outbreaks-force-states-to-move-toward-mandatory-immunization-spurring-anti-vaxxer-protests In 2019, it’s hard to believe that we are still dealing with measles outbreaks in the United States. After all, the disease was officially declared eliminated almost 20 years ago. Since that time, cases have been relatively few in number and contained, and we haven’t seen a national-level measles epidemic in decades. But a recent occurrence of the disease in Washington state has caused much concern—and for good reason. Not only has this outbreak been the worst since measles was declared eliminated, but it has also sickened 70 people and cost more than $1 million. According to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/anti-vaxxers-face-backlash-as-measles-cases-surge/2019/02/25/e2e986c6-391c-11e9-a06c-3ec8ed509d15_story.html?utm_term=.ba493ef76e45" target="_blank" title="">the </a><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/anti-vaxxers-face-backlash-as-measles-cases-surge/2019/02/25/e2e986c6-391c-11e9-a06c-3ec8ed509d15_story.html?utm_term=.ba493ef76e45" target="_blank" title="">Washington Post, </a>the recent outbreaks have resulted in a backlash against those who refuse vaccination and opt out of immunizing their kids. Several states, Washington included, are trying to move forward legislation that would prevent parents from using philosophical or personal exemptions as a reason not to immunize their children. But these are not measures that will pass through easily and without objection. There are many hardcore anti-vaxxers around the country who feel that these bills are a direct threat to their rights. Some have even labeled stricter vaccine requirements a “Holocaust” and have called those who sponsor such bills Nazis. Vermont and New Jersey are two states that are actually trying to tighten or completely do away with religious exemptions to vaccine requirements. And given that measles is a disease that is preventable through the use of vaccines, it is possible that other states will follow suit. Currently, there are 17 states where parents can opt out of vaccinations based on personal or philosophical/religious reasons. And in eight of those states, there have been major measles outbreaks since 2013. <blockquote> Diane Peterson of the Immunization Action Coalition, a Minnesota nonprofit group, said that “there is a growing consensus for state authorities to make the bold move to require all children to be vaccinated, with the only exception being those who cannot be given the vaccine for medical reasons.” </blockquote> rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) Anti-vaxxers Measles PublicHealth Recommended Vaccines WashingtonState _1837852 Tue, 26 Feb 2019 18:41:29 +0000 Lawyer in Trump administration with many arrests for anti-abortion activism lied to get his job https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/2/25/1836979/-Lawyer-in-Trump-administration-with-many-arrests-for-anti-abortion-activism-lied-to-get-his-job For the last 20 years, abortion has been a major focus in Matt Bowman’s life. But he has not been on the side of protecting abortion access and reproductive justice. Between 1996 and 2001, Bowman had at least 14 different run-ins with law enforcement, mainly for protests outside of abortion clinics and homes where he targeted clinic workers, security guards, and patients. <a href="https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/02/matt-bowman-hhs-abortion-arrest-record-clinic-protests/" target="_blank" title="">Mother Jones </a>reports that Bowman is a staunch anti-abortion activist who, in the past, could be found outside of clinics sometimes blocking people’s “attempts to receive or provide constitutionally protected reproductive health care.” In 2019, Bowman has moved on from protests. Instead, he’s blocking access to abortions using the law, and has been fairly successful at it. In his career as a lawyer, he’s clerked in the past for a future Supreme Court justice (Samuel Alito), he’s gone to federal court to argue anti-abortion cases, and now he’s a member of the Trump administration, serving as deputy counsel at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). All of this means that Bowman has been positioned well to impact the constitutionally protected right to privacy established in Roe v. Wade. Bowman has been busy at HHS working to implement rules that weaken the contraception mandate under the Affordable Care Act. He also served as an adviser on the Garza v. Azar case, a challenge to policies that restrict detained migrant girls from receiving abortion care. <blockquote> According to records obtained under litigation by the pro-choice nonprofit Equity Forward, Bowman gave extensive legal advice to the embattled architect of those policies, former Office of Refugee Resettlement Director <a href="https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/11/scott-lloyd-abortion-child-migrants-office-of-refugee-resettlement/" title="">Scott Lloyd</a>, as he attempted to block at least seven unnamed girls, including a rape victim, from seeking abortions and made frequent personal interventions encouraging girls in [Office of Refugee Resettlement] custody to give birth. </blockquote> rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) Abortion DomesticTerrorism DonaldTrump MattBowman ReproductiveJustice _1836979 Tue, 26 Feb 2019 01:10:27 +0000 Texas cut money for family planning but gave an anti-abortion group millions that were wasted https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/2/25/1837607/-Texas-cut-money-for-family-planning-but-gave-an-anti-abortion-group-millions-that-were-wasted Women’s reproductive health is in jeopardy all across the country, but is especially precarious in Texas. In 2016, the state made headlines for a study by the Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Task Force which claimed the state had the highest rate of maternal deaths in the developed world. It turns out that the data was wrong, due to collection and reporting errors, and the numbers were subsequently lowered. Still, the news is far from good. In 2012, the state cut the family planning budget by 66 percent and rejected federal funding through Medicaid for a women’s health program. Since funding has been cut, the maternal mortality rate has doubled. Apparently, Texas hasn’t been spending its money on services that might reduce the amount of women who die in childbirth or from childbirth-related causes, nor has it been spending money on increasing access to contraception. But it has been spending money to make sure that women can’t access abortions. That’s why it gave millions to the Heidi Group, a nonprofit with 22 centers across the state, which specializes in offering alternatives to abortion for low-income women. These are basically Christian pregnancy centers which try to discourage women from having abortions and don’t even offer contraception to their patients. The Heidi Group received millions in state money, despite the fact that the organization’s leader, Carol Everett, had no clinical background and had never, ever contracted with the state before. According to the <a href="https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/politics/texas/article/Texas-gave-anti-abortion-group-millions-for-13638235.php?utm_campaign=CMS%20Sharing%20Tools%20(Premium)&utm_source=t.co&utm_medium=referral" target="_blank">Houston Chronicle</a>, Everett’s group was awarded a contract by state health officials, even though there were warning signs and objections from state employees familiar with contracting. The group proceeded to fall way short of the amount of people it predicted it would be able to serve. In fact, in 2017, the Heidi Group projected it would serve 50,610 people through the Healthy Texas Women program. It only served 2,327. It also projected that it would be able to serve 17,895 women through the state’s Family Planning Program which enables program participants to access birth control, pregnancy tests, and screenings for medical conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and cholesterol. Just how many women did the Heidi Group serve under that program? Only 1,029. But the curious and damning part is that, even after they failed miserably at achieving their intended outcomes, the state of Texas continued to give the Heidi Group money. rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) Abortion Heidigroup MaternalMortality Recommended ReproductiveJustice Texas WomensHealth _1837607 Mon, 25 Feb 2019 23:24:29 +0000 Spike Lee gives moving Oscar acceptance speech and egomaniac Trump whines, calling it a 'racist hit' https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/2/25/1837564/-Spike-Lee-gives-moving-Oscar-acceptance-speech-and-egomaniac-Trump-whines-calling-it-a-racist-hit At last night’s Academy Awards ceremony, Spike Lee won the Oscar for best adapted screenplay for the movie BlacKkKlansman. It was the director’s first-ever competitive win, though he has been nominated multiple times and was given an honorary award for his contributions to the industry in 2016. Lee’s speech was thoughtful and touching, reminding the audience of this historic year, which marks the 400th anniversary of enslaved Africans first being brought to the United States. He praised the black ancestors who came before him and also offered an appreciation of his grandmother, a woman who sacrificed her own financial security to send him to college and film school. At the end of his speech, Lee underscored the importance of the 2020 presidential election. <blockquote> The 2020 presidential election is around the corner! Let's all mobilize, let's all be on the right side of history. Make the moral choice between love versus hate. Let's do the right thing! </blockquote> These statements apparently aggrieved and insulted Donald Trump, even though Lee never once mentioned him, any candidate, or any political party. However, the egomaniac-in-chief just knew it was about him, calling it a “racist hit.” It bothered him so much that he was up at 6:50 in the morning tweeting about it. rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) AcademyAwards DonaldTrump Oscars2019 Recommended SpikeLee _1837564 Mon, 25 Feb 2019 17:23:31 +0000 Through film, young artists document the diverse stories and people creating change in Oakland https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/2/24/1834975/-Through-film-young-artists-document-the-diverse-stories-and-people-creating-change-in-Oakland In 2018, the city of Oakland, California, received a lot of attention. It was the subject and film location for the two critically acclaimed films <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9-HBqVbtTo" target="_blank" title="">Blindspotting</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XthLQZWIshQ" target="_blank" title="">Sorry to Bother You</a>. It made headlines around the country after a white woman, bestowed with the nickname <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/bbq-becky-white-woman-who-called-cops-black-bbq-911-audio-released-im-really-1103057" target="_blank" title="">BBQ Becky</a>, called the police on a black family for using a charcoal grill at a non-designated grilling area at Lake Merritt. It is also where 18-year-old <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/25/us/nia-wilson-bart-stabbing.html" target="_blank" title="">Nia Wilson</a>, a black woman, was attacked and killed by a white man as she exited a train in a BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) station. Wilson’s death set off a series of protests, highlighting both the racial and gender dynamics of the crime and the heightened sense of fear people of color experience daily in Trump’s America. Whatever its reputation among those outside of it, it’s clear that Oakland cannot be pigeonholed or described just one way. The city is comprised of diverse, creative. and dynamic residents who are dealing with some of the most pressing issues facing urban areas. And there is an ongoing movement among its young people to document the creative ways that Oaklanders are changing their city, and the world, for the better. In December, three teams of young filmmakers representing different local community organizations produced and premiered three films documenting the ways that individuals and groups create positive social change in Oakland. This was done in partnership with Oakland Cuts, a project which provides emerging filmmakers the opportunity to create, film, and share their work with the public in Oakland. After viewing each film in January, I had the chance to interview some of the filmmakers via email about their work, the current culture of Oakland, and how the films contribute to the national conversation about Oakland in general. rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) Film Oakland SocialChange Youth _1834975 Sun, 24 Feb 2019 19:20:01 +0000 USA Today investigation of old racist yearbook photos finds one published by its own editor https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/2/22/1836944/-USA-Today-investigation-of-old-racist-yearbook-photos-finds-one-published-by-their-own-editor This year’s Black History Month has been marked with controversy and frequent reminders of America’s fraught relationship with race. Perhaps none has evoked such a powerful reaction as the incidents of white politicians in Virginia who, it was discovered, had dressed in blackface in college back in the 1980s. As a result, there have been numerous conversations about the offensiveness of blackface, and also about the trend among blackface-wearing college students to put photos of themselves in school yearbooks. To see how widespread this issue really is, reporters at USA Today pored through hundreds of old yearbooks. The newspaper assigned 78 reporters to review more than 900 yearbooks spanning the 1970s and 1980s. As a part of their investigation, the reporters discovered more than 200 of these photos, including one from Arizona State University’s yearbook in 1989. It is that one, as <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/02/21/usa-today-scoured-hundreds-yearbooks-blackface-photos-they-found-one-published-by-their-own-editor/?utm_term=.02d7d56c1931" target="_blank" title="">the Washington Post </a>notes, that hit very close to home. That is because the editor of the yearbook and designer of the page containing the blackface photo was none other than Nicole Carroll, USA Today’s current editor-in-chief. The photo “reportedly depicts two white students in black makeup dressed up as boxer Mike Tyson and actress Robin Givens.” Carroll had this to say about the incident: <blockquote> “I am sorry for the hurt I caused back then and the hurt it will cause today,” Carroll wrote in <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2019/02/20/usa-today-editor-apologizes-racist-yearbook-image-run-her-watch/2931521002/" target="_blank" title="">a column published Wednesday</a>. “Clearly the 21-year-old me who oversaw the book and that page didn’t understand how offensive the photo was. I wish I had. Today’s 51-year-old me of course understands and is crushed by this mistake." </blockquote> Interestingly, while reporters were looking in the yearbooks for blackface photos of politicians and other high-profile leaders, Carroll was the most prominent leader to be discovered in the process. However, it is noteworthy that most of the racist photos ran without captions—meaning that the participants were impossible to identify. So it’s likely that the story isn’t that our politicians weren’t dressing in blackface in the 1970s and 1980s; it’s that they just haven’t been caught yet. Carroll, who has been in her role at USA Today since March 2018, noted the importance of apologizing publicly and holding herself accountable. “As journalists, we must hold ourselves accountable as we do others, and it is important to call myself out for this poor judgment.” She also says that she would like to grow from this experience. Carroll may be one of the first high-profile people who are not politicians to make recent headlines for her involvement in a blackface yearbook photo, but she won’t be the last. USA Today’s investigation discovered hundreds of photos of white students sporting blackface, wearing KKK robes and Nazi symbols, and mocking Native Americans. And this is a thing that routinely occurs on college campuses to this day. This is a conversation that we as a country desperately need to have. While we should have no tolerance for blackface, we can also acknowledge that each of these cases is different. Carroll wasn’t actually involved in wearing blackface (that we know of), but she definitely participated in perpetuating it. Her participation in a culture of white supremacy is one that should challenge us to talk honestly—not just about individual incidents of blackface, but also about our history of racial abuse and oppression, the impact on black people and all people of color, and how we move toward healing. We won’t get beyond our past until we acknowledge the ways it keeps showing up in the present. rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) Blackface NicoleCarroll Racism USAToday WhiteSupremacy _1836944 Fri, 22 Feb 2019 19:42:18 +0000 Trump's border wall will destroy a cemetery that was also a stop on the Underground Railroad https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/2/21/1836642/-Trump-s-border-wall-will-destroy-a-cemetery-that-was-also-a-stop-on-the-Underground-Railroad We don’t really need any more reasons to know that Donald Trump’s border wall is a terrible and ghastly idea. But just in case the waste of money, blatant xenophobia, lies, lack of public support, and complete failure to meaningfully address drug addiction aren’t enough, here’s one more: The plan will destroy sacred sites, including cemeteries. <a href="https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-texas-border-cemeteries-20190219-story.html" target="_blank" title="">The Los Angeles Times </a>reports that in 2018, the Trump administration was fully preparing to bulldoze its way through cemeteries near the border in order to build a fence. They received the approval to do so from officials at the Department of Homeland Security, who waived laws that were previously designed to protect certain sites from fencing and barrier projects—including the Endangered Species and Clean Air Acts and a prohibition against disturbing the dead. In other words, Trump wants his base to have a wall so badly that he is willing to destroy wildlife refuges and build on top of dead bodies, robbing people of the right to pay respects to their relatives. How completely repugnant and shameful. And it gets worse. In one Texas town, building Trump’s border fence would destroy an important piece of American history. The Jackson Ranch Church Cemetery, which sits north of the Rio Grande, is the resting place of families who bore the surnames Jackson and Ramirez. Nathaniel Jackson, born in 1798, was the heir to a plantation in Alabama. Jackson fell in love with an enslaved woman named Matilda Hicks, with whom he married and started a family. When the Civil War broke out and threatened their interracial family, they fled to Texas, stopping at the Rio Grande where they could also get to Mexico, which had already abolished slavery. Subsequently, Jackson bought a ranch that became a stop on the Underground Railroad. He was never caught, and after his death, he was buried in a family plot on the ranch. His children were also buried nearby in a second cemetery. For years, generations of the family maintained both the cemeteries. As time went on, the Jacksons intermarried with Tejano families—hence becoming Ramirezes. Their black ancestry faded eventually, but the Ramirezes continue to maintain the cemeteries to this day, which also now include monuments to their descendants who fought in World Wars I and II and Korea. In one, there is even a headstone honoring an ancestor who fought for the South in the Civil War, placed there before the Ramirez family knew their family history of involvement in the Underground Railroad. The family has obtained a lawyer and joined local activists in fighting the plan for the border fence, which would be built along a levee and cut off access to part of the cemeteries. While the government has given Trump the go-ahead to ruin not just sacred burial sites but also this vital part of history, they can’t even answer basic questions about the plan, such as: Will the bodies be exhumed? Will they be moved if they are exhumed? Who will pay for that? Will they consult the Ramirez family to get their permission? Just after Trump declared his bogus national emergency to try to get his wall, one of the supervisors on the Border Patrol “wall team” (yes, that’s an actual thing) went on television to discuss construction of the wall. He gave a very vague response to the concerns about the fate of cemeteries in this process, saying that there is no construction planned on the border fence near cemeteries “at this time.” There are other families in the area that say that past fence construction has cut off their access to cemeteries as well. Those graves were simply bulldozed over, and the relatives were not allowed to visit the area for over a decade. When they finally were permitted access, they couldn’t find the graves of their relatives, and the cemetery was overgrown with brush, having been abandoned that entire time. Just when you think this situation can’t get any worse, it does. Trump is hell-bent on getting his border wall and is content to destroy lives in the process. He’ll also ruin a slice of the history marked by courage and determination on behalf of freedom for black Americans. Surely that’s not just coincidence. Trump is nothing if not consistent about making life unbearable for black and brown people, and that’s just what his base wants. Their so-called economic anxiety (read: racism) is so strong, they’ll gladly destroy the past, present, and future in order to preserve their own comfort and way of life. rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) BorderWall BurialSites History Recommended Texas trump UndergroundRailroad _1836642 Thu, 21 Feb 2019 20:56:17 +0000 In 2018, the number of hate groups in America reached a 20-year high—thanks to Trump https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/2/21/1836592/-In-2018-the-number-of-hate-groups-in-America-reached-a-twenty-year-high-thanks-to-Trump Once again, hate is on the rise in America, and we have Donald Trump to thank for it. