Month: June 2020

The U.S. Naval Academy has launched an investigation into tweets allegedly made by a midshipman in the wake of protests over the police custody death of George Floyd in Minnesota. The posts were allegedly made on a since-deleted Twitter account identified as belonging to Chase Standage, a Midshipman 1st Class from California. Screenshots posted online appear to show one tweet allegedly about a police officer firing tear gas at an unarmed protester demonstrating after the death of Floyd, and another post allegedly commented on a black woman’s fatal shooting by police in Kentucky.

The tweets surfaced on the same day academy Superintendent Vice Adm. Sean Buck posted a video message condemning separate racial remarks made earlier this month by a retired captain and former Naval Academy trustee that disparaged admission by the academy of African Americans, Asian Americans and women.  Depending on the results of the investigation, the midshipman could be disciplined under the Uniform Code of Military Justice or be dismissed from the academy.

         

Naval Academy opens investigation into midshipman’s tweets in wake of Floyd killing

Via www.washingtontimes.com

The U.S. Naval Academy has opened an investigation into social media posts allegedly made by a…

06/18/2020 9:49 PM

 

Editorial credit: Polina LVT / Shutterstock.com

On Thursday, the Supreme Court rejected President Donald Trump’s effort to end legal protections for 650,000 young immigrants. Young immigrants will retain their protection from deportation and their authorization to work in the United States.

Chief Justice John Roberts and the four liberal justices were in the majority in 5-4 outcome. The justices rejected administration arguments that the 8-year-old Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program is illegal and that courts have no role to play in reviewing the decision to end DACA. The program covers people who have been in the United States since they were children and are in the country illegally. In some cases, they have no memory of any home other than the U.S.

Supreme Court blocks Trump from ending DACA in big win for Dreamers

Via www.nbcnews.com

06/18/2020 10:04 AM

 

On Wednesday, President Trump announced a new initiative to help veterans suffering from mental health issues and suicidal thoughts.

The Roadmap to Empower Veterans and End a National Tragedy of Suicide, or PREVENTS, was established by the president’s executive order last December and spearheaded by second lady Karen Pence. “They fought their battles overseas and now we must join them in fighting this new battle at home,” Trump said during a speech at the White House. “They face tremendous, tremendous trauma.”

The initiative put forth 10 recommendations for federal agencies and public organizations to take action in helping veterans in need, and also established a new public health campaign to improve veterans’ awareness of mental health resources available around the country. According to the 2019 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report, 45,390 American adults died from suicide in 2017, including 6,139 U.S. veterans. Veterans’ advocacy groups earlier this year issued warnings that a surge in mental health needs is on the horizon as the coronavirus pandemic strains resources and increases social isolation.

Trump rolls out plan to address veteran suicides

Via abcnews.go.com

President Donald Trump is rolling out a national plan to address veteran suicides, part of a…

06/17/2020 3:55 PM

 

Editorial credit: S-F / Shutterstock.com

On Wednesday, prosecutors said that the Atlanta officer who fatally shot Rayshard Brooks in the back outside of a Wendy’s restaurant will be charged with felony murder and 10 other charges. Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard said at a news conference that officer Garrett Rolfe kicked Brooks while he lay on the ground and the officer with him, Devin Brosnan, stood on Brooks’ shoulder as he struggled for life after a confrontation. “Mr Brooks was running away at the time the shot was fired,” Howard said.

Brosnan is being charged with aggravated assault, but is cooperating with prosecutors in the case and has given testimony as a state’s witness. Howard said it’s the first time in 40 such cases where an officer has come forward to do this. Rolfe has been fired, and Brosnan, who will be charged with aggravated assault and other crimes, has been placed on administrative leave.

Ex-Atlanta police officer who shot Rayshard Brooks charged with murder

Via www.nbcnews.com

Rayshard Brooks, 27, was fatally shot in the parking lot of a Wendy’s restaurant on June 12.

06/17/2020 4:03 PM

 

Editorial credit: Christopher V Jones / Shutterstock.com

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday that he said would encourage better police practices, this coming after weeks of national protests since the death of George Floyd.

Trump met privately with the families of several black Americans killed in interactions with police before his Rose Garden signing ceremony, and said he grieved for the lives lost and families devastated. He devoted most of his public remarks to a need to respect and support “the brave men and women in blue who police our streets and keep us safe,” characterizing the officers who have used excessive force as a “tiny” number of outliers among “trustworthy” police ranks.

“Reducing crime and raising standards are not opposite goals,” Trump said, flanked by police officials. Trump’s executive order would establish a database that tracks police officers with excessive use-of-force complaints in their records. Many officers who wind up involved in fatal incidents have long complaint histories. Those records are often not made public, making it difficult to know if an officer has such a history.

Trump signs executive order on policing mid mounting pressure over lethal incidents

Via www.nbcnews.com

“I can never imagine your pain or the depth of your anguish,” Trump said of the families of…

06/16/2020 4:30 PM

 

Editorial credit: Gil Corzo / Shutterstock.com

The far-right news sites ZeroHedge and The Federalist will no longer be able to generate revenue from any advertisements served by Google Ads. The two sites were found to be in violation of  Google’s policies on content related to race when they pushed unsubstantiated claims about the Black Lives Matter protests sparked in recent weeks by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody on May 25.

“We have strict publisher policies that govern the content ads can run on and explicitly prohibit derogatory content that promotes hatred, intolerance, violence or discrimination based on race from monetizing,” a Google spokesperson said. “When a page or site violates our policies, we take action. In this case, we’ve removed both sites’ ability to monetize with Google.”  Both ZeroHedge and The Federalist were flagged for violations related to their comment sections that they did not do enough to mitigate.

Google informed ZeroHedge about their violation several days ago and The Federalist was informed Tuesday.

Google bans two websites from its ad platform over protest articles

Via www.nbcnews.com

The two sites, ZeroHedge and The Federalist, will no longer be able to generate revenue from any…

06/16/2020 4:26 PM

 

Editorial credit: Evan Lorne / Shutterstock.com