TUESDAY
BERNIE SANDERS
PUSHES AGAIN FOR FAIRNESS IN ELECTIONS THROUGH A SENATE BILL CALLED THE “FOR
THE PEOPLE ACT.”
Bernie Sanders renews call for action on voting rights bill after Texas legislature drama
‘The future of American democracy is at stake’
John Bowden
1 hour ago [June 1, 2021]
PHOTOGRAPH –
Bernie Sanders speaking, (AFP via Getty Images)
Senator Bernie
Sanders called for the Senate to pass S. 1*, a landmark piece of voting
rights legislation, on Tuesday while celebrating a walkout by members of
the Texas state legislature that resulted in a GOP-led elections bill to be
defeated.
If passed, S.
1, commonly known as the “For The People Act”, would institute a number of
nationwide provisions including automatic voter registration and early voting,
and would also restore voting rights for federal elections to Americans who are
released from prison after felony convictions.
“Congratulations
to Democrats in Texas for protecting democracy and the right to vote. Let's see
if Democrats in the U.S. Senate have the same courage,” Mr Sanders tweeted.
Over the
weekend, members of Texas's state House walked out to prevent the passage of a
bill Sunday that would have cut back on hours at polling places and reduced
access to mail-in voting, which was expanded during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We MUST pass
S. 1, the For The People Act. The future of American democracy is at stake,”
the Vermont senator and two-time presidential candidate added.
*'Past the point of no return'? Iowa Dems feel hopes fading
*Fox News mocked for reporting that Bernie Sanders loves a king-sized bed
*Democrats push bill allowing college athletes to organize
@nytimes
Democrats prevented Texas Republicans on Sunday from passing a major bill to restrict voting. But a special session could be called to restart the process.
EMBEDDED PHOTOGRAPH -- protestors
7:45 AM · May 31, 2021
The legislation
faces a steep path to President Joe Biden’s desk despite widespread support
among the Democratic Party’s base due to the split control of the Senate, and
the requirement that the For The People Act would need 60 votes to pass the
chamber. The bill faces near-total opposition from Republican lawmakers and
conservative organisations, which have decried the bill as a federal
takeover of election procedures.
Some activists
have pushed Democrats to end the Senate’s legislative filibuster as a
means of passing the legislation, a move that is not supported by some centrist
members of the party including Senators Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) and Kyrsten Sinema
(D-Ariz.).
More about -- Bernie
Sanders TexasVoter Registration
THIS DOES LOOK
LIKE A VERY PROMISING BILL FOR OUR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC TO ENACT TO MAKE OUR
NATION MORE DEMOCRATIC AND KEEP IT THAT WAY. READ THE PROVISIONS - I CAN SEE WHY
THE REPUBLICANS HATE IT SO MUCH. GO, BERNIE!
S[enate] 1*
S.1 - For
the People Act of 2021
117th Congress
(2021-2022) | Get alerts
Sponsor: Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (Introduced
03/17/2021)
Committees: Senate - Rules and Administration
Committee
Meetings: 05/11/21 10:00AM 03/24/21
10:00AM
Latest Action: Senate - 05/11/2021 Committee on Rules
and Administration. Failed to report favorably.
(All Actions)
Summary: S.1 —
117th Congress (2021-2022) All Information (Except Text)
There is one
summary for S.1. Bill summaries are authored by CRS.
Introduced in
Senate (03/17/2021)
For the People
Act of 2021
This bill
addresses voter access, election integrity and security, campaign finance,
and ethics for the three branches of government.
Specifically,
the bill expands voter registration (e.g., automatic and same-day registration)
and voting access (e.g., vote-by-mail and early voting). It also limits
removing voters from voter rolls.
The bill
requires states to establish independent redistricting commissions to carry out
congressional redistricting.
Additionally,
the bill sets forth provisions related to election security, including sharing
intelligence information with state election officials, supporting states in
securing their election systems, developing a national strategy to protect U.S.
democratic institutions, establishing in the legislative branch the National
Commission to Protect United States Democratic Institutions, and other
provisions to improve the cybersecurity of election systems.