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), there has been a 30 percent increase in the number of hate groups over the last four years—with a 7 percent increase in 2018 alone. In the SPLC’s annual "Year in Hate and Extremism" report, it designates a staggering 1,020 organizations as hate groups. This number represents a 20-year high. <a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/02/20/696217158/u-s-hate-groups-rose-sharply-in-recent-years-watchdog-group-reports?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news" target="_blank">NPR </a>reports that the SPLC attributes this increase to Trump, right-wing media, and the viral spread of hate via social media platforms. But Trump and his right-wing cronies are only able to sell their message of hate because they have something specific to exploit. The SPLC directly links the growth in hate groups to "hysteria over losing a white-majority nation to demographic change." While all of this is disturbing and frightening, it is also not new. Trump’s entire political career has been based on stoking fear of the other and tapping into white outrage over an increasing browning of America. Heidi Beirich, director of the SPLC's Intelligence Project, says that the data is clear: Trump is not only a polarizing president, but also one that is responsible for radicalizing racists and motivating them to action. "Rather than trying to tamp down hate, as presidents of both parties have done, President Trump elevates it — with both his rhetoric and his policies. In doing so, he's given people across America the go-ahead to to act on their worst instincts." Unsurprisingly, the SPLC has found that most of America’s hate groups are organized around white supremacy as an ideology. This includes the Neo-Nazis and Klan members that Trump thinks are very fine people, as well as white nationalists, racist skinheads, and neo-Confederates. The center also clarifies the difference between these groups and black nationalist groups, which are also growing in number. They say that black nationalist groups “are often anti-Semitic, anti-LGBT and anti-white but, unlike white nationalist groups, have little support and basically no sway in politics.” Of course, in the madness of the Trump era, it’s easy for the SPLC’s hate group list to be written off as fake news. The center has received pushback about the groups and individuals included on the list and has been accused of unnecessarily stoking fears about the threat of hate. Three organizations are actually suing over their inclusion on the list. And last year, the group paid $3.4 million to a British political activist for including him on an anti-Muslim extremist list just two years before. The activist, Maajid Nawaz, is a former self-identified Muslim extremist who often aligns himself with anti-Muslim right-wing politicians. The president of the SPLC publicly apologized for the inclusion of Nawaz on the list. Still, it’s likely that the SPLC gets way more right about hate groups than it gets wrong. rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) DonaldTrump HateCrimes HateGroups RichardSpencer SPLC WhiteSupremacy _1836592 Thu, 21 Feb 2019 17:57:15 +0000 Case of Mississippi prosecutor who routinely kicked black people off juries heads to Supreme Court https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/2/19/1836006/-A-Mississippi-prosecutor-heads-to-the-Supreme-Court-for-routinely-kicking-black-people-off-juries Mississippi state prosecutor Doug Evans worked for more than thirteen years to send Curtis Flowers to jail. After the 1996 murders of four people in Winona, Mississippi, Flowers was tried by Evans a whopping <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/20/opinion/mississippi-curtis-flowers-trial.html?action=click&module=RelatedCoverage&pgtype=Article&region=Footer" target="_blank">six times </a>until Evans finally got a conviction that stuck in 2010. Flowers, a black man, was an employee at the furniture store where the murders took place. He had no criminal record, and there was no physical evidence tying him to the crime. No witnesses placed him at the scene. So it’s a wonder where Evans’ evidence came from. One thing that is known, however, is that as part of his trial strategy, Evans made sure that black prospective jurors were excluded as much as possible. And now the Supreme Court will consider whether or not Evans’ use of several peremptory challenges to exclude the potential jurors represents a violation of the Constitution. As Adam Liptak writes in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/18/us/politics/black-jurors-constitution-curtis-flowers.html" target="_blank" title="">the New York Times,</a> peremptory challenges do not require a reason. They are discretionary and aren’t to be second-guessed. However, Batson v. Kentucky, a case decided by the Supreme Court in 1986, ruled that racial discrimination during jury selection is an exception to this. Lawyers who are accused of it must provide an explanation for their peremptory challenges that is nondiscriminatory. Upon first glance, it seems that Evans will face an uphill battle in proving that he was not actively and intentionally excluding blacks from the potential juror pool. In the first two trials against Flowers, he struck all ten potential black jurors (there were five for each trial). The first trial resulted in a white jury that produced a conviction and death sentence for Flowers. But the state’s Supreme Court overturned that conviction on the grounds of “numerous instances of prosecutorial misconduct” that were apparently unrelated to jury selection. rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) CriminalJustice CurtisFlowers DougEvans Mississippi Racism Recommended _1836006 Tue, 19 Feb 2019 20:30:00 +0000 In Louisiana, a frightening pattern emerges of people kept locked up long past their release dates https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/2/18/1835717/-In-Louisiana-a-frightening-pattern-emerges-of-people-kept-locked-up-long-past-their-release-dates According to a 2017 Louisiana state auditor’s report, the state’s prison system and local jails engage in a practice of routinely keeping people locked up past their release dates—for weeks, months, and, in some cases, even years. Though the official numbers aren’t quite clear, it seems that hundreds of people have been impacted. According to <a href="https://www.nola.com/expo/news/g66l-2019/02/3eb5c1dfa86460/louisiana-routinely-jails-people-weeks-months-years-after-their-release-dates.html" target="_blank" title="">NOLA.com</a>, for every week over the last decade, court records show that prison staff found at least one person who remained incarcerated longer than was required by their sentence. In one extreme example, one state inmate, James Chowns, was kept for an absolutely inexcusable amount of time. Chowns “was imprisoned 960 days, almost three years, past his official release date.” Chowns was sentenced in 2002 for aggravated incest. He received five years in prison with probation of 10 years. Due to a clerical error, it was determined incorrectly that he was to spend 10 years in prison. Overdetention in Louisiana’s criminal justice system is a problem that appears to have an easy fix, according to criminal justice experts. They say that it requires state and local authorities to improve their coordination with each other. Instead, they pass the buck—with the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office placing the blame on the Louisiana Department of Corrections (DOC), and the DOC claiming it’s the fault of the sheriff’s office. While these two entities duke it out, their lack of coordination is ruining lives and wasting millions of dollars of taxpayer money. It’s an issue that will now get sorted out in court, because civil rights lawyers are suing both of them. They say that this is a problem that was well-known by officials for years, and that they simply failed to address it. <blockquote> “The criminal justice system is based on the idea that if you do a crime you serve your time and then you go free. And that going free part is not being carried out correctly in Louisiana,” said civil rights attorney William Most, who has <a href="https://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2018/08/federal_judge_says_new_orleans.html" title="">lawsuits pending </a>against DOC and local sheriff’s offices related to the alleged overdetention of five different clients. </blockquote> rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) CriminalJustice CriminalJusticeReform Jails Louisiana Prisons Recommended _1835717 Mon, 18 Feb 2019 21:42:08 +0000 Republicans pin their 2020 hopes on tricking voters into fearing the 'radical' Democrats in Congress https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/2/18/1835694/-Republicans-pin-their-2020-hopes-on-tricking-voters-into-fearing-the-radical-Democrats-in-Congress <a href="/campaigns/petition/add-your-name-support-women-of-color-in-congress-who-are-under-attack" class="dk-action-link" data-action="petition" data-slug="add-your-name-support-women-of-color-in-congress-who-are-under-attack" data-src="https://actionnetwork.org/widgets/v3/petition/add-your-name-support-women-of-color-in-congress-who-are-under-attack?format=js&source=widget&can_widget_id=can-petition-area-add-your-name-support-women-of-color-in-congress-who-are-under-attack-974577" data-href="/campaigns/petition/add-your-name-support-women-of-color-in-congress-who-are-under-attack">Campaign Action</a> Republicans have made their strategy for the 2020 elections crystal-clear: <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/2/13/1834448/-After-losing-big-to-Pelosi-a-racist-GOP-targets-the-newest-women-of-color-in-the-House" target="_blank" title="">going after the newly serving Democratic women of color in Congress</a>. Given this, we can only anticipate conservatives becoming even more rabid over the next two years, ramping up their claims that progressive Democrats in the House are all socialists, who also happen to be anti-Semites that get a kick out of murdering unborn children. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/17/us/republicans-democrats-messaging.html" target="_blank">The New York Times </a>reports that this is how Republicans hope to appeal to voters, and that they have unabashedly claimed this as their plan for victory going forward. Of course, it’s always super fun for the GOP to make false claims about Democrats and paint them as out-of-control lefties who threaten the American way of life. But this time, it isn’t just business as usual. By pinning their hopes on this as a viable campaign and fundraising opportunity, Republicans are also hoping they can “strangle the new Democratic majority in its infancy.” Donald Trump used his State of the Union address as a test case, pointing to Democrats and their calls to adopt socialism in our country (not true) while also stating that recent abortion legislation in New York and Virginia that has been supported by Democrats would permit “a baby to be ripped from the mother’s womb moments before birth” (also not true). Unbothered by the tactic of using outright lies to dupe its voters, the rest of Trump’s party has gleefully jumped on the bandwagon— subsequently running digital ads and sending fundraising emails warning about the dangers of radical Democrats, especially Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI). Of particular note is how Republicans continue to go after Ocasio-Cortez for anything and everything because they are obsessed with her. Right now, they are especially fixated on her sponsorship of the Green New Deal, a plan meant to transform the economy by investing in clean-energy jobs and infrastructure in order to combat the effects of climate change. Basically, they are hoping that they can do enough fearmongering and lying that their base will actually believe that the plan means scary Washington elites and the big, bad government will completely take over the energy and transportation sectors while stripping everyone of their health care. In other words, “socialism” on steroids. They’ve really spent a lot of time and energy concocting this lie, so much so that the national Republican Party wrote its own briefing paper about it titled “The Democrats’ Burgeoning Love Affair With Socialism.” But here’s the thing Republicans fail to realize: When they aren’t being lied to with false claims, the majority of Americans actually support progressive policies to reduce healthcare costs, tax the rich for their fair share, preserve Social Security, work on infrastructure, and create jobs. This may be the strategy they think will flip some seats from blue to red. This also may be what they think secures Trump another term, as Democrats running for president try to court both progressives and right-leaning voters. But they still don’t have a coherent message other than hate, nor do they have one that is consistent with what Americans want—outside of Trump’s base. As Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-IL), who chairs the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, notes, it is Democrats who have the ideas and an agenda to help families. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/17/us/republicans-democrats-messaging.html" target="_blank">Bustos said</a>, “Washington Republicans are set back now, and all they’re playing on is exaggerations and fear.” If the midterms are any indication of what’s to come (and we have every reason to believe they are), this latest tactic of the GOP will fall short at the voting booth. Americans want and deserve sound policies that will uplift people, especially the ones struggling the most. We don’t need more hate speech and lies. Besides, given that this has been the strategy of the GOP for the last few years, how is it actually going to yield a different outcome for Republicans? It’s just more noise added to our political discourse. And while Republicans have proven that they can yell the loudest and longest, they have also shown time and time again that they don’t actually do anything to contribute to real change. rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) 2020elections DonaldTrump GOP Politics Republicans _1835694 Mon, 18 Feb 2019 18:11:56 +0000 In a single year, Trump has had 10 judicial nominees who don't agree with school desegregation https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/2/15/1834956/-In-a-single-year-Trump-has-had-ten-judicial-nominees-who-don-t-agree-with-school-desegregation The presidency of Donald Trump has not been a successful one for him—except for the obscene amount of havoc and pain he has inflicted upon the most vulnerable people in our society. As part of his reign of terror, Trump has appointed a record number of conservative federal judges, many of whom hold absolutely frightening views on race, religion, and reproductive justice. In fact, their retrograde views seem to be a necessary qualification for becoming a judicial nominee under this administration. As an example, Brown v. Board of Education, the 1954 Supreme Court decision that ended school segregation, has been universally supported in the legal community. It is considered to be beyond debate. Yet Trump has put forth at least ten judicial nominees in the past year who refuse to offer an opinion on Brown. As <a href="https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/02/trump-judicial-nominees-are-refusing-to-endorse-brown-v-board-of-education/" target="_blank" title="">Mother Jones</a> reports, earlier this month, Trump’s nominee to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, Neomi Rao, appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee. She is positioned to take the seat left vacant by Brett Kavanaugh when he was confirmed to the Supreme Court. In her hearing, Rao refused to answer whether she thought Brown was correctly decided. <blockquote> Asked by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) whether the court had made the right decision in Brown, Rao replied, “As a judicial nominee, I think it’s not appropriate for me to comment on the correctness of particular precedents.” </blockquote> When pressed for a yes or no answer, Rao only replied that the case was “an incredibly important decision of the Supreme Court.” rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) BrownvBoardofEducation DonaldTrump neomirao Racism schooldesegregation _1834956 Fri, 15 Feb 2019 16:10:08 +0000 After losing big to Pelosi, a racist GOP targets the newest women of color in the House https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/2/13/1834448/-After-losing-big-to-Pelosi-a-racist-GOP-targets-the-newest-women-of-color-in-the-House <a href="/campaigns/petition/add-your-name-support-women-of-color-in-congress-who-are-under-attack" class="dk-action-link" data-action="petition" data-slug="add-your-name-support-women-of-color-in-congress-who-are-under-attack" data-src="https://actionnetwork.org/widgets/v3/petition/add-your-name-support-women-of-color-in-congress-who-are-under-attack?format=js&source=widget&can_widget_id=can-petition-area-add-your-name-support-women-of-color-in-congress-who-are-under-attack-619257" data-href="/campaigns/petition/add-your-name-support-women-of-color-in-congress-who-are-under-attack">Campaign Action</a> Republicans took a beating in the 2018 midterms and are running out of strategies for success. This is why they’ve decided to leapfrog from targeting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to targeting the newest members of Congress—specifically three very visible women of color: Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), and Ilhan Omar (D-MN). As <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2019/02/12/freshmen-democrats-ocasio-cortez-omar-tlaib-1163917" target="_blank">Politico</a> notes, these