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Oz calls on Philadelphia mayor to resign

Pennsylvania Republican Senate nominee Mehmet Oz on Tuesday called on Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney (D) to resign after he said he was looking forward to not being mayor given recent gun violence.

“I’m waiting for something bad to happen all the time,” Kenney said Monday night at a press conference following a July 4 shooting in Philadelphia that injured two police officers. 

“I’ll be happy when I’m not mayor and I can enjoy some stuff,” he said.

Kenney issued a press release on Tuesday clarifying those comments.

“In a late-night, overwhelming moment of frustration, I said I was looking forward to no longer being mayor,” Kenney said. “Let me be clear, I’m incredibly grateful to be mayor of this great city and for the people who elected me to lead.”

But Oz said Kenney’s comments were enough to merit his immediate resignation.

“Mayor Kenney should resign from office,” Oz said in a statement. “Kenney’s comments about how he will be happy when he is no longer mayor is further indication he has given up on Philadelphia.”

Oz decried what he called “radical far-left policies” on crime implemented by Kenney, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner (D) and Oz’s opponent, John Fetterman, that Oz argued are causing homicide rates to increase.

“We need to restore safety and security to Philadelphia and all of Pennsylvania – it begins by getting rid of Kenney, Krasner and Fetterman,” Oz said.

When reached for comment, Kenney’s office deferred to his clarifying statement.

Kenney at Monday’s press conference condemned the Supreme Court and conservative lawmakers, arguing that they were the ones standing in the way of reducing gun violence.

“A lot of goofballs out there with guns, and they can get them anytime they want, so this is what we have to live with,” Kenney said.

The Philadelphia police officers were shot during the city’s Fourth of July fireworks show outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

The incident led to mass panic in the crowd, with many running to flee the scene.

Both officers were treated and released from Jefferson University Hospital Tuesday morning, 6abc reported.

Source: TEST FEED1

I beg your pardon: A deeper look at the president’s pardoning power

One of the interesting sidebars to the Jan. 6 committee’s investigation into the Capitol breach is the number of individuals clamoring for last minute pardons as President Trump was on his way out the door.  The Oval Office must have been a boisterous, bustling hub with pardon requests figuratively coming-in under the door, over the transom, and through the window.   

According to information released by the select committee, thus far nine people asked for preemptive, blanket pardons during the final days of the Trump administration.  They included six sitting House Republicans: Reps. Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Mo Brooks (Ala.), Matt Gaetz (Fla.), Louie Gohmert (Texas), Scott Perry (Pa.), and Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.). The other three pardon requests were reportedly sought by Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows, and personal lawyers Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman. Some of those principals have denied ever asking for pardons. 

The great irony is that, as far as we know, the president did not grant any of those requests, even though he had previously pardoned his former counselor Steve Bannon and former National Security Council adviser Michael Flynn for crimes unrelated to the electoral count imbroglio. How could this be when these nine Trump loyalists went to such great lengths to promote “The Big Lie” and devise all manner of legally questionable schemes to disrupt, derail and reverse the outcome?   

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), a select committee member, may have indirectly suggested the answer when he stated at the June 23 hearing, “The only reason I know to ask for a pardon is because you think you’ve committed a crime.” By that same reasoning, if the president granted those last-minute pardon requests it may have looked like he was aware of and complicit in the commission of crimes. Put another way, ignoring the pardon pleaders gave him plausible deniability that he knew illegal acts were being committed at his behest.   

Another plausible explanation is that the president was demonstrating his disappointment that their efforts failed. To him, they were the “losers,” not he. He could care less about their fate and, instead was only thinking about himself and his viability as a presidential candidate in 2024. He certainly was aware of the likely part President Gerald R. Ford’s 1974 pardon of former President Richard Nixon played in Ford’s election loss to former Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter in 1976.  

The president’s pardoning power is clearly stated in Article II, section 2, of the Constitution: “…he shall have the power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment.” The only substantive issue raised over the clause during the constitutional convention’s debates came in the form of an amendment offered by Delegate Roger Sherman of Connecticut to make pardons subject to “consent of the Senate.”  The amendment was rejected, one state to eight.   