Further, the
bill addresses campaign finance, including by expanding the prohibition on
campaign spending by foreign nationals, requiring additional disclosure of campaign-related
fundraising and spending, requiring additional disclaimers regarding certain
political advertising, and establishing an alternative campaign funding system
for certain federal offices.
The bill
addresses ethics in all three branches of government, including by requiring a
code of conduct for Supreme Court Justices, prohibiting Members of the House
from serving on the board of a for-profit entity, and establishing additional
conflict-of-interest and ethics provisions for federal employees and the White
House.
The bill requires
the President, the Vice President, and certain candidates for those offices to
disclose 10 years of tax returns.
HERE ARE SOME
POSSIBLE BIDEN CHANGES TO HELP REDUCE THE RACIAL INCOME AND WEALTH GAP BETWEEN
BLACKS AND OTHER GROUPS.
Here's what Biden can do on his own about racial inequality -- and where he'll need Congress to act
By Tami Luhby and Katie Lobosco, CNN
Updated 5:21 PM ET, Tue June 1, 2021
VIDEO -- Before
Tulsa, this Georgia county forced out nearly all Black residents Source: CNN, 07:55
MIN.
(CNN)President
Joe Biden on Tuesday laid out his most comprehensive plan yet for shrinking
the nation's longstanding racial wealth gap, the latest step in his promise
to infuse more equity in government policies and in the rebuilding of the
economy after the coronavirus pandemic.
Some measures
-- including changes to deal with housing discrimination and directing
federal support to small businesses -- he can take on his own, but many of
his proposals require congressional approval that could be very tough to
secure.
That includes pouring
tens of billions of dollars into communities of color to improve
transportation infrastructure, develop more neighborhood amenities, build and
rehabilitate affordable housing and support small businesses. All of these
proposals are contained in Biden's massive infrastructure package, called the American
Jobs Act.
That package
has run into trouble in Congress, with members of both parties concerned about
its roughly $2 trillion size -- as well as about the corporate tax
increases that would be used to pay for it. The White House is currently
negotiating with a group of Republicans in hopes of finding agreement on a
smaller package -- with the latest GOP proposal coming in at $928 billion.
The massive
wealth divide between Black and White families is currently in the spotlight
because of the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre, one of the worst
acts of racial violence in US cities. The typical non-Hispanic White family
had a net worth of $188,200 in 2019, while the typical non-Hispanic Black family's
wealth was $24,100, according to the most recent Federal Reserve Bank
data.
There are many
reasons for the gap, including a big difference in home ownership -- a key
vehicle to building wealth. About 74% of Whites owned homes in the first
quarter of 2021 versus 45% of Blacks, according to the US Census Bureau.
What executive
actions Biden will take
Combating
housing discrimination. The President is charging Secretary of Housing and
Urban Development Marcia Fudge with leading a first-of-its-kind interagency
initiative to address inequity in home appraisals. The effort will include
carrying out potential enforcement under fair housing laws, regulatory
action, and the development of standards and guidance in partnership with
industry and state and local governments.
To allow the
more vigorous enforcement of the Fair Housing Act, the agency also will
publish two rules aimed at combating practices that contribute to systemic
inequality. The rules would reinstate the agency's discriminatory effects
standard and the requirement that municipalities that receive agency
funding show that the money's use does not further discrimination.
These efforts
are aimed at reversing efforts by the Trump administration to weaken Fair
Housing Act protections and stem from an executive memorandum Biden issued
in January that focused on redressing the federal government's history of
discriminatory housing policies.
The moves are a
"welcome step" and go part of the way to addressing structural
divides in the housing market that have developed over decades, said Michael
Neal, senior research associate at the Urban Institute. He would also like
to see downpayment assistance, particularly for the historically
disadvantaged.
Directing
federal contracts to small businesses. In addition, Biden wants more
federal purchasing to be made from small, disadvantaged businesses, many of
them minority-owned -- though it could take years to have an impact. His goal
is to increase the share of contracts going to them by 50% by 2026.