women represent “a new trio of Democratic villains” for a very desperate GOP. The GOP is right to be nervous. The last two election cycles resulted in people of color and women handing Democrats victories in some of the most unlikely of places and upending Republican strongholds in a number of districts. Though Donald Trump is their president, and they retain control of the Senate, Trump is wildly unpopular outside of his base. He continues to wreak havoc on the country, and women like Ocasio-Cortez, Tlaib, and Omar are unafraid to say so. Thus, they are hoping that fearmongering and obsessive coverage might encourage their base to cough up some dough to defeat Democrats in 2019 and 2020. That’s why the National Republican Congressional Committee has been sending out thousands of emails linking vulnerable Democrats to these new lawmakers. It is an overall lazy and racist strategy, but is unsurprising, especially to its targets. <blockquote> Tlaib told POLITICO she’s become a lightning rod for conservatives because her profile isn't one that has historically been seen in the halls of Congress. “The fact that somebody like myself, who’s a woman of color, is now an equal to many of them — people are very fearful of that," said the Michigan Democrat. </blockquote> It’s also impossible to ignore how this strategy also revolves around stoking fears about the two new Muslim women in Congress, portraying them as wildly unpredictable. Earlier this week, Omar apologized after being slammed by Democrats for a tweet suggesting that “GOP support for Israel is driven by campaign donations from a prominent pro-Israel group [AIPAC].” This evoked reactions in many who believed it to be a reference to pervasive and ugly stereotypes about Jewish donors. The GOP pounced on this immediately as a possible fundraising opportunity. rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) AlexandriaOcasio-Cortez GOP IlhanOmar Racism RashidaTlaib Republicans Sexism _1834448 Wed, 13 Feb 2019 17:38:21 +0000 Black women in Virginia delivered for Democrats. Sadly, men in the party aren't returning the favor https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/2/8/1833109/-Black-women-in-Virginia-delivered-for-Democrats-Sadly-men-in-the-party-aren-t-returning-the-favor In 2017, when Democrat Ralph Northam won the gubernatorial election in Virginia, politicians and pundits around the country recognized the important role that black women voters played in his victory. Suddenly, everyone was full of praise for black women—a key Democratic constituency that had always been actively organizing and voting, but in this moment made more visible as an oppositional force to Donald Trump. “Trust black women,” they exclaimed. “Remember who brought us this victory,” they cried. <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content='&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Let me be clear: We won in Alabama and Virginia because &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlackWomen?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#BlackWomen&lt;/a&gt; led us to victory. Black women are the backbone of the Democratic Party, and we can’t take that for granted. Period.&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Tom Perez (@TomPerez) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/TomPerez/status/940968519088386049?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;December 13, 2017&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; '><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Let me be clear: We won in Alabama and Virginia because <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlackWomen?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BlackWomen</a> led us to victory. Black women are the backbone of the Democratic Party, and we canÃ¢Â€Â™t take that for granted. Period.— Tom Perez (@TomPerez) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomPerez/status/940968519088386049?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2017</a></blockquote> </div> <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content='&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;When you hear someone say “women won the election for Northam”, clarify and say “black women”. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;51% of white women voted Gillespie.&lt;br&gt;91% of Black women voted Northam. &lt;a href="https://t.co/MspEx8ObmN"&gt;pic.twitter.com/MspEx8ObmN&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Broderick Greer (@BroderickGreer) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/BroderickGreer/status/928259972982378496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;November 8, 2017&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; '><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">When you hear someone say Ã¢Â€Âœwomen won the election for NorthamÃ¢Â€Â, clarify and say Ã¢Â€Âœblack womenÃ¢Â€Â. 51% of white women voted Gillespie. 91% of Black women voted Northam. <a href="https://t.co/MspEx8ObmN">pic.twitter.com/MspEx8ObmN</a>— Broderick Greer (@BroderickGreer) <a href="https://twitter.com/BroderickGreer/status/928259972982378496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2017</a></blockquote> </div> As these celebrations of black women took place, what went unspoken (or perhaps ignored) is that while they gladly voted for Northam (in part because his racist opponent, Ed Gillespie, was simply an unthinkable prospect), they were even more excited about the election of Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax. Fairfax, a young black man and up-and-coming rising star in Democratic politics, has deep roots in the state. And black women saw in him a successor to Northam and the possibility that he could become the state’s second black governor. After all, Fairfax earned almost as many votes as Northam (Fairfax earned 52.77 percent to Northam’s 53.93 percent) in the general election, proving to many that he was certainly a viable candidate for governor when the time came. This is important to note because we often forget that black women vote strategically. Thus, they were casting votes for Northam (and against Gillespie) but also keeping the long game in mind. And the long game included the ascension of Fairfax in the not-too-distant future. <div> <a name="update-1549671158000"></a> </div> <div class="live-update-wrapper" data-epoch-time="1549671158000"> <a class="live-update-link" href="#update-1549671158000"> Saturday, Feb 9, 2019 · 12:12:38 AM +00:00 · Kelly Macias </a> <div class="live-update-content">As of Friday afternoon, a second woman has come forward accusing Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax of <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/2/8/1833350/-Second-woman-accuses-Virginia-lieutenant-governor-of-sexual-assault" target="_blank">sexual assault.</a> </div> </div> rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) Blackface JustinFairfax MarkHerring Racism RalphNortham SexualAssault VanessaTyson Virginia _1833109 Fri, 08 Feb 2019 19:16:46 +0000 After an outstanding SOTU response, Abrams has Republicans scared she wants to 'overthrow' white men https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/2/7/1832996/-After-an-outstanding-SOTU-response-Abrams-has-Republicans-scared-she-wants-to-overthrow-white-men Though the State of the Union address offered Donald Trump yet another chance to prove that he is capable of setting a clear, coherent direction for the United States, he failed—bigly. Instead, he was outsmarted and upstaged by Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams, who gave a <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/2/6/1832712/-State-of-the-Union-Stacey-Abrams-proves-why-she-s-a-rising-star-in-Democratic-politics" target="_blank" title="">thoughtful and inspiring Democratic response</a> in less than 11 minutes. Abrams’ speech was widely praised, garnering much enthusiasm from Democrats. Even Washington Post conservative columnist Jennifer Rubin weighed in. Rubin, a prominent never-Trump Republican, penned an <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/02/06/stacey-abrams-shines/?utm_term=.0e963ea07dd3" target="_blank" title="">opinion piece</a> in which she calls Abrams “talented,” “engaging,” and “pitch perfect” for an electorate tired of Trump. <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content='&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Responding to the State of the Union is a thankless task, but Abrams was arguably the only successful one in recent memory. And she was brief. God bless her for that. &lt;a href="https://t.co/CBFOV3KcaV"&gt;https://t.co/CBFOV3KcaV&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Jennifer Rubin (@JRubinBlogger) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/JRubinBlogger/status/1093169624605167616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;February 6, 2019&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; '><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Responding to the State of the Union is a thankless task, but Abrams was arguably the only successful one in recent memory. And she was brief. God bless her for that. <a href="https://t.co/CBFOV3KcaV">https://t.co/CBFOV3KcaV</a>— Jennifer Rubin (@JRubinBlogger) <a href="https://twitter.com/JRubinBlogger/status/1093169624605167616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 6, 2019</a></blockquote> </div> Subsequently, Abrams’ success on Tuesday night whipped Trump supporters into a frenzy. They can’t stand it when their corrupt, incapable leader is shown for who he really is (too late!) and so they immediately pounced on Abrams as an out-of-control radical who threatens to upend the American way of life, and white men’s power, specifically. On Wednesday night, Fox News host Tucker Carlson went on a rant about Abrams, saying that her speech “wasn’t much” and cautioning his viewers that she wants to overthrow white men. According to <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/tucker-carlson-frets-stacey-abrams-wants-to-overthrow-white-men?source=articles&via=twitter_page" target="_blank" title="">the Daily Beast</a>, Carlson opined that “Abrams is selling ‘bitter division’ and seeking to rally the ‘marginalized to unite against the dominant groups,’ namely white people.” rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) DonaldTrump Georgia Recommended Republicans StaceyAbrams StateoftheUnion TuckerCarlson _1832996 Thu, 07 Feb 2019 16:03:32 +0000 Freshman House Democrats get key committee assignments and prepare to investigate Trump's corruption https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/2/6/1832479/-Freshman-House-Dems-get-key-committee-assignments-and-prepare-to-investigate-Trump-s-corruption It’s only been a month since the newest Democratic members were sworn into Congress, but they are making an impact. Already known for being the most diverse freshman class in history, they’ve also been able to get prime appointments to the most powerful and influential committees in the House. As <a href="https://thinkprogress.org/house-democrats-committee-assignments-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-rashida-tlaib-ilhan-omar-ayanna-pressley-katie-hill-nancy-pelosi-congress-afa16a27fcdb/" target="_blank" title="">ThinkProgress</a> notes, this is very unusual because these seats are usually reserved for more senior members of Congress. Out of the many committees, the ones most in demand “typically require members to ‘pay their dues’ before gaining these prime appointments.” One of the most significant committees in the House is the Financial Services Committee which is responsible for the entire U.S. banking system, Treasury Department, and Federal Reserve. Recently, California <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/16/1826782/-Maxine-Waters-takes-over-House-Financial-Services-Committee-and-prepares-to-pressure-Wall-Street" target="_blank" title="">Rep. Maxine Waters was appointed to lead it</a> and she’s announced her priorities for taking on Wall Street regulations, homelessness, and housing affordability. Waters will be joined by some of the newly elected representatives who made economic inequality a central part of their campaign platforms. Among them are: Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Minnesota and Rep. Katie Porter of California. Reps. Pressley, Ocasio-Cortez, and Tlaib also join fellow freshman Rep. Katie Hill of California on the House Oversight and Reform Committee. This will certainly be another committee to watch, given that it’s the one that has subpoena power and serves as the primary investigative committee for the House. As soon as their committee assignments were announced, Reps. Pressley and Tlaib were clear about their intentions to bring integrity back to our badly damaged democracy, starting with the Trump administration. <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content='&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Americans are having sleepless nights &amp;amp; living a daily &amp;quot;nightmare&amp;quot; because of the stress &amp;amp; indignities of this shutdown brought on by Trump &amp;amp; the Republican Senate. We came to expose &amp;amp; to root out corruption, &amp;amp; to restore the American peoples faith in their govt. &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/OversightDems?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@OversightDems&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://t.co/do7PAbhASV"&gt;https://t.co/do7PAbhASV&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Ayanna Pressley (@AyannaPressley) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/AyannaPressley/status/1088404257311739905?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;January 24, 2019&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; '><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Americans are having sleepless nights & living a daily "nightmare" because of the stress & indignities of this shutdown brought on by Trump & the Republican Senate. We came to expose & to root out corruption, & to restore the American peoples faith in their govt. <a href="https://twitter.com/OversightDems?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OversightDems</a> <a href="https://t.co/do7PAbhASV">https://t.co/do7PAbhASV</a>— Ayanna Pressley (@AyannaPressley) <a href="https://twitter.com/AyannaPressley/status/1088404257311739905?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2019</a></blockquote> </div> rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) 116thcongress AlexandriaOcasio-Cortez AyannaPressley DonaldTrump HouseFinancialsServicesCommittee HouseOversightCommittee RashidaTlaib Recommended _1832479 Wed, 06 Feb 2019 20:11:49 +0000 State of the Union: Stacey Abrams proves why she's a rising star in Democratic politics https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/2/6/1832712/-State-of-the-Union-Stacey-Abrams-proves-why-she-s-a-rising-star-in-Democratic-politics Last night’s State of the Union address was a <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/2/6/1832560/-Trump-s-State-of-the-Union-was-exhausted-ugly-and-simply-devoid-of-any-ideas" target="_blank">complete snooze</a> to anyone outside of the MAGA hat-wearing crowd, but the Democratic response was enthusiastically received by the left. In only 10 minutes, Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams managed to give a hopeful, inspiring, and thoughtful speech which laid out specific priority areas that impact all Americans. It was a direct contrast to Trump’s empty promises and divisive rhetoric. Last year, Abrams made national headlines when she became the first black woman gubernatorial candidate ever nominated by a major political party. The election was tainted by widespread claims of voter suppression by her opponent, Republican Brian Kemp. After nearly two weeks of trying to certify the results, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate acknowledged that the race was unfair but would ultimately prove Kemp to be the winner. She went on to found Fair Fight Georgia, an organization dedicated to protecting voting rights around the state. Though it was nothing short of a chore to have to sit through 90 minutes of Trump’s ranting (which many chose not to do), millions of people around the country were ready and waiting for Abrams to speak. Her supporters represented a diverse group of Americans across race, gender, profession, and experience. Some folks even grew impatient, because it was quite obvious that it was Abrams who would be the star of the evening. <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content='&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Sen. Chuck Schumer: &amp;quot;I&amp;#39;m glad that President Trump is going to be the warm-up act for Stacey Abrams.&amp;quot; &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SOTU?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#SOTU&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SOTU2019?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#SOTU2019&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://t.co/yOuvaSPz92"&gt;https://t.co/yOuvaSPz92&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://t.co/iD2Rflc1Vf"&gt;pic.twitter.com/iD2Rflc1Vf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; The Hill (@thehill) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/thehill/status/1092941693744107520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;February 6, 2019&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; '><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Sen. Chuck Schumer: "I'm glad that President Trump is going to be the warm-up act for Stacey Abrams." <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SOTU?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SOTU</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SOTU2019?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SOTU2019</a> <a href="https://t.co/yOuvaSPz92">https://t.co/yOuvaSPz92</a> <a href="https://t.co/iD2Rflc1Vf">pic.twitter.com/iD2Rflc1Vf</a>— The Hill (@thehill) <a href="https://twitter.com/thehill/status/1092941693744107520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 6, 2019</a></blockquote> </div> <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content='&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Where is &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/staceyabrams?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@staceyabrams&lt;/a&gt;? Can we skip all of this and get to the &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AbramsAddress?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#AbramsAddress&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/sotu?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#sotu&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://t.co/Mnsleq4gIu"&gt;pic.twitter.com/Mnsleq4gIu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; BlackPAC (@voteblackpac) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/voteblackpac/status/1092980159861399552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;February 6, 2019&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; '><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Where is <a href="https://twitter.com/staceyabrams?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@staceyabrams</a>? Can we skip all of this and get to the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AbramsAddress?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AbramsAddress</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/sotu?