In Federalist No. 74, Alexander Hamilton noted that some favored making a pardon for the crime of treason contingent on the “assent of one, or both, of the branches of the legislative body.” However, he concluded that the power is best left solely to the president: “In seasons of insurrection or rebellion,” he wrote, “there are often critical moments when a well-timed offer of pardon to the insurgents or rebels may restore the tranquility of the commonwealth.” In such instances, “the dilatory process of convening the legislature” to approve the pardons might mean missing a “golden opportunity” to resolve the crisis: “The loss of a week, a day, an hour, may sometimes be fatal.” 

As Cassidy Hutchinson, a top aide to Mark Meadows, testified last week, White House counsel Pat Cipollone told her that, after the attack, the president seriously considered granting a blanket pardon to all those who breached the Capitol and assaulted its police. He was talked out of it. It was not a Hamiltonian moment for Trump: the rebellion had already been quelled and tranquility restored.          

President Trump was not stingy about handing-out pardons during his four years in office. He issued 237 in all — still fewer than all other modern presidents. What was different was that most of those pardon requests bypassed the normal process of first going through the Office of Pardon Attorney (OPA) in the Department of Justice. Most of Trump’s grants of clemency were bestowed on well-connected convicts who had been convicted of fraud or corruption. They had not bothered to first file petitions with the OPA and meet its requirements. Apparently, the end-of-the-line nine pardon petitioners were a day late and a dollar short of qualifying for the OPA bypass-express through the Oval. 

Don Wolfensberger is a Congress Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, former staff director of the House Rules Committee, and author of, “Changing Cultures in Congress: From Fair Play to Power Plays.”  The views expressed are solely his own. 

Source: TEST FEED1

Macy Gray says comments about gender-affirming surgery 'GROSSLY misunderstood'

Singer and actress Macy Gray said that the remarks she made on “Piers Morgan Uncensored” on gender-affirming surgery were “GROSSLY misunderstood.”

“I got nothing but love for  lgbt+ and transgender communities,” the “I Try,” singer wrote in a tweet on Tuesday. “I’ve been a supporter since day one and never a fake one.  my statement on piers morgan was GROSSLY misunderstood,” Gray added, “i respect everyone’s right to be whoever they wana be.”

Gray caught swift backlash after appearing on an episode of Morgan’s syndicated talk show, in an interview published Monday, where she said that people who have received gender-affirming surgery are not women.

“And I will say this, and everybody’s gonna hate me but as a woman, just because you go change your plots doesn’t make a woman right. Sorry,” Gray told Morgan. 

“You feel that?” Morgan asked the singer. 

“I know that for a fact,” Gray replied. “Like, if you want me to call you ‘her’, I will, because that’s what you want. But that doesn’t make you a woman, just because I call you a ‘her’ and just because you got surgery.” 

Gray’s come amid a heated time for LGBTQ rights in the U.S. Many GOP-led states have implemented or enacted laws restricting the rights of openly transgender citizens, such as prohibiting transgender females from participating in girl’s sports. 

Fellow actress and singer Bette Midler faced criticism over a tweet in which said that trans-inclusive language is erasing the term “woman,” in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling to overturn of Roe v. Wade, which protected the federal right to abortion.

The Supreme Court’s ruling has also fueled concern that it may revisit other rights, including marriage equality for LGBT couples.

Source: TEST FEED1

San Jose hires Mike Grier as NHL's first Black general manager

San Jose Sharks new general manager Mike Grier made history Tuesday becoming the first Black general manager in the National Hockey League.  

 The 47-year-old, who played from 1996 through 2011 including three years with the Sharks, joins the organization three months after the departure of Doug Wilson.  

Over his 14-year career, the former ninth round pick played in 101 Stanley Cup playoff games where he scored where he netted 14 goals and 14 assists. Grier played in a total of 1,060 games. 

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“I am extremely proud and grateful to be given the opportunity to be the general manager of the San Jose Sharks,” Grier said. “Along with my staff, I look forward to the challenge of building a fast, competitive, and hardworking team that Sharks fans will enjoy watching and be proud of.” 

“One of the things I remember most about playing in San Jose is the home ice advantage that our fans bring through their passion and energy, making SAP Center one of the most difficult buildings to play in,” Grier added.  

Grier most recently spent time with the New York Rangers as the organization’s hockey operations advisor. Prior to his stint in The Big Apple, he was an assistant coach for the New Jersey Devils following a five-year stint as a scout for the Chicago Blackhawks.  

Sharks Owner Hasso Plattner praised Grier’s accomplishments as a player and coach, but stressed Grier’s leadership is what set him apart.  