The President
can direct federal agencies to conduct outreach to smaller businesses and
reduce barriers that exist for them to compete in federal contracts. It's
unclear whether he will need Congress to pass legislation that changes some of
the rules.
Biden has
already set in motion a process to alter federal purchasing rules when
he signed an executive order in January. It set a 180-day deadline to change how
domestic content is defined and measured for qualifying products as well as
increase the required threshold in an effort to boost American manufacturing.
Biden also hired the first Made in America Director, Celeste Drake, to
help implement the federal procurement process and focus on reaching small
businesses and minority entrepreneurs.
What Biden will
need Congress to do
Create a $10
billion Community Revitalization Fund: The fund would target economically
under-served areas and support community-led civic infrastructure projects
that develop neighborhood amenities, revitalize vacant land and buildings,
spark new local economic activity, provide services, promote civic engagement
and build community wealth.
Invest in transportation
infrastructure: The President wants to establish grants totaling $15
billion that would target neighborhoods where people have been cut off from
jobs, schools and businesses because of previous transportation
investments. The funding would support planning, removing or retrofitting
infrastructure that creates barriers to communities.
Increase
affordable housing: Biden is calling for the creation of a Neighborhood
Homes Tax Credit to attract private investment in the development and
rehabilitation of affordable housing for low- and moderate-income
buyers and owners.
Expand housing
choices: The President is asking lawmakers to establish a $5 billion grant
program for jurisdictions that take concrete steps to eliminate land-use
and zoning barriers to producing affordable housing and that expand
housing choices for people with low or moderate incomes.
Invest $31
billion to support minority-owned small businesses: Biden wants to
provide $30 billion to the Small Business Administration to increase access to
capital for the smallest companies, develop new loan products to
support small manufacturers and businesses that invest in clean energy and
launch a Small Business Investment Corporation to make early stage equity
investments, placing a priority on small firms owned by socially and
economically disadvantaged individuals. It would also establish a $1
billion grant program through the Minority Business Development Agency aimed at
helping minority-owned manufacturers access private capital.
What else Biden
could do
Several policy
experts say canceling student debt would help close the racial wealth
gap because Black Americans are more likely to take on student debt and then
struggle to repay it. More than 200 advocacy groups, including the Center for
Responsible Lending and the American Federation of Teachers union, called on
Biden to use his executive powers to cancel student debt on day one of his administration.
Dozens of
Democratic lawmakers, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, also called on Biden to take action and cancel
$50,000 per borrower. The move would be unprecedented, but a memo from
lawyers at Harvard's Legal Services Center and its Project on Predatory Student
Lending says the Department of Education has the power to do so.
Biden has
resisted the pressure so far but has said he would support a move by Congress to
cancel $10,000 per borrower. It's unlikely that legislation would pass the
Senate where Democrats have a razor thin majority.
Taking
executive action does not appear to be off the table, though. Biden directed
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to write a memo on the president's legal
authorities to cancel debt, White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain said in an
interview with Politico in April.
Biden did
not include a student debt cancellation provision in his $1.8 trillion
American Families Plan, which calls for making community college free
and expanding Pell Grants for low-income college students, or in his
proposed budget. NAACP's National President Derrick Johnson criticized Biden
for failing to address the student loan crises, which he said was at the core
of the racial wealth gap.
CNN's Kate
Sullivan contributed to this story.
TO GET A MORE
DETAILED VIEW OF KNOWN CAUSES FOR INCOME AND WEALTH INEQUALITY IN REGARD TO
RACE AND ETHNICITY, I STRONGLY SUGGEST THIS PRODUCT FROM THE URBAN INSTITUTE.