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#sotu</a> <a href="https://t.co/Mnsleq4gIu">pic.twitter.com/Mnsleq4gIu</a>— BlackPAC (@voteblackpac) <a href="https://twitter.com/voteblackpac/status/1092980159861399552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 6, 2019</a></blockquote> </div> It was a particularly poignant moment for the many people who believe that she won her election and is the rightful governor of Georgia. rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) Democrats DonaldTrump Georgia Recommended StaceyAbrams StateoftheUnion _1832712 Wed, 06 Feb 2019 17:29:28 +0000 Abrams makes history tonight with her response speech, giving Democrats another victory over Trump https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/2/5/1832412/-Abrams-makes-history-tonight-with-her-response-speech-giving-Democrats-another-victory-over-Trump <a href="/campaigns/petition/sign-the-petition-congratulations-stacey-abrams-if-you-run-for-us-senate-we-will-support-you" class="dk-action-link" data-action="petition" data-slug="sign-the-petition-congratulations-stacey-abrams-if-you-run-for-us-senate-we-will-support-you" data-src="https://actionnetwork.org/widgets/v3/petition/sign-the-petition-congratulations-stacey-abrams-if-you-run-for-us-senate-we-will-support-you?format=js&source=widget&can_widget_id=can-petition-area-sign-the-petition-congratulations-stacey-abrams-if-you-run-for-us-senate-we-will-support-you-994130" data-href="/campaigns/petition/sign-the-petition-congratulations-stacey-abrams-if-you-run-for-us-senate-we-will-support-you">Campaign Action</a> Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams will make history tonight when she gives the Democratic response to Donald Trump’s State of the Union address. She will become the first black woman to ever give a party’s formal response to the president’s address. Of course, this is nothing new for Abrams. In 2018, she became the first black woman to ever be nominated for governor by a major political party. And in 2011, when she became the minority leader in the Georgia House of Representatives, she was the first woman to do so. In other words, Abrams is used to blazing new trails and is a rising star in Democratic politics. We can expect nothing less from her than confidence, clarity, and competence in tonight’s speech. It’s too bad the same cannot be said for the president. And it’s a sure bet that Abrams will outshine him in every way. It is pretty significant that Democrats tapped Abrams to give the rebuttal this year. From special elections in 2017 to the 2018 midterms, it is quite clear that the party’s viability in the future requires it to embrace a diverse coalition of candidates and voters <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/beta-story-container/Politics/democrats-stacey-abrams-sends-key-message-gender-race/story?id=60785717" target="_blank">across gender and race</a>. Democrats must also remember that black women are the foundation of the party, its most reliable voting bloc, and have been key in electoral victories for the past several years. Selecting Abrams acknowledges the party’s diversity and sends a message that Democrats are the anthesis of the Republican Party, which remains almost exclusively white and largely male. On another note, this is also Black History Month. And much of our celebration of black history and culture have been marred by the refusal of <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/2/4/1832158/-The-betrayal-pain-and-disappointment-of-black-Virginians-continues-until-Ralph-Northam-resigns" target="_blank">Democratic Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam to resign</a> after racist photos were found in his medical school yearbook. Democrats would do well to distance themselves from Northam right now (and a great majority of them have). Abrams’ speech won’t fix this problem (only Northam can do that), and it won’t cure this country’s inability to deal with our ugly history of white supremacy and its impact on the present. But it’s a nice reminder that, among the ugliness and pain, there is also progress. And it may slightly serve to momentarily center the voices and leadership of black women, who deserve to be heard from and celebrated now more than ever. rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) DonaldTrump Georgia StaceyAbrams StateoftheUnion XavierBecerra _1832412 Tue, 05 Feb 2019 17:03:16 +0000 Black Virginians' 'betrayal, pain, and disappointment' continue until Gov. Ralph Northam resigns https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/2/4/1832158/-The-betrayal-pain-and-disappointment-of-black-Virginians-continues-until-Ralph-Northam-resigns <a href="/campaigns/petition/sign-the-petition-governor-ralph-northam-must-resign" class="dk-action-link" data-action="petition" data-slug="sign-the-petition-governor-ralph-northam-must-resign" data-src="https://actionnetwork.org/widgets/v3/petition/sign-the-petition-governor-ralph-northam-must-resign?format=js&source=widget&can_widget_id=can-petition-area-sign-the-petition-governor-ralph-northam-must-resign-399137" data-href="/campaigns/petition/sign-the-petition-governor-ralph-northam-must-resign">Campaign Action</a> This August, America will commemorate the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first documented enslaved Africans in Virginia. It is an understatement to say that this is a big deal. For years, individuals and organizations have been planning events, trips, and gatherings across the country—especially in Virginia—to provide opportunities for people to acknowledge, reflect, and wrestle with the ugliest, most painful parts of our history and their impact on the present. This anniversary is particularly poignant for black people in America who are the descendants of slaves. There are likely just as many feelings about this event as there are black people themselves, ranging from loss, sadness, and anger to a sense of hope and resilience as we continue to explore who we’ve been, who we are, and where we are going. The one sure thing about this anniversary is that it means many things to many people. It’s our continued reminder of the long-lasting impact that African culture and black people have had on both Virginia and America as a whole. Given this important year, Black History Month should have kicked off with a commemoration of our deep history, heritage, and experiences in this country dating back to our arrival four centuries ago. The morning of Feb. 1 started off that way. But it was quickly marred by the appearance of racist photos in Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s medical school yearbook, dating back 35 years to 1984. In response to the photos, Northam released a video on Twitter apologizing for the photos and acknowledging that he would need to regain trust. While he didn’t specifically mention them, this was no doubt an appeal to black voters (especially black women) in Virginia who came out in droves to help him get elected in 2017. Still, calls for Northam to resign poured in, and were numerous before his dreadful press conference on Saturday afternoon. But after the press conference, nearly everyone associated with the Democratic Party urged Northam to do the right thing and step down. In case you missed it: In a press conference that could only be described as a complete and total disaster, Northam refused to resign. Not only did he claim that he wasn’t in the photo that he’d previously admitted to being in just the day before, he went as far as actually denying ever having seen the photo and the yearbook. He also admitted to dressing in blackface as Michael Jackson for a party that same year. When a reporter asked if he could do the moonwalk (Jackson’s signature dance move), he seemed to actually consider it before his wife said it was “inappropriate.” Lastly, he followed up his admission/non-admission/flat out denial by saying that he wanted to have <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/2/2/1831713/-Northam-won-t-resign-claims-honest-conversation-about-racism-only-possible-if-he-stays-governor" target="_blank">honest conversations about race</a> and that the only way for that to be possible is for him to stay in office. Of course, he’s wrong. rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) Racism RalphNortham Virginia WhiteSupremacy _1832158 Mon, 04 Feb 2019 23:08:15 +0000 Trump administration plans to end HIV in 10 years. All signs point to failure https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/2/4/1832122/-Trump-administration-rolls-out-plan-to-end-HIV-in-ten-years-and-its-likely-to-be-a-disaster Donald Trump’s entire political career has been built upon outright lies and bizarre fantasies. So, of course, we can expect more of the same from him during the State of the Union address on Tuesday night. We can be certain that he’ll brag about the fabulous job he’s done with the economy (thanks to Obama), how’s he lowered taxes (for the rich) and created jobs (actually a continuation of gains from Obama’s presidency). He’ll also make a case for the unnecessary border wall that his xenophobic base wants so badly. But since these are all his standard talking points about the amazing job he’s done while in office, none of this will really be a surprise. However, what is surprising and also completely fantastical is that Trump is also expected to introduce a 10-year-plan to end HIV transmissions by 2030. Yes, you read that right: Donald Trump is single-handedly going to end HIV in America. Or so his staff wants us to think. rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) AIDS DepartmentofHealthandHumanServices DonaldTrump HIV LGBTQ MikePence _1832122 Mon, 04 Feb 2019 18:35:34 +0000 'We must retrain people's minds to be human first': A pastor weighs in on Trump's politics of fear https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/2/3/1830745/--We-must-retrain-people-s-minds-to-be-human-first-A-pastor-weighs-in-on-Trump-s-politics-of-fear White evangelicals love Donald Trump. Given that his words, actions, and policy stances are the very opposite of Christ-like, this is both bizarre and disturbing. Nonetheless, Trump consistently enjoys a more than <a href="https://www.vox.com/2018/11/5/18059454/trump-white-evangelicals-christian-nationalism-john-fea" target="_blank" title="">70 percent approval rating</a> among this demographic group. Under the leadership of white conservative evangelical leaders like Jerry Falwell Jr., the self-proclaimed Moral Majority has adopted the politics of fear and a rigid dogma which is completely disconnected from Jesus’ teachings on love, compassion, and care for the most marginalized among us. Though this represents a distorted version of Christianity, it fits right in with the Trump-Pence agenda of white supremacy, homophobia, religious intolerance, and sexism. This is why evangelicals are with Trump, no matter what he does or whom he hurts. Critics have dubbed this “toxic Christianity,” warning that many of today’s evangelicals have received bad theology, which has filled them with hate stemming from religious and racial fear. I’ve been very curious about this recently, especially because their version of Christianity seems particularly aggressive and hostile in the age of Trump. <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content='&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Conservatives &amp;amp; Christians need to stop electing “nice guys”. They might make great Christian leaders but the US needs street fighters like &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@realDonaldTrump&lt;/a&gt; at every level of government b/c the liberal fascists Dems are playing for keeps &amp;amp; many Repub leaders are a bunch of wimps!&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Jerry Falwell (@JerryFalwellJr) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/JerryFalwellJr/status/1045853333007798272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;September 29, 2018&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; '><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Conservatives & Christians need to stop electing Ã¢Â€Âœnice guysÃ¢Â€Â. They might make great Christian leaders but the US needs street fighters like <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> at every level of government b/c the liberal fascists Dems are playing for keeps & many Repub leaders are a bunch of wimps!— Jerry Falwell (@JerryFalwellJr) <a href="https://twitter.com/JerryFalwellJr/status/1045853333007798272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 29, 2018</a></blockquote> </div> Like a lot of people, I was horrified at the incident that took place a few weeks ago in Washington at the Indigenous People’s March. Nick Sandmann, a white male teenager from Covington Catholic High School in Kentucky, stood smirking in the face of Native American elder Nathan Phillips and refused to let him pass while his friends hollered, cheered, and made fun of Mr. Phillips and his prayer song. The following week, I spoke about it with John Pavlovitz, a progressive Christian pastor whose work has been <a href="https://indyweek.com/news/raleigh-s-john-pavlovitz-went-fired-megachurch-pastor-rising-star-religious-left/" target="_blank" title="">circulating widely on social media</a> over the past few years. To give you a sense of his impact, Pavlovitz has more than 156,000 Twitter followers and has had his work featured in publications like Slate, Quartz, and Cosmopolitan. Pavlovitz also writes a blog called <a href="https://johnpavlovitz.com/" target="_blank" title="">“Stuff That Needs To Be Said”</a> where he takes on, among other things, the hypocrisy of the Christianity that Donald Trump, Mike Pence, and their conservative supporters claim to follow. In 2017 alone, more than 23 million people viewed his blog. Though his wisdom is applicable to a wide variety of audiences, Pavlovitz’s writing and messages specifically address white people (especially those who identify as evangelicals) and their need to understand white supremacy, hatred, religious bigotry, and other issues in the context of Trump’s America. During a phone interview, I asked Pavlovitz about the Covington Catholic students and the toxic blend of religion and politics that is infecting the country. Pavlovitz said that for him, the most unsettling part of the story is the adult chaperones who were with the students but failed to correct their behavior. rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) Christianity DonaldTrump JohnPavlovitz MAGA Religion _1830745 Mon, 04 Feb 2019 00:50:05 +0000 Lindsey Graham wants us to feel upset about Trump adviser's harsh arrest, but no one does https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/1/31/1831275/-Lindsey-Graham-wants-us-to-feel-upset-about-Roger-Stone-s-arrest-but-no-one-does Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham is suddenly very concerned about due process and how suspects are taken into custody by law enforcement. That’s why he’s now demanding answers from the FBI about the arrest of former Trump political adviser Roger Stone. The South Carolina senator is leading a one-man pity party for Stone, insisting the agency address why it was necessary to have so many agents arrest Stone at his home in the early morning hours on Friday, Jan. 25. In a letter to FBI director Christopher Wray dated Jan. 30, Graham asks (among other things) why Stone was simply not permitted to surrender himself voluntarily. He also asks if anyone at the FBI, Department of Justice, or the special counsel’s office alerted the media, specifically CNN. This is all because Stone’s arrest was caught on video and the incredible image of FBI agents knocking on the door of an adviser to the American president won’t soon be forgotten. <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content='&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;My questions and full letter to the FBI Director about the tactics used in the arrest of Roger Stone. &lt;a href="https://t.co/y1s67DF3Yu"&gt;pic.twitter.com/y1s67DF3Yu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/LindseyGrahamSC/status/1090737671222190081?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;January 30, 2019&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; '><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">My questions and full letter to the FBI Director about the tactics used in the arrest of Roger Stone. <a href="https://t.co/y1s67DF3Yu">pic.twitter.com/y1s67DF3Yu</a>— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) <a href="https://twitter.com/LindseyGrahamSC/status/1090737671222190081?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 30, 2019</a></blockquote> </div> Republicans are trying their best to make this some kind of conspiracy where Stone is the victim of an out-of-control investigation by Democrats who just want to oust Trump. But facts are facts: No one made Roger Stone get involved in criminal activity on behalf of a corrupt and unfit president. He’s being charged with seven federal counts, which range from witness tampering to obstruction of justice. This is serious business, and none of us should feel bad for the way his arrest went down. rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) CriminalJustice LindsayGraham Recommended Republicans RogerStone _1831275 Thu, 31 Jan 2019 22:18:12 +0000 Kentucky leads the nation in disenfranchising black voters, with 1 in 4 not eligible to vote https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/1/30/1830905/-Kentucky-leads-the-nation-in-disenfranchising-black-voters-with-one-in-four-not-eligible-to-vote Civil rights attorney and legal scholar Michelle Alexander writes about mass incarceration as the new Jim Crow. In her <a href="http://newjimcrow.com/" target="_blank" title="">book of the same name</a>, Alexander details how America’s criminal justice system functions as a de facto racial caste structure, not only imprisoning millions of black people, but also denying their rights as full citizens. One of these important rights is the ability to vote. All across the country, there are blacks who are banned from voting due to felony convictions. In Kentucky, this is a major problem. According to <a href="https://thinkprogress.org/kentucky-voting-rights-report-f5a9bb685f11/?utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_content=5c519c5904d30175dcb239e5&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter" target="_blank" title="">ThinkProgress</a>, one out of every four black voters in Kentucky is ineligible to vote—the highest rate in the country. Overall in the state, there are more than 312,000 people without access to the ballot, which translates to one out of every 11 adults. As ThinkProgress notes, “Kentucky is one of three states that currently has a lifetime ban keeping people with felony convictions — also known as returning citizens — from voting, and [a recent report from the Kentucky League of Women Voters] found that the state ranks third in the United States in rate of disenfranchisement.” Three years ago, state lawmakers passed a bill that returned voting rights to some former felons with low-level convictions. It requires that their convictions be expunged first—a process that comes with a $500 fee. This is one of the most expensive expungement fees in the country. Unsurprisingly, this has not proven widely successful. According to the Kentucky League of Women Voters, only 2,032 voters have had their rights restored through this law. rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) CriminalJustice Kentucky michellealexander TheNewJimCrow VoterDisenfranchisement VotingRights _1830905 Wed, 30 Jan 2019 18:13:09 +0000 In a winning move, Democrats select Stacey Abrams to deliver response to Trump's State of the Union https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/1/29/1830695/-In-a-winning-move-Democrats-select-Stacey-Abrams-to-deliver-response-to-Trump-s-State-of-the-Union <a href="/campaigns/petition/sign-the-petition-congratulations-stacey-abrams-if-you-run-for-us-senate-we-will-support-you" class="dk-action-link" data-action="petition" data-slug="sign-the-petition-congratulations-stacey-abrams-if-you-run-for-us-senate-we-will-support-you" data-src="https://actionnetwork.org/widgets/v3/petition/sign-the-petition-congratulations-stacey-abrams-if-you-run-for-us-senate-we-will-support-you?format=js&source=widget&can_widget_id=can-petition-area-sign-the-petition-congratulations-stacey-abrams-if-you-run-for-us-senate-we-will-support-you-140659" data-href="/campaigns/petition/sign-the-petition-congratulations-stacey-abrams-if-you-run-for-us-senate-we-will-support-you">Campaign Action</a> Now that the government shutdown is finally over, the State of the Union address has been officially rescheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 5. Democrats have selected Georgia gubernatorial candidate <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/democrats-tap-georgias-stacey-abrams-to-deliver-the-response-to-trumps-state-of-the-union-address/2019/01/29/2561ce84-23f9-11e9-81fd-b7b05d5bed90_story.html?utm_term=.81fbfb82f4a1" target="_blank">Stacey Abrams to give the party’s response</a>. The announcement was made at a Tuesday press conference by Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer. Schumer was enthusiastic about Abrams and her ability to give a great response. <blockquote> “She is just a great spokesperson. She’s an incredible leader. She has led the charge for voting rights, which is at the root of just about everything else. … I’m very excited that she’s agreed to be the respondent to the president,” Schumer told reporters. </blockquote> This is yet another opportunity for Abrams to shine, this time front and center on the national stage. Abrams already made headlines around the country for her historic run for governor in Georgia last year, earning more votes than any other Democratic candidate in Georgia’s history. She was the <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/technology/421699-googles-most-searched-politician-of-2018-is-stacey-abrams" target="_blank">most searched politician</a> on Google in 2018. And while she lost the race due to an organized voter suppression effort and hasn’t yet announced her future plans, she has confirmed that she intends to run for office again. It is widely speculated that she will be making a run for Georgia Republican David Perdue’s Senate seat in 2020. Let’s hope that she does! About giving the speech, Abrams said that she is honored to be delivering the response on behalf of Democrats. And if anyone will come prepared and do an amazing job, it’s her. <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content='&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;At a moment when our nation needs to hear from leaders who can unite for a common purpose, I am honored to be delivering the Democratic State of the Union response. &lt;a href="https://t.co/0dpA3lJZpS"&gt;https://t.co/0dpA3lJZpS&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Stacey Abrams (@staceyabrams) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/staceyabrams/status/1090341162928480257?