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demmiblue's JournalPeters Bill to Protect Survivors of Domestic Violence & Pets to be Signed into Law
“Survivors of domestic violence should never have to decide between leaving an abusive relationship or staying and risking their safety to protect their pets,” said Senator Peters. “This bill will help ensure more safe havens for survivors and their pets are available - so together they can begin a new chapter in their lives.”
“We applaud Sen. Peters for his leadership on the PAWS Act to protect domestic violence victims and their pets. Pets are a significant source of support, and oftentimes, a family member. No one should ever be forced to choose between their own safety and the safety of their pets,” said Holly Gann, Director of Federal Affairs, Animal Wellness Action.
The PAWS Act expands existing federal domestic violence protections to include threats or acts of violence against a survivor’s pet, and provides grant funding to programs that offer shelter and housing assistance for domestic violence survivors with pets. The bill also requires the full amount of the survivor’s losses for purposes of restitution in domestic violence and stalking offenses to include any costs incurred for veterinary services relating to physical care for the survivor’s pet.
https://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/peters-bill-to-protect-survivors-of-domestic-violence-and-pets-to-be-signed-into-law
Republican Louie Gohmert Claims Southern Poverty Law Center Has 'Stirred Up More Hate Than Any Other
The GOP congressman from Texas stated his feelings about the center before the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. The committee met with Google CEO Sundar Pichai to ask questions about how the company handles privacy, viewpoints that may be deemed as controversial, and data security. During the hearing, Gohmert expressed that the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) “stirred up more hate” than any other hate group he knows.
"The Southern Poverty Law Center has really stirred up more hate than any other group that I've known," Gohmert said.
https://www.newsweek.com/louie-gohmert-southern-poverty-law-center-hate-more-group-kkk-1254669
Who wrote this DHS memo?!
December 12, 2018
WE ARE BUILDING THE FIRST NEW BORDER WALL IN A DECADE.
DHS is committed to building wall and building wall quickly. We are not replacing short, outdated and ineffective wall with similar wall. Instead, under this President we are building a wall that is 30-feet high.
FACT: Prior to President Trump taking office, we have never built wall that high.
Once funding was provided, DHS began construction of border wall exceptionally quickly, in some locations in as little as nine months from funding to building– a process that commonly takes two years or more in other parts of Government. By the end of FY 2019, DHS expects to have construction completed or underway for more than 120 miles in the areas it’s most needed by the U.S. Border Patrol. The pace of construction has picked up as initial limiting factors like land acquisition and funding have been addressed.
https://www.dhs.gov/news/2018/12/12/walls-work
https://twitter.com/jaketapper/status/1073197028732223488
Why does Trump insult some female journalists? Equality, Sarah Sanders says.
So it was more of the same at Politico’s Women Rule Summit, where Sanders was asked about the way Trump has interacted with female journalists.
White House reporter Eliana Johnson, who was moderating the discussion, asked Sanders whether she found the president’s “contentious” interactions with women in the press corps appropriate.
“The president’s had an equal number of contentious conversations with your male colleagues,” Sanders told Johnson. “Women wanted to be treated equally, and we have a president that certainly does that.”
Sanders said the president is “certainly not singling out women,” and she called the framing of Johnson’s question a “detriment.”
But women in the press corps have often been targets of the president’s insults. To describe female journalists and cable-news hosts, he has used words such as “nasty” and “crazy.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2018/12/12/why-does-trump-insult-some-female-journalists-equality-sarah-sanders-says/?tid=ss_tw&utm_term=.f3ff7b534ef9&noredirect=on
Number of journalists jailed for doing job near record high: report
Source: Reuters
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A near-record number of journalists around the world are behind bars for their work, including two Reuters reporters whose imprisonment in Myanmar has drawn international criticism, according to a report released on Thursday.
There were 251 journalists jailed for doing their jobs as of Dec. 1, the Committee to Protect Journalists said in an annual study. For the third consecutive year, more than half are in Turkey, China and Egypt, where authorities have accused reporters of anti-governmental activities.
“It looks like a trend now,” the report’s author, Elana Beiser, said in an interview. “It looks like the new normal.”
The number of journalists imprisoned on charges of “false news” rose to 28, up from 21 last year and nine in 2016, according to the CPJ, a U.S.-based nonprofit that promotes press freedom.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-rights-journalists/number-of-journalists-jailed-for-doing-job-near-record-high-report-idUSKBN1OC0D2
Gun deaths in US rise to highest level in 20 years, data shows
Source: The Guardian
A steady rise in suicides involving firearms has pushed the rate of gun deaths in the US to its highest rate in more than 20 years, with almost 40,000 people killed in shootings in 2017, according to new figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC’s Wonder database shows that in 2017, 39,773 people in the US lost their lives at the point of a gun, marking the onward march of firearm fatalities in a country renowned for its lax approach to gun controls. When adjusted for age fluctuations, that represents a total of 12 deaths per 100,000 people – up from 10.1 in 2010 and the highest rate since 1996.