STRANGELY, HOWEVER, MOST SITES I LOOKED AT, INCLUDING THIS ONE, GIVE VERY LITTLE
DATA ON GROUPS WHO ARE NEITHER WHITE, BLACK NOR HISPANIC. I AM ESPECIALLY
CONCERNED ABOUT NATIVE AMERICANS WHO HAVE CONSIDERABLE POVERTY PROBLEMS IN MANY
CASES. AN “OTHER” CATEGORY DOES APPEAR IN THIS WORK FROM THE FEDERAL RESERVE: https://www.federalreserve.gov/econres/notes/feds-notes/disparities-in-wealth-by-race-and-ethnicity-in-the-2019-survey-of-consumer-finances-20200928.htm. IT CONCERNS ME THAT NOT BEING MENTIONED SPECIFICALLY MAY WORK AGAINST THEM IN THE LAW MAKING PROCESS.
Features : : Nine Charts about Wealth Inequality in America (Updated)
Why hasn’t
wealth inequality improved over the past 50 years? And why, in particular, has
the racial wealth gap not closed? These nine charts illustrate how income
inequality, earnings gaps, homeownership rates, retirement savings, student
loan debt, and lopsided asset-building subsidies have contributed to these
growing wealth disparities.
This story was
updated with new data on October 5, 2017.
Wealth
inequality is growing
1963 1983 1989
1992 1995 1998 2001 2004 2007 2010 2013 2016
Source: Urban
Institute calculations from Survey of Financial Characteristics of Consumers
1962 (December 31), Survey of Changes in Family Finances 1963, and Survey of
Consumer Finances 1983–2016.
Notes: 2016 dollars. No comparable data are
available between 1963 and 1983.
1.Average
wealth has increased over the past 50 years, but it has not grown equally for
all groups.
Between 1963
and 2016, families near the bottom of the wealth distribution (those at the
10th percentile) went from having no wealth on average to being about $1,000 in
debt,
those in the
middle more than doubled their wealth,
families near
the top (at the 90th percentile) saw their wealth increase fivefold,
and the wealth
of those at the 99th percentile—in other words, those wealthier than 99 percent
of all families—grew sevenfold.
These changes
have increased wealth inequality significantly. In 1963, families near the top
had six times the wealth (or, $6 for every $1) of families in the middle. By
2016, they had 12 times the wealth of families in the middle.
2.One reason
for rising wealth inequality is income inequality
Income is money
coming into a family, while wealth is a family’s assets—things like savings,
real estate, businesses—minus debt. Both are important sides of families’
financial security, but wealth cushions families against emergencies and gives
them the means to move up the economic ladder. Also, wealth disparities are
much greater than income disparities: three times as much by one measure.
Income
inequality can worsen wealth inequality because the income people have
available to save and invest matters. Focusing on private income, such as
earnings and dividends, plus cash government benefits, we see that the income
of families near the top increased roughly 90 percent from 1963 to 2016, while
the income of families at the bottom increased less than 10 percent.
3.Racial and
ethnic wealth disparities persist
Families of
color will soon make up a majority of the population, but most continue to fall
behind whites in building wealth. In 1963, the average wealth of white families
was $121,000 higher than the average wealth of nonwhite families. By 2016, the
average wealth of white families ($919,000) was over $700,000 higher than the
average wealth of black families ($140,000) and of Hispanic families
($192,000).
Put another
way, white family wealth was seven times greater than black family wealth and
five times greater than Hispanic family wealth in 2016. Despite some
fluctuations over the past five decades, this disparity is as high or higher
than it was in 1963.
4.The racial
wealth gap grows sharply with age
White families
accumulate more wealth over their lives than black or Hispanic families do,
widening the wealth gap at older ages. In their 30s, whites have an average of
$147,000 more in wealth than blacks (three times as much). By their 60s, whites
have over $1.1 million more in average wealth than blacks (seven times as
much).
Median wealth
by race is lower. Though the dollar gap grows with age, the ratio doesn’t grow
in the same way: whites have seven times more median wealth than blacks in
their 60s and 70s.