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;January 29, 2019&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; '><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">At a moment when our nation needs to hear from leaders who can unite for a common purpose, I am honored to be delivering the Democratic State of the Union response. <a href="https://t.co/0dpA3lJZpS">https://t.co/0dpA3lJZpS</a>— Stacey Abrams (@staceyabrams) <a href="https://twitter.com/staceyabrams/status/1090341162928480257?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 29, 2019</a></blockquote> </div> rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) Democrats Recommended StaceyAbrams StateoftheUnion XavierBecerra _1830695 Tue, 29 Jan 2019 21:07:30 +0000 Planned Parenthood president reveals cervical cancer diagnosis, encourages 'silent killer' screening https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/1/29/1830620/-Planned-Parenthood-president-reveals-cervical-cancer-diagnosis-encourages-silent-killer-screening January is Cervical Health Awareness month. In order to bring attention to the importance of cervical cancer screenings and access to reproductive health care, Planned Parenthood’s new president, Dr. Leana Wen, is sharing her own story of being diagnosed with early-stage cervical cancer for the first time. In an article for <a href="https://www.self.com/story/leana-wen-cervical-cancer" target="_blank" title="">Self, </a>Wen explains that she was just 27 years old when she was diagnosed after a routine exam. She credits “access to routine screening, safe and effective surgery, and close monitoring” as the reasons that she is healthy and cancer-free today, and the mother of a 17-month-old son. As Wen reminds us, it is routine cervical cancer screenings that save the lives of thousands of women each year. That’s why it is so vital that we have organizations like Planned Parenthood that provide access to a range of reproductive health services, including cervical cancer screenings, especially for those patients who need them at reduced cost. But there are still important economic and racial reproductive health disparities that impact women of color and poor women that need to be addressed. Writes Wen, “More than 4,000 women die of cervical cancer each year, including a disproportionate amount of women of color. Black and Hispanic women are diagnosed with cervical cancer at higher rates than white women are, and they are more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage, making it harder to treat.” rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) AAPI Cancer LeanaWen PlannedParenthood ReproductiveHealthcare ReproductiveJustice _1830620 Tue, 29 Jan 2019 20:21:08 +0000 In response to Abrams-backed lawsuit, Georgia Republicans deny wrongdoing in 2018 election https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/1/29/1830586/-In-response-to-Abrams-backed-lawsuit-Georgia-Republicans-deny-wrongdoing-in-2018-election Though Brian Kemp is now officially the governor of Georgia, the fight over how elections are run in the state is far from over. After Kemp managed to steal the election by suppressing votes, his opponent, Democrat Stacey Abrams, and her campaign staff launched an organization called Fair Fight Georgia and subsequently filed a lawsuit against the state “for the gross mismanagement of [the 2018] election and to protect future elections from unconstitutional actions.” On Monday, the recently sworn-in Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and state election board members requested that a judge toss out the lawsuit, citing that it had failed to bring valid claims. <a href="https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/georgia-officials-ask-judge-toss-abrams-backed-suit-election-system" target="_blank" title="">Talking Points Memo </a>also reports that the state is arguing that its officials cannot be held responsible “for any of the harm alleged and are immune from such suits.” But the state isn’t stopping there. In addition to the claim that there is no evidence for the lawsuit, they want a judge (and the public) to believe that this entire thing is all happening because Abrams is a sore loser. <blockquote> “Their candidate having lost the election, Plaintiffs now seek to litigate the consequences of the 2018 election not in the elected branches of state government, but in this federal court,” the state lawyers wrote. “Put simply, Plaintiffs seek to enact their preferred policies not through state government or the legislature, but through the federal judiciary.” </blockquote> For the record, Abrams didn’t lose. She won more votes than any other Democratic candidate in the history of the state of Georgia and without the interference of Kemp and his Republican buddies, she would have won the race. But Kemp didn’t begin this in 2018. Instead, his plan to purge nearly 1 million voters off the rolls began nearly a decade prior to the election. Kemp made a lousy secretary of state but an excellent vote suppressor-in-chief—and he couldn’t have done it without the help of local officials. rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) fairfightgeorgia GA-Gov Georgia StaceyAbrams VoterSuppression _1830586 Tue, 29 Jan 2019 17:27:43 +0000 Florida is restoring voting rights to former felons. But high court fees mean many can't afford it https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/1/25/1829458/-Florida-is-restoring-voting-rights-to-former-felons-But-high-court-fees-mean-many-can-t-afford-it Voters in the state of Florida made history this past November when they chose to restore voting rights to former felons. Yet it’s proving to be more difficult than previously thought to implement the change. As lawmakers work to re-enfranchise this population, they are also engaged in vigorous debate over whether or not court costs should play a role in determining the franchise. In other words, is it necessary for a former felon to have paid off any and all outstanding fines before the right to vote is restored? Sadly, there isn’t one easily agreed-upon answer. It does, however, pose a major problem. Unpaid court fines are a huge barrier to voting for former felons. A recent article published by <a href="https://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/lack-funds-keep-felons-getting-voting-rights-restored" target="_blank" title="">Talking Points Memo</a> notes that advocates say “most former offenders are saddled with crippling mandatory costs that are particularly difficult to meet because their convictions prevent them from obtaining decent-paying jobs.” This essentially creates a vicious cycle that works to keep people disenfranchised due to economics. A person can go to prison, serve their time, and get released—only to be charged exorbitant fees “ranging from restitution to victims, fines and penalties, administrative costs associated with pretrial detention, court reporter fees, and expert fees.” It can be difficult to pay these fees because, frankly, it’s incredibly tough trying to get a job with a prison record. As former felons look for steady employment, these fines and fees may add up and go unpaid. So far, there isn’t much data available on this topic. Still, experts say that court-imposed financial obligations are a barrier that prevents former felons from registering to vote. Phil Telfeyan, the executive director of civil rights nonprofit Equal Justice Under the Law, said, “If Amendment 4 [Florida’s constitutional amendment that restores voting rights to former felons] is interpreted to prohibit reinfranchisement just for people who can’t pay court debt, that’s effectively punishing someone for being poor.” The way that Amendment 4 is written allows for the restoration of voting rights to former felons, except those convicted of murder or sexual offenses, but requires them to complete their sentences—which includes prison, parole, and probation. Fines and fees can be imposed as part of probation. And some cases, like drug crimes, include heavy fines, which can date back decades. Some offenders may not even be aware of their unpaid fines. Florida isn’t the only state struggling to figure this out. In Iowa, Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds just recently proposed a constitutional amendment to restore voting rights to former felons. Unsurprisingly, her fellow Republicans want restitution to be paid in full before voting rights can be restored, even though the state’s current law doesn’t require it but instead mandates that former felons be in “good standing” with their court-set obligations. Still, it seems that Iowa Republicans have no problem requiring former felons to pay what essentially amounts to a poll tax in order to vote. At the end of the day, restoring voting rights to people who have served their time is the right thing to do. But requiring them to pay hundreds, thousands, and, in some cases, millions of dollars to vote is not actually justice. No one should be prevented from voting because they can’t afford it. This is something that we should have reconciled long ago, but have yet to. This is one of the many reasons that our criminal justice system is so desperately in need of reform. Ideally, the system would be about rehabilitation. Instead, it’s overwhelmingly about punishing those who are in the system—over and over again. rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) Amendment4 Florida Iowa VotingRights _1829458 Fri, 25 Jan 2019 19:07:33 +0000 MAGA hat teen in viral video isn't sorry. But we should be for the attempts to excuse his racism https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/1/24/1829127/-MAGA-hat-teen-in-viral-video-isn-t-sorry-But-we-should-be-for-our-attempts-to-excuse-his-racism Since last weekend, the nation has been engaged in vigorous debate about a video taken of MAGA-hat-wearing white male teenagers at the Lincoln Memorial. The teens, students at Covington Catholic High School in Kentucky, were in town for the annual March for Life rally—because, apparently, it’s never too early to indoctrinate young men with the belief that women shouldn’t have autonomy over their own bodies. They ended up at the Indigenous Peoples March and, while there’s been a ridiculous amount of debate about “who started it,” the video that sparked the outrage shows Native American elder Nathan Phillips drumming and singing while a mob of the teens hollered, did tomahawk chops, and acted like they had (what black folks refer to as) no home training—completely disrespecting and taunting Mr. Phillips in the process. Of particular note were the actions of one student, Nick Sandmann, who was captured on the video standing face to face with Phillips, all the while smirking and standing his ground (no pun intended), refusing to move. The backlash on social media was swift, and rightfully so. People (especially people of color) called out the obvious bullying and racism inherent in a bunch of Trump-supporting white teens, wearing hats that symbolize white supremacy, forming a mob around Phillips, making fun of him, and refusing to move. We should know by now that white supremacy is not static. Instead, it is a dynamic system that lives and breathes, thriving because we refuse to do the necessary work to dismantle it. This is why it, and the people who uphold it, find all kinds of creative ways to defend and normalize it. And because this is true, it was only a matter of time before conservatives would start jumping through hoops to defend these teens—reminding us all that they are just boys who did a foolish thing but couldn’t be held responsible for it because “boys will be boys.” Never once did they center Mr. Phillips in this narrative, nor the people of color in this country who deal with this kind of racial animus every day. Never once did they acknowledge that young people of color (especially black boys) are never given this kind of benefit of the doubt. The message was clear: White boys get to do offensive things, under the guise of youthful indiscretion, and this is simply a natural part of life. Whiteness + maleness + youth = automatically deserving of our empathy and forgiveness. rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) IndigenousPeoplesMarch MAGA NathanPhillips NickSandmann Racism WhiteSupremacy _1829127 Thu, 24 Jan 2019 19:57:12 +0000 For-profit immigrant detention centers make billions under Trump while also starving detainees https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/1/23/1828519/-For-profit-immigrant-detention-centers-make-billions-under-Trump-while-also-starving-detainees In America, locking people up is profitable. That’s why it’s no accident that this is the most incarcerated nation on Earth. But it’s not just the federal government that makes a quick buck off of putting bodies in detention center beds and forcing them into providing cheap labor. Since 2000, <a href="https://www.sentencingproject.org/publications/private-prisons-united-states/" target="_blank" title="">the number of people in private, for-profit prisons has nearly doubled</a>—with the privately held immigrant population increasing by 442 percent since 2002. One of the ways private immigrant detention facilities make money (in addition to their lucrative contracts with the federal government) is by charging detainees exorbitant prices for items such as food, deodorant, and toothpaste. In order to afford these basic necessities, detainees are forced to turn to prison work, only to find that the money they earn doesn’t stretch very far at all. A recent <a href="https://mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSKCN1PC0DJ" target="_blank" title="">Reuters</a> article profiles immigrants in detention at the Adelanto Detention Facility in California, who end up working several days just to buy food to supplement the meager rations of food they are given daily. It turns out that the food for sale in the facility’s commissary is priced well above what is charged in stores—$3.25 for a can of tuna, $11.02 for a 4 oz. tube of toothpaste, $7.12 for a 2.5 oz. can of denture cream, and so on. In contrast, detainees make a salary of $1 a day. So they are forced to choose between food and basic hygiene items. This, according to immigrants and activists, is a strategy on the part of for-profit companies to make more money while also getting cheap labor out of the detainee population. <blockquote> But immigration attorneys say the pricey commissary goods are part of a broader strategy by private prisons to harness cheap inmate labor to lower operating costs and boost profits. Immigrants and activists say facilities such as Adelanto, owned by Boca Raton, Fla.-based Geo Group Inc (GEO.N), the nation's largest for-profit corrections company, deliberately skimp on essentials, even food, to coerce detainees to labor for pennies an hour to supplement meager rations. </blockquote> rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) DonaldTrump Forprofitprisons Immigration ImmigrationandCustomsEnforcement PrisonReform _1828519 Wed, 23 Jan 2019 17:38:01 +0000 Where's the money? Elizabeth Warren demands answers from Trump officials about funds for Puerto Rico https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/1/22/1828498/-Where-s-the-money-Elizabeth-Warren-demands-answers-from-Trump-officials-about-funds-for-Puerto-Rico Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren is demanding answers from the Trump administration about Puerto Rico. In a <a href="https://www.warren.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2019-1-21%20Puerto%20Rico%20funding%20letter.pdf" target="_blank" title="">letter dated Jan. 21</a>, Warren wrote a series of critically important questions directed at Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Ben Carson, and director of the Office of Management and Budget and acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney. Warren’s inquiry stems from recent news reports that Donald Trump has been trying his best to cut off emergency funds to the island since September, and has also been using the federal government shutdown as an excuse to deny the allocation of billions of dollars in housing fund money to Puerto Rico from HUD. According to Warren’s letter, Trump’s war on Puerto Rico began after he heard that Puerto Rico was using emergency funds post-Hurricane Maria to pay off its debt. This, of course, turned out to be fake news. It would have likely been an easy misunderstanding to clear up. But after two years, one thing we know well is that this White House does not operate on facts or logic. And so, upon hearing this f<s>alse information</s> lie (which probably came from Fox News or some other right-wing trolls), Trump actually told his chief of staff (John Kelly at the time) and his Office of Management and Budget director that “he did not want a single dollar going to Puerto Rico,” suggesting that “more of the money go to Texas and Florida” instead. Seriously, you cannot make this stuff up. And it gets even worse. Last Wednesday, the administration released a statement opposing $600 million in post-hurricane funds for the Nutritional Assistance Program (NAP) (also known as food stamps), <a href="https://grist.org/article/the-white-house-calls-food-stamp-funds-for-puerto-rico-excessive-and-unnecessary/" target="_blank" title="">calling the money “excessive and unnecessary.