“Mike’s successful career on the ice speaks for itself, but what impressed me the most were his leadership qualities and his overwhelming desire to win,” Plattner said. “Mike is aware of the high standards of success that are expected in San Jose and is committed to help us quickly return to that level.” 

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Source: TEST FEED1

DOJ sues Arizona over proof of citizenship voter law

The Justice Department is suing the state of Arizona, seeking to block a law that would force residents to provide proof of citizenship in order to vote in federal elections.

DOJ argues the requirement, part of H.B. 2492 slated to take effect in January of next year, is “a textbook violation of the National Voter Registration Act.”

The suit argues the requirement to provide proof of citizenship would violate not just the 1993 law addressing voter registration but also the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

“For nearly three decades, the National Voter Registration Act has helped to move states in the right direction by eliminating unnecessary requirements that have historically made it harder for eligible voters to access the registration rolls. Arizona has passed a law that turns the clock back on progress by imposing unlawful and unnecessary requirements that would block eligible voters from the registration rolls for certain federal elections,” Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division, said in a statement.

The Arizona law could remove tens of thousands of people from voting rolls. 

The state already has a bifurcated system after a 2004 ballot measure allowed Arizona officials to ask for proof of citizenship for anyone registering to vote after 2005. 

But the new law would eliminate a provision that grandfathers in those that may have registered to vote decades before that, blocking them from voting in federal elections.

Data provided by the state indicates there are some 11,600 federal-only voters who have not provided the proof of citizenship necessary to vote in state elections. But NPR reports estimates show as many as 192,000 voters could be removed from rolls if the new law takes effect.

DOJ argues the new law also runs afoul of a 2013 Supreme Court ruling stemming from another Arizona suit, noting that the state can’t impose the proof of citizenship requirement on those that register to vote using the federal form.

“Arizona is a repeat offender when it comes to attempts to make it harder to register to vote,” Clarke said in a call with reporters.

“Arizona’s own nonpartisan legislative council warns legislators that the NVRA preempts HB 2492’s documentary proof of citizenship requirements for applicants completing the federal form who seek to vote in federal elections…. Nonetheless, the legislature ignored these warnings and enacted HB 2492 anyway.”

When Gov. Doug Ducey (R) signed the law in March, he said it was necessary for “prohibiting any attempt to illegally cast a vote.”

Source: TEST FEED1

Mulvaney: Republicans should pay attention to Jan. 6 hearings

Former acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said Republicans should pay attention to the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, despite their misgivings about the panel.

“When Republicans start testifying under oath that other Republicans lost the 2020 election and then broke the law to try to change that, Republicans should pay attention. Everyone should,” Mulvaney wrote in an op-ed published in The Charlotte Observer on Tuesday.

The panel has held a series of public hearings in recent weeks to detail the findings of its investigation into the Capitol attack and the events leading up to it, based on hundreds of witness interviews. More hearings are expected later this month.

Mulvaney, who was replaced as Trump’s chief of staff by Mark Meadows in March 2020 and resigned as special envoy to Northern Ireland on Jan. 6, wrote that he sympathized with Republicans who argue that the committee’s hearings are “a made-for-TV show trial” and that “there is no cross-examination of witnesses.”

“And they are correct,” he wrote. “On every single point. But they still should be paying attention.”

Mulvaney called testimony by former Attorney General William Barr, Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers (R) and Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to Meadows, “eminently credible,” despite his criticisms of the committee.

Those witnesses have been some of the most prominent during the committee’s public hearings. 

Barr testified that he was worried former President Trump had become “detached from reality” with his obsession with voter fraud in the 2020 election. Bowers testified he never told Trump the election was rigged, despite the former president saying he did.

And Hutchinson, who appeared at the committee’s most recent hearing, testified that Trump knew the crowd at his Jan. 6 rally on the Ellipse was armed when he told attendees to march to the Capitol.

“Yes, it is possible that all of those life-long Republicans succumbed to Trump Derangement Syndrome,” Mulvaney wrote of the witnesses. “It is possible they decided to ignore a life-long political affiliation. It is also possible they chose to perjure themselves about what they saw, heard and know.”

Hutchinson’s appearance in particular has come into question after she testified that Trump lunged for the steering wheel of his Secret Service vehicle following the Jan. 6 rally in an attempt to join his supporters at the Capitol. Secret Service agents are reportedly prepared to refute that testimony.