5.Differences
in earnings add up over a lifetime and widen the racial and ethnic wealth gap
Why is the
racial and ethnic wealth gap so big? People with lower earnings may have a
harder time saving. The average white man earns $2.7 million over a lifetime,
while the average black man earns $1.8 million and the average Hispanic man
earns $2.0 million. The difference in lifetime earnings is lower for women: the
average white woman earns $1.5 million, while the average black woman earns
$1.3 million and the average Hispanic woman earns $1.1 million. These
disparities partly reflect historical disadvantages that continue to affect
later generations.
Blacks and
Hispanics are less likely to own homes, so they more often miss out on this
powerful wealth-building tool. Homeownership makes the most of automatic
payments—homeowners must make mortgage payments every month—to build equity.
In 1976, 68
percent of white families owned their home, compared with 44 percent of black
families and 43 percent of Hispanic families. By 2016, the homeownership gap
had narrowed slightly for Hispanics but widened for blacks. Black and Hispanic
families were also less likely to own homes than white families with similar
incomes.
7.Black and
Hispanic families have less in liquid retirement savings
In 2016, white
families had about $130,000 more (or six times more) in average liquid
retirement savings than black and Hispanic families. In sheer dollar terms,
this disparity has increased more than fivefold over the past quarter-century:
in 1989, white families had about $25,000 more (or five times more) in average
retirement savings than black and Hispanic families. This gap is becoming more
important as liquid retirement savings vehicles, like 401(k)s, replace more
traditional defined-benefit pension plans.
Why does this
gap exist? It’s not just income differences; even at the same income level,
gaps remain. Black and Hispanic families have less access to retirement saving
vehicles and lower participation when they have access. But lower access and
participation isn’t the full story.
Black workers
are somewhat less likely to participate in employer retirement plans than white
workers (40 percent versus 47 percent in 2013, respectively) but have much
lower average liquid retirement savings. This suggests that simply having more
employers offer retirement plans will not be enough to close the gap,
especially if lower-income groups contribute smaller portions of their income
to retirement plans and are more likely to withdraw money early to cover financial
emergencies. Lower-income families may also get lower returns on average if
they invest in safer, shorter-term assets.
8.Black
families carry more student loan debt than white families
Since the
mid-2000s, black families, on average, have carried more student loan debt than
white families. This is driven in large part by the growing share of black
families that take on student debt. In 2016, 42 percent of families headed by
black adults ages 25 to 55 had student loan debt, compared with 34 percent of
similar white families.
Because black
families, on average, have less wealth and fewer private resources, they may be
more likely to turn to loans to finance their education. White families are
five times more likely than black families to receive large gifts or
inheritances, which can be used to pay for college.
However, black
students also have lower graduation rates than white students. Student loan
debt doesn’t always translate into a degree that promotes economic mobility—and
income and wealth—in the long run.
9.Federal
policies fail to promote asset building by lower-income families
The federal
government spends over $400 billion to support asset development, but those
subsidies primarily benefited higher-income families—exacerbating wealth
inequality and racial wealth disparities.
About
two-thirds of homeownership tax subsidies and retirement subsidies go to the
top 20 percent of taxpayers, as measured by income. The bottom 20 percent,
meanwhile, receive less than 1 percent of these subsidies. Blacks and
Hispanics, who have lower average incomes, receive much less of these subsidies
than whites, both in total amount and as a share of their incomes.
Low-income
families benefit from safety net programs, such as food and cash assistance,
but most of these programs focus on income—keeping families afloat today—and do
not encourage wealth-building and economic mobility in the long run. What’s
more, many programs discourage saving: for instance, when families won’t
qualify for benefits if they have a few thousand dollars in assets or when they
have to give up rent subsidies to own a home.
Promising
policies to shrink wealth inequality and racial wealth gaps
Federal
asset-building subsidies disproportionately benefit high-income families that
need them the least. Here are six recommendations that could help reduce wealth
inequality and racial wealth disparities:
*Limit the
mortgage interest tax deduction and use the revenues to provide a credit for
first-time homebuyers.
*Establish
automatic savings in retirement plans.
*Reduce
reliance on student loans while supporting success in postsecondary education.
*Offer
universal children's savings accounts.
*Reform safety net program asset tests, which can act as barriers to saving among low-income families.