</a>” Apparently, Trump and friends not only want Puerto Ricans not to recover from Hurricane Maria—they want them to starve to death, too. Warren is raising the alarm about how billions of dollars of recovery funds for Puerto Rico and other states impacted by natural disasters are being held up by Trump’s shutdown over a border wall. HUD allocated $20 billion to Puerto Rico in 2018 alone to restore “damaged and destroyed homes, business and infrastructure.” But because of the shutdown, the island hasn’t seen a penny of that money. Warren cites that this is against HUD’s own contingency plans for lapses in appropriations—which indicate that the agency will continue to disperse certain grants during a shutdown. Aside from deviating from the agency’s own plans, denying Puerto Rico money for housing and infrastructure when people are still recovering from a catastrophic hurricane and remain at-risk for housing instability and homelessness is downright criminal. Yet it’s perfectly in line with what we’ve come to expect from his administration’s lack of humanity and abject cruelty. rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) BenCarson DisasterRecovery ElizabethWarren HurricaneMaria MickMulvaney PuertoRico _1828498 Tue, 22 Jan 2019 21:43:13 +0000 Race will play a central role in the 2020 elections. So why can't CBS find black reporters? https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/1/21/1826445/-Race-will-play-a-central-role-in-the-2020-elections-So-why-can-t-CBS-find-black-reporters For the last few years or so, it seems that Democrats and the mainstream media have finally caught on to the importance of the black vote. Though this has been long overdue, it is right on time for the 2020 election cycle. Not only will black voters play a definitive role in deciding local, state, and national elections, but there is also the possibility that there will be one or more black candidates in the race. This emphasizes why the media needs to invest in hearing more from black voices— from voters, journalists, politicians, activists, and black communities in general—in order to understand issues that are important to us, what’s motivating us, and our impact on American politics. Sadly, it seems to be a tough sell to many networks and organizations that say they value diversity but can’t seem to actually live up to it. This is exactly why CBS News came under fire this past weekend when it announced its 2020 election team—without a single black campaign reporter or associate producer to be found. <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content='&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;It&amp;#39;s Official: The &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/CBSNews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@CBSNews&lt;/a&gt; 2020 Election Team has assembled! &lt;a href="https://t.co/0GBCw4mj7s"&gt;https://t.co/0GBCw4mj7s&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://t.co/E0rUDAkzf7"&gt;pic.twitter.com/E0rUDAkzf7&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Ben Mitchell (@bfmitchell) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/bfmitchell/status/1083834166175846400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;January 11, 2019&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;'><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">It's Official: The <a href="https://twitter.com/CBSNews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CBSNews</a> 2020 Election Team has assembled! <a href="https://t.co/0GBCw4mj7s">https://t.co/0GBCw4mj7s</a> <a href="https://t.co/E0rUDAkzf7">pic.twitter.com/E0rUDAkzf7</a>Ã¢Â€Â” Ben Mitchell (@bfmitchell) <a href="https://twitter.com/bfmitchell/status/1083834166175846400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 11, 2019</a></blockquote></div> rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) blackjournalists CBS Election2020 Journalism MainStreamMedia _1826445 Tue, 22 Jan 2019 00:00:18 +0000 Black voters enabled the blue wave in 2018. Here's what motivated them, and what it means for 2020 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/1/21/1826170/-Black-voters-enabled-the-blue-wave-in-2018-Here-s-what-motivated-them-and-what-it-means-for-2020 There is no doubt that black voters will play a definitive role in the 2020 election cycle. For the last several years, politicians and the media have paid increasing attention to the choices and motivations of black voters and our ability to influence elections. But there is often confusion, misunderstanding, or outright ignorance about the black electorate on the part of the dominant (white) culture. Mainstream media has fallen woefully short in this regard, often boiling black voters down to a monolithic group that will always vote in lockstep with the Democratic Party, come what may. Since polling data on black voters is often incomplete or lacking altogether, it is important that we learn from the information that is already out there, especially when it is coming from black-led organizations. Going into the 2018 midterms, Black PAC, an organization dedicated to the political engagement of black voters, <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/6/13/1771639/-A-new-poll-and-a-trailblazing-organization-offer-keys-to-Democrats-looking-to-energize-black-voters" target="_blank" title="">commissioned a large-sample poll of black voters in eight battle ground states.</a> It discovered that there was no single issue motiving black voters in the election cycle, because black folks were concerned about a variety of things, including economic insecurity, wages, housing, health care, education, and college affordability. However, racial justice was the most motivating issue that ultimately moved black voters to head to the polls. More recently, Black PAC followed up post-midterms with black voters in those same battleground states to learn more about their reasons for voting and to mine lessons for 2020. In a telephone interview with Adrienne Shropshire, executive director of Black PAC, and Democratic pollster Cornell Belcher of <a href="http://www.brilliant-corners.com/" target="_blank" title="">Brilliant Corners Research and Strategies</a>, Daily Kos learned more about issues faced by the black electorate in 2018. rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) BlackPAC Blackvoters BlueWave Democrats midterms2018 _1826170 Mon, 21 Jan 2019 16:00:07 +0000 Oscars host controversy provides lessons about accountability in today's call-out culture https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/1/20/1824821/-Oscars-host-controversy-provides-lessons-about-accountability-in-today-s-call-out-culture For the first time in 30 years, it looks like the Oscars will not have a host. With an aspiring dictator in the White House, a completely dysfunctional government, and a shutdown endangering the livelihood of millions of people across the country (including furloughed workers, travelers, and those in the tourist industry in the D.C. area and other parts of the country with closed national parks and landmarks, etc.), the Oscars no doubt seem trivial and unimportant. But there are always valuable lessons to be learned from pop culture. And the circumstances surrounding this particular event, and the resulting controversy, are yet another case study in how race, class, homophobia, and other issues of identity are an inescapable part of American life. Comedian Kevin Hart was originally selected for the job of host. But in early December, shortly after the announcement was made, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/06/arts/kevin-hart-homophobic-tweets.html?module=inline" target="_blank">he decided to step down</a>— amidst a backlash about past comments he’d made that were largely considered homophobic. In today’s society, holding celebrities, politicians, and other famous people accountable for things they’ve said in the past is a phenomenon that is supported by, and perhaps enabled by, social media. So it comes as no surprise that Hart’s accountability moment came because of tweets and other comments he’s made in which he’s repeatedly used slurs and said other harmful things that denigrated members of the LGBTQ community. rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) EllenDeGeneres Homophobia KevinHart Oscars2019 SocialJustice _1824821 Sun, 20 Jan 2019 21:30:20 +0000 Rookie reps like Ayanna Pressley promise big changes on Maxine Waters-led House Financial Committee https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/1/18/1827408/-Rookie-reps-like-Ayanna-Pressley-promise-big-changes-on-Maxine-Waters-led-House-Financial-Committee The House Financial Services Committee has historically been regarded as a prime assignment for members of Congress—especially because many of them have received campaign donations from the industries (banking, real estate and insurance) the committee is in charge of regulating. This week, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) made history as she took over leadership of this important committee—becoming the first woman and black lawmaker to do so. This year, some of the freshman members of the committee are pledging to do things differently—rejecting corporate money and instead focusing on protecting Americans from things like predatory practices, debt and systemic inequality. Three of the newest members on the committee are rising stars in the Democratic Party: Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI). In a recent interview with <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2019/01/18/ayanna-pressley-heads-house-financial-services-committee/nV7ihooF4a4sa02chto8DO/story.html" target="_blank">The Boston Globe</a>, Pressley spoke about why she wanted this assignment and her policy priorities for the committee going forward. Pressley originally ran to address inequality in her district and believes that a spot on the committee will allow her to continue work she’d already been doing locally on consumer debt, affordable housing and consumer protection. When it comes to housing, she’s particularly excited about taking on Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson. <blockquote> “The thing I’m most excited about is to keep Ben Carson in my sightline. He has all but abandoned public housing. I have one of the largest housing developments in the country.” </blockquote> This is great news. We need someone to remain vigilant and make sure that HUD doesn’t complete collapse under the inept leadership of Carson. In addition to making sure the people of her district have access to fair, affordable housing and that poor people in public housing aren’t made more vulnerable in the Trump administration, Pressley is also thinking about student debt. With the largest concentration of college students in the country residing in her district, Pressley says “student debt is crippling and handicapping dreams.” She is concerned about predatory agreements where students take on huge loans and sign away huge portions of their income for decades. Pressley also plans to address the wealth and wage gap and has a plan to address those issues from an intersectional framework which looks across dynamics of race, class and gender. One important thing that Pressley plans to do differently than predecessors on the committee is to reject corporate PAC money. The previous Congress accepted more than $30 million from PACs and individuals in the finance, real estate and insurance sectors. Though this is legal, its shouldn’t be as it is a blatant conflict of interest. Pressley does not want nor believes she needs to accept money from those companies whose industries are under the jurisdiction of the committee. <blockquote> I think we’ve proven that this is a representative democracy — and our campaign did expand the table of democracy by igniting and growing the electorate, by engaging new voices, by lifting up the voices of those who contributed one penny, one dollar and ensuring they have a stake in government and can take part in building our promise for tomorrow. That’s what I’m about and that’s not only what I espouse, that’s what I practice, so no, I will not be accepting those contributions. </blockquote> The women of the freshman class of this Congress are ambitious, smart and motivated. It is exciting to see them step into leadership so boldly and to have a clear vision for governing that they are bringing to the table. In the time of unfettered capitalism, greed and growing economic inequality, it will be important to have members of the House Financial Services Committee who are focused on doing what’s right for everyday people and not the super wealthy. Under the leadership of Rep. Maxine Waters, the committee will no doubt do incredibly important work in the next two years. And with Pressley and her freshman colleagues on it, we can rest assured that much needed change and reform are coming. rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) AyannaPressley Democrats Finance HouseFinancialServicesCommittee HouseOfRepresentatives Recommended _1827408 Fri, 18 Jan 2019 23:12:34 +0000 Suspected of spying on Black Lives Matter activists, NYPD ordered to release surveillance data https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/1/18/1827311/-Suspected-of-spying-on-Black-Lives-Matter-activists-judges-rules-NYPD-to-release-surveillance-data In today’s news that no one is shocked by, the New York City Police Department may have spied on Black Lives Matter protesters and interfered with their ability to use their cellphones. A judge has now ruled that the NYPD must disclose information about its surveillance tactics. According to <a href="https://www.theroot.com/did-nypd-spy-on-black-lives-matter-protesters-judge-ru-1831805889" target="_blank">The Root</a>, complaints about the NYPD date back to 2014, when protesters affiliated with the Movement for Black Lives began to notice that their cellphones weren’t working properly. <blockquote> Cellphones suddenly switching off or losing reception, messaging apps going haywire—[protesters] began to suspect the police were monitoring their telephones with Stingrays, devices that mimic cell towers and intercept communications. </blockquote> Subsequently, protesters partnered with the New York Civil Liberties Union to file a public records request to find out more about the NYPD’s surveillance tactics. The department refused to comply, citing the “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glomar_response" target="_blank">Glomar response</a>,” a precedent that cites national security concerns to justify withholding information. And now it is being compelled to do so by a judge. In her ruling, Justice Arlene Bluth stated that spying on protesters and interfering with their cell service is a violation of the law, and that the Glomar response is not a reasonable justification for surveilling protesters. Not exactly surprising information, but disturbing nonetheless. Law enforcement has always played a role in curbing freedom of speech when the speech is deemed controversial and subversive, and especially when it comes from black bodies. This is exactly why there is such distrust of police, and of law enforcement in general, among black people. These practices are built on a history of racism, white supremacy, and oppression. For decades, law enforcement has spied on black activists in the name of safety and national security. Black Lives Matter is just the newest group for them to harass and spy on. As we approach the holiday commemorating Martin Luther King, let us remember that federal law enforcement spied on him and his wife as well. Since King’s time, the police have upped their arsenal quite a bit. In fact, the NYPD has a “sophisticated arsenal of surveillance technology [that] extends beyond cellphone surveillance devices to license plate readers, facial recognition software and drones.” It could be using that equipment to fight crime, terrorism, and violence. But instead it is choosing to use it for the racist and fundamentally un-American purpose of spying on people who seek equal treatment under the law. It’s illegal and unethical, and it’s also a waste of time. The NYPD should be spying on the thief, liar, and Russian agent who sometimes lives in Trump Tower instead. rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) BlackLivesMatter NYPD PoliceAccountability Racism _1827311 Fri, 18 Jan 2019 20:22:45 +0000 Lawsuit against GM cites nooses, 'whites only' signs, and a culture of racism and violence https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/1/17/1827220/-Lawsuit-against-GM-cites-nooses-whites-only-signs-and-a-culture-of-racism-and-violence Imagine fearing for your safety so much at work that you resort to praying each day that God will protect you before you enter the workplace. This is what Marcus Boyd did each day he worked as a supervisor for GM. Boyd, his colleague Derrick Brooks, and other employees of color were subjected to a hostile workplace at the Toledo Powertrain plant in Ohio that included racial slurs, harassment, and even nooses hanging in the areas where they worked. <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/16/us/gm-toledo-racism-lawsuit/index.html" target="_blank" title="">CNN</a> reports on the lawsuit filed against GM on behalf of eight workers who claim that management neglected to address racial harassment at the powertrain plant. The specific examples cited by the workers are deeply upsetting and jarring. In a way, it feels shocking to think that these kinds of things happened in 2018. But with the state of the country what it is, and knowing how Donald Trump has, not reinvented, but certainly emboldened more blatant racism, it isn’t entirely surprising. The use of the N-word was a frequent occurrence at the plant. And sometimes white employees tried to disguise their insults, using code to refer to the black employees and other employees of color. <blockquote> Boyd and other workers of color learned there was a coded language to talk about them, according to the lawsuit. White employees kept calling them "Dan." They thought some people didn't respect them enough to learn their names. But other colleagues told them it was a slur, an acronym for "dumb ass nigger." </blockquote> There were also repeated threats of violence, including comments to Boyd such as "Back in the day, you would have been buried with a shovel,” and a more direct confrontation with a supervisee who raised a metal clutch assembly at Boyd as if to hit him. Yet when Boyd and others reported the abuse, they were told by leadership to handle the situations themselves. Then there were the five nooses that showed up on the plant floor, gun magazines anonymously but strategically placed on Brooks' desk, and the appearance of graffiti that read “whites only” in the bathroom. All of these incidents were reported to GM. But the targeted employees say that the company only removed the nooses and failed to deal with the hate. In their lawsuit, they claim that the company allowed for an "underlying atmosphere of violent racial hate and bullying." rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) Discrimination GM Manufacturing Racism Recommended Toledo workplaceharrassment _1827220 Fri, 18 Jan 2019 03:51:49 +0000 Amid Trump drive to cut funds for Puerto Rico, top official at Housing and Urban Development resigns https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/1/17/1827091/-Amid-frustrations-with-Trump-s-policies-a-top-official-at-Housing-and-Urban-Development-resigns If it wasn’t downright terrifying, it would be sort of comical how hard it is for Donald Trump to keep employees in his administration. Over the last two years, we’ve seen the mass exodus of political appointees and career staffers who have realized that they want nothing to do with the dumpster fire that is the Trump presidency. Today’s high-profile departure is the deputy secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Pam Patenaude. According to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/top-hud-officials-departure-follows-disagreements-over-housing-policy-and-puerto-rico-disaster-funds/2019/01/16/e6ba5be4-1839-11e9-9ebf-c5fed1b7a081_story.html?utm_term=.1ee766ff3be0" target="_blank" title="">the Washington Post,</a> Patenaude resigned Thursday amid frustrations with the agency’s political leadership—specifically its views on housing policy and its attempts to divert disaster-recovery