What that bare statistic represents in terms of human tragedy is most starkly reflected when set alongside those of other countries. According to a recent study from the Jama Network, it compares with rates of 0.2 deaths per 100,000 people in Japan, 0.3 in the UK, 0.9 in Germany and 2.1 in Canada.
Jama found that just six countries in the world are responsible for more than half of all 250,000 gun deaths a year around the globe. The US is among those six, together with Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela and Guatemala.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/dec/13/us-gun-deaths-levels-cdc-2017
Barack Obama receives RFK Human Rights award at NYC gala
Source: AP
NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Barack Obama was honored with the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Award at a gala in midtown Manhattan Wednesday evening.
“I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but I’ve been on this hope kick for a while now. Even ran a couple of campaigns on it. Thank you for officially validating my hope credentials,” Obama said during his remarks.
The organization’s president, Kerry Kennedy, presented the award, which celebrates leaders “who have demonstrated a commitment to social change.” Past recipients include Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, Bono, George Clooney and Robert De Niro.
“If we summon our best selves, we can inspire others to do the same. It’s easy to succumb to cynicism, the notion that hope is a fool’s game,” Obama said.
Read more: https://www.apnews.com/8fbc00fb2a3e431fa21dc85afa0ed18b
The most controversial bills in Michigan's lame duck legislature
The intensity is stepped up this year because Michigan's Republican-controlled Legislature is faced with an incoming Democratic governor, attorney general, and secretary of state on Jan. 1, along with reduced Republican majorities in both the House and Senate.
Many of the lame duck bills are aimed at putting roadblocks in the way of Democratic plans, or watering down ballot proposals with Democratic support that were approved in the Nov. 6 election.
Below is a look at some of the most controversial bills. Check back daily to see their status:
https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2018/12/04/michigan-legislature-bills-lame-duck-session/2162560002/
Sen. James Inhofe Bought Defense Stock Days After Pushing For Record Pentagon Spending--Then Dumped I
Source: The Daily Beast
Just days after signaling his support for unprecedented levels of U.S. defense spending, Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK), the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, reported purchasing tens of thousands of dollars of stock in one of the nation’s top defense contractors.
After The Daily Beast asked about the purchase, Inhofe’s office said the senator had contacted his financial adviser to cancel the transaction and instructed him to avoid defense and aerospace purchases going forward.
Inhofe, who took over the top spot on Armed Services after the death of Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) in August, has repeatedly pressed President Donald Trump to dramatically scale up the Pentagon’s annual budget, which currently stands at $717 billion. Last week, after Trump hinted he would like to scale back parts of that budget, the Senator had a meeting with the president and Defense Secretary James Mattis, after which it was announced that the administration would seek even more defense funding: a record $750 billion in spending for fiscal year 2020.
News of that budget request broke on Sunday. On Tuesday, Inhofe’s financial adviser bought him between $50,000 and $100,000 in stock in defense contractor Raytheon, according to documents filed with Senate ethics officials.
Read more: https://www.thedailybeast.com/sen-james-inhofe-bought-defense-stock-days-after-pushing-for-record-pentagon-spendingthen-dumped-it-when-asked-about-it?ref=wrap
Ivanka Trump's luxury weekend in the Dominican Republic cost US taxpayers $58,000
First daughter and US presidential adviser Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, vacationed at a luxury resort in the Dominican Republic over a long weekend in August. The cost to US taxpayers: more than $58,000.
A White House spokesperson says the couple covered their own costs for what was a “personal trip,” but taxpayers were on the hook for hotel expenses for the security detail.
Federal spending documents show a $32,064 payment made by the government on Aug. 3, 2018. The reason listed: “VIP VISIT AMANERA RESORT RIO SAN JUAN.” Four days later, on Aug. 7, the State Department’s bureau of diplomatic security made a separate payment for $26,280 through the US embassy in Santo Domingo, for reasons identified simply as “HOTEL RESERVATION.” No specific property was listed, but this payment also appears to be connected to the stay at the Amanera.
The Amanera Resort is a “six-star” property in the town of Rio San Juan, part of the Aman chain known for its clean lines and sky-high prices. According to Hoy (link in Spanish), a local news site, she traveled by private jet, and police vehicles and US Secret Service agents were observed outside the resort while she was there. Kushner’s presence was not noted by local media, but was confirmed to Quartz by the White House, which told us:
https://qz.com/1490579/ivanka-trumps-dominican-republic-vacation-cost-us-taxpayers-58000/
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