*Provide
subsidies to promote emergency savings, such as those linked to tax time.
By more
efficiently and equitably promoting saving and asset building, more people will
have the tools to protect their families in tough times and invest in
themselves and their children.
*This chart
title was updated on Oct. 24, 2017, to reflect the full range of years
presented in the chart.
SAYING THAT
THIS MAN “FELL IN WITH THE WRONG PEOPLE” IS THE SAME AS AN AFFLUENZA DEFENSE,
IT SEEMS TO ME. THE FACT THAT THE KILLER’S FAMILY
HAD MATERIALLY SUPPORTED GOVERNOR BEVIN FOR HIS ELECTION, AND ANOTHER
REPUBLICAN SPONSORED THE MAN FOR A PARDON MAKES THIS SITUATION LOOK PRETTY
DAMNING. I AM DELIGHTED TO SEE THAT THE US DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE HAS STEPPED IN
AND ARRESTED HIM ON FEDERAL CHARGES NOW. THE PRINCIPLE INVOLVED IS CALLED THE “DUAL
SOVEREIGNTY DOCTRINE.”
Pardoned Kentucky man faces new federal charges in slaying
By BRUCE SCHREINER
50 minutes ago [JUNE 1, 2021]
PHOTOGRAPH -- 1
of 3, In this Dec. 17, 2019 photo, Patrick Baker, right, who was recently
pardoned by Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, looks down as his attorney Amy Robinson
Staples listened during a press conference in Lexington, Ky. Baker, convicted
of reckless homicide in a 2014 home invasion and then pardoned two years later
by then-Gov. Matt Bevin, has been arrested on federal charges in connection to
the same crime, according to court records unsealed Tuesday, June 1, 2021. (Sam
Upshaw Jr. Courier Journal via AP)
FRANKFORT, Ky.
(AP) — A Kentucky man convicted of reckless homicide in a 2014 home invasion
and pardoned two years later by then-Gov. Matt Bevin has been arrested on
federal charges in connection to the same crime, according to court
records unsealed Tuesday.
Patrick Baker
is charged with murder committed during a robbery and kidnapping related to
drug trafficking, the records show.
A not-guilty
plea was entered at Baker’s initial court appearance Tuesday in London,
Kentucky. He remained in federal custody pending a detention hearing scheduled
for Friday. Attorney Steve Romines, part of Baker’s legal defense
team at Tuesday’s hearing, declined comment afterward.
If convicted on
the new federal charges in the shooting death of Donald Mills, Baker
could face the death penalty or a maximum sentence of life in prison,
according to his indictment.
“We’re very
pleased with the federal (government) taking it and indicting him ... because
now he may have stiffer penalties,” Mills’ sister, Melinda Mills, said in a
phone interview Tuesday. She said she would like Baker to face the death
penalty if he’s convicted of a crime that allows it.
Baker was convicted
in 2017 of reckless homicide and other crimes in connection with Mills’ death
and sentenced to 19 years in prison. Prosecutors said Baker posed as a
law enforcement officer and killed Mills in his Knox County home. Baker had
served two years of his sentence before being pardoned by Bevin.
In bringing the
federal charges, authorities pointed to the “dual sovereignty doctrine,”
which allows state and federal officials to prosecute the same defendant for
the same actions without infringing on double jeopardy protections, said
law professors at the University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky.
Baker’s pardon
was among hundreds Bevin issued in the time between his electoral defeat in November
2019 and his final day in office a month later. It drew widespread
attention after the Courier Journal reported that Baker’s family held a
fundraiser at their home for Bevin in 2018 and that another GOP donor who gave
thousands to Bevin urged the former governor to pardon Baker.
Bevin wrote in
his pardoning order that Baker’s drug addictions led him to fall in with the
wrong people and that the evidence against Baker was “sketchy at best.”
After the
pardon, Baker released a statement declaring his innocence and defending
Bevin’s decision to grant him clemency.
“I did not kill
Donald Mills and my family did not pay for my release,” he said.