money for Puerto Rico. Who can blame her? Under this administration, HUD is a complete mess. The agency’s current secretary, Dr. Ben Carson, has no experience and is completely unfit to lead housing policy. Instead of working on behalf of poor people and communities, Carson is trying his best to raise the rents of poor people in public housing. Agency employees have said that morale among career staffers has declined under his leadership. Before the shutdown, HUD failed to renew hundreds of contracts for affordable housing. This means that low-income tenants may not have access to stable housing, and property-owners are not getting paid. In other words, under Carson’s watch, vulnerable people were just made even more vulnerable to homelessness, while Trump keeps the government closed over his mad quest for a border wall. Though Patenaude claims to be leaving for personal reasons and to “spend time with her husband at their home in New Hampshire,” her confidantes say that it’s actually because she had some major disagreements with Carson on several issues. One of them had to do with addressing racism in housing. <blockquote> Patenaude disagreed with the agency’s handling of an <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/hud-secretary-ben-carson-to-be-sued-for-suspending-obama-era-fair-housing-rule/2018/05/07/ef72db8a-523c-11e8-a551-5b648abe29ef_story.html?utm_term=.4335f77f5129">Obama-era fair-housing rule </a>requiring communities receiving federal funds to address <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2018/national/segregation-us-cities/?utm_term=.8015891a39dc">long-standing patterns of racial segregation</a>, according to three people with direct knowledge of internal HUD debates. Carson had <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2018/05/19/hud-secretary-ben-carson-doubles-down-on-dismantling-obama-era-fair-housing-policies/?utm_term=.b24fd64938e1">suspended the 2015 rule</a>, calling it “burdensome.” </blockquote> Patenaude was also a vocal advocate for Puerto Rico. She visited the island six times during her tenure and was trying to make sure a recovery plan was in place post-Hurricane Maria. She recently met with Puerto Rico’s governor to discuss the development of affordable housing. Her departure represents not just a loss for the agency, but also a loss for sensible leadership within the administration on behalf of Puerto Rico. According to Carlos Mercader, the executive director of the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration in Washington, “Pam Patenaude showed the most commitment to Puerto Rico of any of the public officials inside the Trump administration.” It’s to be expected that political appointees come and go based on interests and relationships with the administration. But it’s another thing entirely to lose career civil servants en masse because of the incompetence and malice of this president and his friends. It’s sad to lose an experienced administrator and a voice of reason. But we should all wish Patenaude well in her departure. We can only imagine the hell and sheer stupidity she’s had to put up with over the last two years. rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) BenCarson HousingandUrbanDevelopment PamPatenaude TrumpAdministration _1827091 Thu, 17 Jan 2019 20:22:52 +0000 Sexism emerges early in the 2020 presidential race as reporters ask if Gillibrand is 'likable' https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/1/17/1827055/-Sexism-emerges-early-in-the-2020-presidential-race-as-reporters-ask-if-Gillibrand-is-likable It’s been only 24 hours since New York Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand announced her candidacy for president, and already she’s facing sexism. At her campaign announcement on Wednesday morning, a reporter asked about her likability (after calling her pretty) and inquired as to whether or not that could benefit her in the race. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/on-day-one-kirsten-gillibrand-faces-the-likable-question/2019/01/16/568cb58c-1922-11e9-9ebf-c5fed1b7a081_story.html?utm_term=.f30c17b4016b" target="_blank" title="">The Washington Post</a> notes that the reporter then went on to compare Gillibrand to Minnesota Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, whom he also called likable. <blockquote> A reporter declared that “a lot of people see you as pretty likable, a nice person, given the person who we have in the White House” and asked whether that was a “selling point.” He compared her to another Democratic senator considering a run for president whom he also deemed likable — Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota — and asked whether voters want “someone like that now.” </blockquote> Yawn. How predictable, boring, and utterly uncreative. It’s absolutely fair to ask if Gillibrand will appeal to voters—based on her policy positions, experience, and personality. But in 2019, it should not be ok to ask if she’s likable and talk about her looks. Especially since we almost never ask if male candidates are likable or talk about whether they are good-looking or not. For the record, the current occupant of the White House is absolutely not likable or attractive (and that’s putting it mildly). So anyone asking this about Gillibrand is silly and beyond maddening. It’s also a reminder that, just as it did with Hillary Clinton, the media continues to perpetuate inequality and marginalization through its biased coverage of candidates who are not straight white males. Gillibrand gave the right answer to the question of her likability and whether voters want someone like her. She replied, “I believe that what people want in our state and around the country is someone who will fight for them and someone who not only understands what their problems actually are but will then do what it takes to solve that problem.” She’s right. What should be important to voters is whether or not a politician is relatable, understands what’s important to them, and is willing to do what will make their lives better. But the reality is that people will continue to look at Gillibrand’s looks—as well as Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s, and those of any other woman who enters this race. That is just the sexist world we live in. But we don’t have to buy into it or accept it as normal. Gillibrand is as likable as any of the candidates in the race, and is certainly much more likable than Donald Trump. Who knows if she has enough appeal to win the Democratic nomination? This is a completely unpredictable time, and it will likely be an unpredictable race. But we need to get serious about choosing the right candidate, because we have an unserious clown in the White House right now who is doing irreparable harm to our democracy and to the lives of the most vulnerable people. For those who haven’t gotten the hint, women are people, and it’s time we start regarding them as such. That includes taking Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand seriously as a candidate for president and focusing on her policy positions, and not on whether she is likable or cute. Or, to balance things out, we can just start talking about the looks of the male candidates and about how easy to like they are. It may be fun and semi-interesting to do the latter. But we don’t have the luxury of not taking this process seriously—which is exactly why we should talk seriously about the female candidates who are running, and give them the respect they deserve. rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) Democrats Election2020 KirstenGillibrand Misogyny Sexism _1827055 Thu, 17 Jan 2019 17:27:59 +0000 Maxine Waters takes over House Financial Services Committee and prepares to pressure Wall Street https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/1/16/1826782/-Maxine-Waters-takes-over-House-Financial-Services-Committee-and-prepares-to-pressure-Wall-Street Republicans and Donald Trump love to insult and make fun of Rep. Maxine Waters of California. But they’d do well not to underestimate her. While she’s spent a lot of time and energy over the last two years calling for Trump’s impeachment (as she should), Waters is an experienced Democratic lawmaker, having served in Congress since 1991, and is now poised to make an even bigger impact over the next few years. With the Democratic takeover of the House or Representatives earlier this month, Waters becomes the first woman and first black lawmaker to lead the House Financial Services Committee. As <a href="https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/01/15/wall-street-nervous-about-maxine-waters-taking-reins-of-financial-services-committee/" target="_blank" title="">The Mercury News</a> reports, this new role gives her “broad influence over the financial world – from Wall Street regulations to flood insurance.” This has Wall Street extremely nervous. As much as bankers and the Wall Street crowd may not publicly side with Donald Trump (after all, these are the kinds of folks who think it’s “impolite” to appear racist, even though many of them certainly are), they love his policies. <blockquote> The banking industry has been benefiting from deregulation efforts under Trump-appointed regulators, which could slow under pressure from Waters. She could also use her position to turn up pressure on Wells Fargo, which has admitted to various consumer abuses in the past two years, and Equifax, which suffered a massive data breach that compromised sensitive data of 148 million people. </blockquote> Too bad for all those bankers who make a living bleeding the most vulnerable Americans dry. But we can’t say its not deserved or well-timed. They’ve gotten breaks for way too long and have a champion in the deranged rich guy who lives in the White House, who doesn’t care about anyone who isn’t wealthy. It will be nice to have someone leading the committee who is knowledgeable and unafraid of Wall Street, and wants to enact policies that protect people instead of harming them. On Wednesday, Waters announces her priorities for the committee. They will include homelessness and housing affordability. rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) FinancialServicesCommittee HousingandUrbanDevelopment MaxineWaters Recommended WallStreet _1826782 Wed, 16 Jan 2019 20:33:29 +0000 As Republicans continue to obsess over Ocasio-Cortez, she asks, 'What have you got left?' https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/1/16/1826720/-As-Republicans-continue-to-obsess-over-Ocasio-Cortez-she-asks-What-have-you-got-left Republicans are absolutely obsessed with freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, to the point of bordering on madness. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/what-have-you-got-left-ocasio-cortez-taunts-gop-critics-obsessing-over-her/2019/01/15/a48b5832-1455-11e9-803c-4ef28312c8b9_story.html?utm_term=.fd1e289b78f5" target="_blank" title="">The Washington Post</a> notes that as an outspoken young woman of color and a proud member of the Democratic Socialists of America who represents a diverse, urban district, Ocasio-Cortez is the future of America and its changing demographics. This scares the crap out of those who are determined to live in the past. They pine for the days when white men ruled absolutely everything, and people of color and women were seen and not heard. As a result, many on the right spend their days actively trying to discredit everything about her—from her intelligence, to her clothing, to her perceived inability to afford housing in Washington, D.C., one of the most expensive cities in the country. <blockquote> Republicans Ed Rollins and Rush Limbaugh recently dismissed Ocasio-Cortez as a “little girl” and “some young uppity.” The Washington Examiner’s Eddie Scarry tweeted a photo of her in November and wrote that she doesn’t “look like a girl who struggles.” The Daily Caller promoted what it described as a possible “nude selfie” of her last week before walking back its headline. </blockquote> Note: “uppity” is the word often used to describe people of color who don’t know their place. But we should expect nothing less from the racist party of Donald Trump. The Republican obsession with AOC, as she is known to many, is so bizarre and scary that even some Republicans are questioning their colleagues about it. rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) AlexandriaOcasio-Cortez AOC Racism Republicans Sexism _1826720 Wed, 16 Jan 2019 19:05:04 +0000 'Birth control IS health care': Judge temporarily blocks Trump birth control rules in 13 states https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/1/14/1826123/--Birth-control-is-health-care-Judge-temporarily-blocks-Trump-birth-control-rules-in-13-states For now, it seems that the Trump administration cannot keep people in at least 13 states from accessing free employer-provided birth control under the Affordable Care Act. This is because, on Sunday, a <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/judge-blocks-trump-birth-control-rules-13-states-d-c-n958226?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_ma" target="_blank">federal judge blocked rules established by the administration that allowed for a wide range of employers to claim exemption</a> from providing contraception coverage to their employees. It used to be that only religious groups had the choice to opt out of coverage by citing their “sincerely held” religious objections. But in 2017, Trump’s fanatical, regressive, and sexist regime decided the more, the merrier—and allowed schools and universities, non-profit organizations, for-profit organizations, and nongovernmental organizations to join the party. The exemptions were supposed to go into effect on Monday, but several states filed lawsuits opposing them and were granted an injunction to stop them as their lawsuits move forward. The states are California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington state, along with Washington, D.C. <blockquote> U.S. District Judge Haywood Gilliam's order — which applies only to the plaintiffs and not the rest of the country — found that there are "serious questions" about whether the new rules violate President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act, which stipulated that employer insurance plans must provide birth control services at no cost. </blockquote> What another painful reminder of the difference between the Obama administration and Trump’s. The former included birth control as a fundamental part of health care, while the latter tries to punish and control women—all the while giving their employers the right to weigh in on personal decisions about reproduction. Whatever happened to Republicans supposedly being the party of individual freedom? That clearly doesn’t apply when it comes to their views on women and the bastardized versions of religion that they practice. They want women seen and not heard, barefoot and pregnant and subservient to all the men around them. rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) AffordableCareAct BirthControl HealthCare Obamacare Recommended ReproductiveJustice _1826123 Mon, 14 Jan 2019 18:55:02 +0000 Democrats head to Puerto Rico to assess the 'shocking' reality while Republicans play political game https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/1/14/1826085/-Congressional-Democrats-travel-to-Puerto-Rico-while-Republicans-blame-them-for-the-shutdown This past weekend, 36 Democratic members of Congress traveled to Puerto Rico—the largest congressional delegation ever to travel to the island. The purpose of their visit was to attend meetings sponsored by BOLD PAC, the super PAC that also raises funds for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and the Latino Victory Fund. The visit also coincided with the opening performance of the Puerto Rico run of the Broadway hit show Hamilton, which premiered in San Juan on Friday night. The members of Congress met with local officials to discuss recovery efforts since Hurricane Maria, as well as the economy and the federal fiscal control board, which was appointed in 2016 to oversee the island’s longstanding debt crisis. According to <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/congressional-delegation-visits-puerto-rico-today-2019-01-12/" target="_blank">CBS News</a>, one lawmaker said the trip was vital to understanding the current reality in Puerto Rico. "It is more devastating than many of us realized. I'm glad that we came," Rep. Tony Cárdenas, D-California, told CBS News. After discussions with local leaders and seeing the devastation first-hand, Cárdenas noted that the amount of congressionally approved funds to actually arrive in Puerto Rico is nothing short of “shocking.” He said that tens of billions have been approved, but that only a tiny amount has made its way there—contributing to the economic decline and death toll resulting from Hurricane Maria. While congressional Democrats were in Puerto Rico, hearing from locals and strategizing how to improve the situation on the island, Republicans on the mainland were foaming at the mouth about the trip, looking for a reason to blame Democrats for a shutdown that they caused. rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) CongressionalDemocrats DisasterRecovery Hamilton HurricaneMaria JeaninePirro Lin-ManuelMiranda PuertoRico Republicans _1826085 Mon, 14 Jan 2019 16:47:08 +0000 Stacey Abrams continues the fight for Georgia, donating tons of money to state Democratic lawmakers https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/1/11/1825405/-Stacey-Abrams-continues-the-fight-for-Georgia-donating-tons-of-money-to-state-Democratic-lawmakers Though she is, sadly, not going to be serving as Georgia’s next governor, Democrat Stacey Abrams is already planning for her next leadership position and working hard to set state Democrats up for success. This week, Abrams announced that her organization, <a href="https://www.fairfightgeorgia.com/" target="_blank" title="">Fair Fight Georgia</a>, will be making a campaign contribution of approximately $60,000 to each Democratic state lawmaker. <a href="https://www.ajc.com/blog/politics/abrams-restocks-democratic-lawmakers-campaign-coffers/BE7l92NYJGN316Ck75ZIDK/" target="_blank" title="">The Atlanta Journal-Constitution</a> reports that Fair Fight Action PAC raised about $220,000 this week alone, and that Abrams says the donations are aligned with the organization’s efforts to “[reform] Georgia elections and [build] progressive power in the state to advocate for issues that matter to Georgians.” Even though she’s no longer in or running for office, it’s great to see Abrams use her influence and popularity to make sure that Democrats across the state are supported and well-resourced in order to continue championing progressive policies. She’s certainly an invaluable asset to the party and has much to offer both her home state and the country. As far as her next moves, we only have to wait a few months to hear what her plans are. Abrams has said that she will decide by late March if she’s running for Senate in 2020 or going to once again challenge Republican Brian Kemp for the governor’s seat. However, if recent meetings are any indication of her plans, it could be very good news for us. <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content='&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;I’m told that &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/staceyabrams?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@staceyabrams&lt;/a&gt; met separately yesterday with &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/SenSchumer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@SenSchumer&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/SenCortezMasto?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@SenCortezMasto&lt;/a&gt; to chat about a potential Senate run in 2020. &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/gapol?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#gapol&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/bluestein/status/1083765589238267905?