The Kentucky
Court of Appeals reviewed Baker’s case and ruled that there was “overwhelming”
evidence to convict him.
Biden suspends oil leases in Alaska’s Arctic refuge
By MATTHEW DALY
2 hours ago [JUNE 1, 2021]
AERIAL
PHOTOGRAPH -- 1 of 2, This undated aerial photo provided by U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service shows a herd of caribou on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
in northeast Alaska. The Biden administration is suspending oil and gas leases
in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as it reviews the environmental
impacts of drilling in the remote region.(U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service via
AP)
WASHINGTON (AP)
— The Biden administration on Tuesday suspended oil and gas leases in Alaska’s
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, reversing a drilling program approved by the
Trump administration and reviving a political fight over a remote region that
is home to polar bears and other wildlife — and a rich reserve of oil.
The Interior
Department order follows a temporary moratorium on oil and gas lease activities
imposed by President Joe Biden on his first day in office. Biden’s Jan. 20
executive order suggested a new environmental review was needed to address
possible legal flaws in a drilling program approved by the Trump administration
under a 2017 law enacted by Congress.
After
conducting a required review, Interior said it “identified defects in the
underlying record of decision supporting the leases, including the lack of
analysis of a reasonable range of alternatives″ required under the National
Environmental Policy Act, a bedrock environmental law.
The remote,
19.6 million-acre refuge is home to polar bears, caribou, snowy owls and other
wildlife, including migrating birds from six continents. Republicans and the
oil industry have long been trying to open up the oil-rich refuge, which is
considered sacred by the Indigenous Gwich’in, for drilling. Democrats,
environmental groups and some Alaska Native tribes have been trying to block
it.
Former
President Bill Clinton vetoed a GOP plan to allow drilling in the refuge in
1995, and the two parties have been fighting over the region ever since.
The U.S. Bureau
of Land Management, an Interior Department agency, held a lease sale for the
refuge’s coastal plain on Jan. 6, two weeks before Biden took office. Eight
days later the agency signed leases for nine tracts totaling nearly 685 square
miles (1,770 square kilometers). However, the issuance of the leases was not
announced publicly until Jan. 19, former President Donald Trump’s last full day
in office.
Biden has
opposed drilling in the region, and environmental groups have been pushing for
permanent protections, which Biden called for during the presidential campaign.
The
administration’s action to suspend the leases comes after officials
disappointed environmental groups last week by defending a Trump administration
decision to approve a major oil project on Alaska’s North Slope. Critics say
the action flies in the face of Biden’s pledges to address climate change.
The Justice
Department said in a court filing that opponents of the Willow project in the
National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska were seeking to stop development by
“cherry-picking” the records of federal agencies to claim environmental review
law violations. The filing defends the reviews underpinning last fall’s
decision approving project plans.
Kristen Miller,
acting executive director of the Alaska Wilderness League, hailed suspension of
the Arctic leasing program, which she said was the result of a flawed legal
process under Trump.
“Suspending
these leases is a step in the right direction, and we commend the Biden
administration for committing to a new program analysis that prioritizes sound
science and adequate tribal consultation,″ she said.
More action is
needed, Miller said, calling for a permanent cancellation of the leases and
repeal of the 2017 law mandating drilling in the refuge’s coastal plain.
The drilling
mandate was included in a massive tax cut approved by congressional Republicans
during Trump’s first year in office. Republicans said it could generate an
estimated $1 billion over 10 years, a figure Democrats call preposterously
overstated.
Sen. Maria
Cantwell, D-Wash., a longtime opponent of drilling in the refuge, accused the
Trump administration of trying to “shortcut environmental laws.″ The effort
“fell apart when exposed to the facts that federal scientists say Arctic Refuge
drilling cannot be done safely and oil companies don’t want to drill there,”
Cantwell said.
“Now it is up
to Congress to permanently protect this irreplaceable, million-year-old
ecosystem and facilitate new economic opportunities based on preserving
America’s pristine public lands for outdoor recreation,” she said.