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;January 11, 2019&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; '><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">IÃ¢Â€Â™m told that <a href="https://twitter.com/staceyabrams?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@staceyabrams</a> met separately yesterday with <a href="https://twitter.com/SenSchumer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenSchumer</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/SenCortezMasto?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenCortezMasto</a> to chat about a potential Senate run in 2020. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/gapol?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#gapol</a>— Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) <a href="https://twitter.com/bluestein/status/1083765589238267905?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 11, 2019</a></blockquote> </div> Though it would be great if she got the governor’s job (especially since Kemp stole the election from her through fraud and voter disenfranchisement), we could certainly use Stacey Abrams in the Senate. Fingers crossed. Either way—run, Stacey, run! You’ve got many of us who are behind you and cheering you on all the way. rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) 2020elections fairfightgeorgia GA-Gov Georgia StaceyAbrams _1825405 Fri, 11 Jan 2019 17:50:56 +0000 Sinking to new low, Trump looks at taking funds for disaster relief to pay for his wall https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/1/11/1825373/-Sinking-to-a-new-low-Trump-looks-at-taking-disaster-funds-from-Puerto-Rico-to-pay-for-the-wall While 800,000 federal employees are waking up today to a paycheck-less payday because of the government shutdown, Donald Trump is hard at work trying to figure out a way to finance his border wall using our hard-earned taxpayer dollars. Since Trump is now claiming that <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/10/1825055/-Trump-I-never-said-this-about-Mexico-paying-for-the-wall" target="_blank" title="">he never meant that Mexico was actually going to pay </a>for the wall (even though he said it repeatedly for nearly four years!), his administration is instead looking into taking money designated for disaster areas in order to build the wall. Under this plan, Trump would declare a national emergency and take funds from a $13.9 billion budget that has been set aside for the Army Corps of Engineers for civil works projects around the country—including in Puerto Rico, which remains in complete disarray due to the impact of Hurricane Maria. <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/immigration/trump-could-take-billions-disaster-areas-fund-wall-n957281" target="_blank" title="">According to NBC News: </a> <blockquote> The money was set aside to fund projects all over the country including storm-damaged areas of Puerto Rico through fiscal year 2020, but the checks have not been written yet and, under an emergency declaration, the president could take the money from these civil works projects and use it to build the border wall ... </blockquote> It almost sounds too cruel to be true. Almost. After all, you’d have to be completely inhumane to take money away from people who are already suffering and projects designed to prevent catastrophes. But then, it really comes as no surprise. Donald Trump has shown that he has no empathy or concern for anyone. We watched in horror as he ignored and insulted the people of Puerto Rico after a devastating Category 5 hurricane and then patted himself on the back for throwing paper towels at them and for “saving lives”—even though thousands of people died. So there really isn’t any depth he won’t sink to, particularly if it means Puerto Rico continues to languish in despair. He’ll just continue to ignore what’s happening on the island. And since he originally blamed Puerto Ricans for throwing his “budget out of whack” in the first place, he probably thinks this money is fair game anyway. Trump can’t get money for a wall that no one wants any other way, so he’s about to rob public coffers to pay for it. What’s even more frightening is that, if he follows through with this plan, he could potentially use more money than he originally requested to build more miles of the wall. While the initial proposal was $5.7 billion for 234 miles of wall, with this plan, he could dip into the Army Corps budget and take more money to build 315 miles of wall. How much more despicable can this administration get? It is actually willing to steal money for the people and places that face real disasters in order to finance its made-up one. For the record, there is absolutely no crisis at the border. There is, however, a major crisis facing American democracy, and that is 100 percent because Donald Trump is in the White House. rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) ArmyCorpsofEngineers BorderWall DisasterRecovery DonaldTrump PuertoRico _1825373 Fri, 11 Jan 2019 15:20:50 +0000 Amid shutdown, House Democrats push forward with sensible gun safety legislation https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/1/10/1825072/-Amid-shutdown-House-Democrats-push-forward-with-sensible-gun-control-legislation While congressional Republicans do absolutely nothing to stop Donald Trump’s government shutdown, their Democratic colleagues are hard at work trying to stop gun violence. Earlier this week, they led a bipartisan effort to introduce gun safety legislation that would require background checks for gun sales and transfers. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/democrats-launch-fresh-push-for-background-checks-for-all-gun-sales/2019/01/08/5e649c1a-135b-11e9-ab79-30cd4f7926f2_story.html?utm_term=.8a46740e8e44" target="_blank" title="">The Washington Post notes </a>that this is one of the first actions taken by the new House Democratic majority. The bill had the support of Gabrielle Giffords, the former Democratic congresswoman from Arizona, who was shot at a constituent event in Tucson eight years ago. After the shooting, which killed six people and wounded 15, Giffords went on to become a prominent gun safety activist and the founder of <a href="https://giffords.org/" target="_blank" title="">Giffords</a>, an organization dedicated to fighting gun violence. She was present on the House floor on Tuesday night when her former colleagues introduced the bill. They recognized Giffords’ courage and held a moment of silence to remember the victims of the Tucson shooting. The bill even had the support of five Republicans. Though their party is absolutely beholden to the NRA and the gun lobby, its good to know that at least five of them had the good sense to support this bill. In the words of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, “Gun violence is an epidemic that requires the energy and engagement of the entire nation.” One of the freshman Democratic representatives who co-sponsored the bill was Georgia’s Lucy McBath. McBath is a gun rights activist whose son, Jordan Davis, was killed seven years ago in Florida. Davis, a black teenager, was at a gas station with friends when he was killed by a white man who shot at them in reaction to the loud music playing in their car. At a press conference about the bill, McBath said that gun sales without background checks allow guns to end up in the hands of violent criminals, and that expanding background checks will lead to safer communities and save lives. She said that she was co-sponsoring the bill for her son and for the safety of all families across the country: “States that have already expanded background checks have lowered their homicide rates, their murder rates, and their gun trafficking. Background checks empower law enforcement to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and domestic abusers. Quite simply, background checks save lives.” Sadly, it’s a stretch to think that this will pass in the Senate. But Democrats will try. On Tuesday, 41 Democratic senators introduced their own legislation to require background checks for gun sales. Of course, gun-happy Republicans will put up a fight—even though most Americans support some form of gun safety legislation. But Republicans aren’t in the business of doing what the American people actually want, instead choosing to align themselves with the corporate interests that make them rich(er). Still, it’s a worthy goal, and it’s good to see Democrats live up to their campaign promise to make gun safety a priority. Maybe this time around, with a Democratic majority in the House coupled with extensive grassroots activism, we may finally make progress on this issue. rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) Guns GunSafety HouseDemocrats LucyMcBath _1825072 Thu, 10 Jan 2019 17:07:05 +0000 In Montana, Native American students face persistent racial discrimination, and it's killing them https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/1/7/1824315/-In-Montana-Native-American-students-face-persistent-racial-discrimination-and-it-s-killing-them Native American youth and their education are in a state of crisis. Native students face widespread marginalization and isolation in schools, leading to some of the worse academic outcomes of any demographic group in the country. And among teens and young adults ages 18-24, Native Americans have the highest suicide rate in the country. This is precisely why the Obama administration declared them in a “state of emergency” in 2014. In the Wolf Point, Montana, school district on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, the situation is even more dire. At Wolf Point High School, white students, who represent a minority of the student population, are more likely to take Advanced Placement courses and to graduate. Meanwhile, Native students are more likely to be suspended and less likely to be proficient in reading and math, <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/education-discrimination-montana-reservation-schools-favor-whites-over-native-americans" target="_blank">according to a recent investigation by ProPublica and the New York Times. </a>To counter this, back in June 2017 the Tribal Executive Board of Fort Peck filed a <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5453363-Fort-Peck-Reservation-Title-Vi-Complaint.html">civil rights complaint</a> with the U.S. Department of Education. The complaint asked the department to investigate discrimination against Native students, noting that, “According to the complaint and to interviews with dozens of students and families, Wolf Point schools provide fewer opportunities and social and academic supports to Native students, who make up more than half of the student body, than to the white minority.” The complaint focuses on the myriad ways that Native students at Wolf Point are discriminated against. There are specific examples of racial slurs used by coaches in front of students, referring to them as “dirty” and “prairie Indians,” as well as instances of Native female students being dropped from sports teams after having babies, “while white students were not, an apparent violation of federal law.” The complaint also points out that the school’s Native students have been driven to suicide after being neglected and dismissed by school administrators. In the spring of 2017, it notes, a junior killed himself during school hours just after the school principal had reprimanded him for his lack of attendance. Indifference, loneliness, and isolation create a toxic brew for vulnerable teenagers, who are already marginalized in society. And administrators seem completely uninterested in addressing the systemic racism that has been so pervasive in the Wolf Point school district. The school system superintendent, Rob Osborne, responded to the complaint by saying that “he sees no purpose in comparing how the district treats Native and white students,” saying, “I’m not going to get into this Native American thing. All I’m trying to do is make sure all our kids have a quality education. And is there some discontent up there? Yeah, probably.” Based on his comments, it doesn’t appear that Osborne has any empathy toward or commitment to the Native American students in his school district, who are struggling to the point of dropping out and suicide. What’s even more damning is that the very office in the Education Department (the Office of Civil Rights) with which the discrimination complaint was filed has been radically transformed under the Trump Administration—and not for the better. Under Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos’ leadership, <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/6/22/1774531/-Trump-s-Education-Secretary-continues-to-deny-students-their-civil-rights-by-dismissing-1-200-cases" target="_blank">more than 1,200 investigations into discrimination claims in schools have been dismissed</a>, even when they included serious civil rights violations. DeVos has also rescinded key Obama-era guidance on school discipline, which <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/4/23/1759328/-Betsy-DeVos-is-a-threat-to-racial-equity-in-public-schools-and-black-students-are-paying-the-price" target="_blank">overwhelmingly impacts black and brown students</a>. This is not an administration that cares anything about mitigating the impacts of systemic racism for students of color, or civil rights, or improving outcomes for Native American students (or any students, for that matter). This continues to leave Native students across the country at risk, notably those in the Wolf Point school district. Sadly, none of this is new. There is a long history of the United States government using schools and education to perpetuate genocide among Native Americans. This is unacceptable, and cannot continue. Neglecting, berating, not investing in, and otherwise harming Native American students until they flunk out, drop out, or are driven to kill themselves should absolutely be a crime. However, since it’s not, we need to stop ignoring the plight of these students, work to hold school administrators accountable, and actively work, across racial lines, to demand justice and equity for Native American students. rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) aian Children Education EducationalInequality NativeAmericans Racism Schools Students SystemicRacism Teenagers _1824315 Tue, 08 Jan 2019 01:03:24 +0000 Tennessee governor grants clemency to sex-trafficking victim sentenced to life in prison at age 16 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/1/7/1824213/-Tennessee-governor-grants-clemency-to-sex-trafficking-victim-sentenced-to-life-in-prison-at-age-16 On Monday, Tennessee Gov. Republican Bill Haslam <a href="https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2019/01/07/cyntoia-brown-clemency-case-facts-story-bill-haslam/2267025002/" target="_blank" title="">granted a full commutation to parole of the sentence of Cyntoia Brown</a>. Brown, a sex-trafficking victim, has been serving a life sentence in prison since the age of 16 for killing 43-year-old Johnny Allen in his home after he solicited her for sex in 2004. At the time of Allen’s death, Brown was a runaway who was living with her 24-year-old boyfriend, a pimp who raped and forced her into prostitution. Though she claimed self-defense in the shooting, Brown was charged as an adult and ultimately convicted of first-degree murder, felony murder, and aggravated robbery (she was caught with Allen’s wallet after the shooting). She was sentenced to life in prison. However, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that life sentences without parole for juveniles is a violation of their constitutional rights. This was the basis for the subsequent appeals that Brown’s lawyers and advocates have made over the years. Recently, the case made headlines again due to renewed activism on social media calling for full clemency for Brown. Even reality star Kim Kardashian West weighed in on the case, hiring an expert lawyer to represent Brown and meeting with Donald Trump at the White House to discuss prison reform. Despite the social media outrage and Kardashian West’s intervention, it looked like things were not going to go Brown’s way when, in December, <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/12/12/1818521/-Tennessee-court-says-teen-victim-of-sex-trafficking-who-defended-herself-deserves-51-years-in-prison" target="_blank" title="">Tennessee’s state Supreme Court ruled that she must remain in prison for 51 years </a>before becoming eligible for parole. Haslam’s commutation effectively ends that determination and allows Brown to be released early, on Aug. 7. After her release, she must remain on parole for 10 years. She will also be required to work, perform at least 50 hours of community service, and participate in regular counseling sessions. rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) BillHaslam Clemency CyntoiaBrown Prison SexTrafficking Tennessee _1824213 Mon, 07 Jan 2019 19:16:34 +0000 Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says there's 'no question' Trump is a racist. Only Republicans are shocked https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/1/7/1824164/-Alexandria-Ocasio-Cortez-says-there-s-no-question-Trump-is-a-racist-Only-Republicans-are-shocked On Sunday, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/01/07/does-ocasio-cortez-think-trump-is-racist-yeah-no-question/?utm_term=.048068a1502a" target="_blank" title="">during an interview with Anderson Cooper</a>, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said what we all know and have been thinking for years now: that Donald Trump is a racist. This is not newsworthy or particularly shocking information. And unlike a lot of the folks who feel the need to dance around Trump’s racism because they want to maintain “civil” discourse or flat-out lie about it, Ocasio-Cortez simply and unapologetically told the truth. <blockquote> “Do you believe President Trump is a racist?” Cooper asked haltingly during a <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-the-rookie-congresswoman-challenging-the-democratic-establishment-60-minutes-interview-full-transcript-2019-01-06/" target="_blank" title="">“60 Minutes” interview</a> with the 29-year-old congresswoman that aired Sunday. Ocasio-Cortez, however, didn’t pause before responding firmly, “Yeah. Yeah. No question.” </blockquote> Cue the predictable outrage. On the left, folks are asking why Cooper would even bother to ask such a question since Donald Trump’s racism is clearly well-documented and dates back for decades. But even if we were to somehow gloss over his racism in the 1970s and 1980s—and we shouldn’t (think housing discrimination and Central Park Five)—there’s his more recent, very obvious racist track record as a politician. By his own admission, Trump has said that neo-Nazis and white supremacists are “very fine people” while proceeding to call African countries “shitholes,” but only after launching a presidential bid by lying about the birthplace of our country’s first black president and calling Mexicans rapists and criminals. So the question itself was one that needed no answer, and the only appropriate response Ocasio-Cortez could have given that would have made any sense is the one she gave—a definitive “Yeah, no question.” On the right, conservatives are doing that fake outrage thing they do so well by handwringing and pearl-clutching and feigning shock that Ocasio-Cortez could have possibly said such a thing. They are absolutely obsessed with her (to the point of serious concern) so this will no doubt be the topic of much debate on Fox News for the next three weeks as they try to paint her as an out-of-control liberal who is hellbent on destroying America and democracy via socialism. Ironically, they went to town defending their racist president by also being racist—trying to show that Trump loves black people because he’s actually come into contact with them once or twice before. “See that, how can he possibly be racist? He has black friends! And black people love him!” rss@dailykos.com (Kelly Macias) AlexandriaOcasio-Cortez AndersonCooper DonaldTrump Racism Recommended _1824164 Mon, 07 Jan 2019 17:05:26 +0000