Bernadette
Demientieff, executive director of the Gwich’in Nation Steering Committee, said in a
statement that tribal leaders are heartened by the Biden administration’s
“commitment to protecting sacred lands and the Gwich’in way of life.”
She thanked
Biden and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland “for hearing our voices and
standing up for our human rights and identity.″
I FIND IT DIFFICULT
TO SEE HOW THIS ARTICLE CAME TO BE CLASSIFIED AS “ENTERTAINMENT.”
18-year-old woman charged with murder in cemetery death
May 30, 2021
PHOTOGRAPH -- This
photo provided by the Raleigh Police Department shows Maria Elizabeth
Pena-Echeverria, 18, charged with murder after the body of a 69-year old man
was found in a North Carolina cemetery. (Raleigh Police Department via AP)
RALEIGH, N.C.
(AP) — An 18-year-old woman has been charged with murder after the body of a
69-year old man was found in a North Carolina cemetery.
Raleigh Police
on Saturday night announced the arrest of Maria Elizabeth Pena-Echeverria. She
has been charged with murder and is being held at the Wake County Detention
Center.
Police were
called to Mount Olivet Cemetery in the city Friday night, where they found a
seriously injured man. He was declared dead later at a nearby hospital.
On Saturday,
police identified the man as James Lacy Taylor.
The
investigation is ongoing.
The cemetery is
adjacent to Schenck Forest, which is magaed by North Carolina State University.
Campus Police had put out an alert Friday night saying witnesses saw a woman
and two men leaving the scene.
THE FACT THAT
THIS RULING HAD TO BE MADE AT ALL SHOWS HOW FAR BENEATH ANY BENCHMARK OF
JUSTICE OUR LAW STANDS ON NATIVE AMERICANS.
Supreme Court upholds tribal police in traffic stop, search
Today [JUNE 1, 2021]
PHOTOGRAPH -- FILE
- In this Nov. 5, 2020, file photo the Supreme Court is seen in Washington. (AP
Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
WASHINGTON (AP)
— The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that tribal police officers can stop and
search non-Indians on tribal lands for potential violations of state or
federal law.
The justices
unanimously reversed an appellate ruling in favor of a non-Native
motorist who was charged with drug-related crimes after a tribal officer searched
his pickup truck on a public road that crosses the Crow reservation in
Montana.
The Supreme
Court has previously held that tribal police have little authority over
non-Indians, but Justice Stephen Breyer wrote for the court that allowing a
temporary stop and detention — so that state or federal authorities can be
called in — enhances public safety.
“To deny a
tribal police officer authority to search and detain for a reasonable time
any person he or she believes may commit or has committed a crime would make it
difficult for tribes to protect themselves against ongoing threats,” Breyer
wrote.
The case
involved a traffic stop in 2016 in which Officer James Saylor of the Crow
Tribe Police Department came upon a pickup truck with its headlights on and
motor running, parked on the shoulder of U.S. Route 212.
The driver,
Joshua Cooley, had watery, bloodshot eyes, Saylor said. Cooley also had two
semiautomatic rifles and a handgun in the pickup, as well as methamphetamine.
Saylor called for
help from federal and county officers, who eventually arrested Cooley.
The 9th U.S.
Circuit Court of Appeals sided with Cooley, saying that non-Indians can be
detained only if evidence of a crime is “apparent” or “obvious.”
The Justice
Department appealed during the Trump administration and maintained its position
after President Joe Biden took office.
OFFICER
SICKNICK AND HIS PARTNER WERE TRUMP VOTERS, BUT THE EX-PRESIDENT CHOSE NOT TO
MENTION HIS NAME.
Sicknick family
still searching for answers
The family of
deceased Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick is continuing their criticism of
lawmakers opposed to the creation of a commission to investigate the January 6
Capitol assault.
CBS News
congressional correspondent Nikole Killion joins CBSN's "Red &
Blue" host Elaine Quijano to discuss her interview with Sicknick's mother
and longtime companion.
1H AGO, [JUNE
1, 2021]
END OF JUNE 1
TUESDAY