“But if they didn’t, and half of the country isn’t paying attention, then that half of the country is clinging firmly to an opinion of Jan. 6, 2021 that is based on either false or incomplete information,” Mulvaney wrote. 

“And clinging firmly to a belief based on false or incomplete information can lead to disastrous results,” he continued. “January 6 itself is a stark reminder of that.”

Source: TEST FEED1

Here's what the Highland Park mass murder tells us. Will anyone listen?

July 4, a day of celebration and festivities, was marred by a mass murder that left at least six people dead and many more injured. The shooter took aim from a rooftop looking over a parade, giving him ample access to a large group of innocent people enjoying the holiday.

The FBI defines mass murders as four of more people killed, unrelated to the shooter. They occur at an average rate of slightly more than once every two weeks in the United States. This rate has been remarkably persistent for many years, with the Gun Violence Archive reporting 15 such incidences so far in 2022, 28 in 2021, 21 in 2020 and 31 in 2019.

In contrast, mass shootings involve one or more person killed or injured. This is most often reported in the media, with over 300 having occurred so far this year.

Recent gun safety legislation, which includes expanded background checks for those between 18 and 21 years old and provisions to encourage state “red flag” laws, is designed to help stop such events. Regrettably, it cannot, certainly in the short term, and likely, not even in the long term.

The best takeaway from this legislation is that there is progress in compromise from both sides of the aisle, even if the details lack substantive and meaningful changes.

Guns kill, and in the hands of those who do not appreciate their power, they will continue to kill. The challenge is ensuring that the majority of gun owners, who are responsible, get to keep their firearms, while the small group of people who use them to inflict harm, are prevented from doing so.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) deals with an issue like this every day. They are effectively looking for a small number of needles of bad actors buried in a large haystack of passengers. Screening over 2 million people every day demands a systematic approach to ensure that the air system remains secure for all.

Their solution is not to treat every passenger as of equal threat. The time and expense of such a one-sizes-fits-all approach would be onerous. What the TSA does is partition the haystack of passengers into groups, focusing on where they believe the needle is most likely to be. 

This is the foundation of risk-based security. And if our nation is to move forward and reduce gun violence, risk-based gun ownership is a reasonable and viable path forward.

Such a policy will permit the large number of gun owners in this country to keep their firearms. This is consistent with the Second Amendment, so they can continue to enjoy their gun ownership privilege for hunting, recreational shooting and self-defense. 

What it will also do is allow the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and law enforcement to scrutinize those who have suspicious characteristics that are aligned with gun violence.

Every responsible gun owner is saddened every time a mass murder occurs. Every responsible gun owner hopes that such heinous events cease, which is in their best interest. The question is whether every responsible gun owner is willing to undergo the necessary screening asked by risk-based gun ownership to make society safer for all?

Much like how the TSA operates, risk-based security says that known travelers are least likely to be bad actors in the air system. Using this same strategy, known gun owners are least likely to use firearms to harm others and themselves.

Every person who flies commercially allows the TSA to get to know them either by being enrolled in programs like PreCheck or for those not enrolled, providing information about themselves when they fly. This is the price that everyone must pay if they wish to travel by air, or they must choose to avoid air travel completely.

If a standard of security is needed and used when we get onto a commercial flight, should not a commensurate standard of security be applied for gun ownership? Such a question should be the beginning of a dialogue to move our nation forward to reduce gun violence that impacts everyone, including responsible gun owners.

Sheldon H. Jacobson, Ph.D., is a professor in Computer Science and the Carle Illinois College of Medicine at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. A data scientist, he applies his expertise in data-driven risk-based decision-making to evaluate and inform public policy. He has researched aviation security since 1996, providing the technical foundations for risk-based security that led to the development of TSA PreCheck.

Source: TEST FEED1

Four in 10 US kids live with a parent or adult who has faced a criminal charge

A new study is estimating the number of children in the U.S. who grow up in households where at least one parent or adult has had run-ins with the justice system. 

Researchers from the University of Michigan set out to quantify the number of children in homes in which a parent or adult faced at least one criminal charge, was convicted of a felony or spent time in prison, noting that previous federal efforts to estimate the number have faced data limitations such as failing to follow children overtime or account for adult influences in “increasingly dynamic households.” 

Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the Treasury Department and the Criminal Justice Administrative Records System, researchers found that at least four in 10 children in the U.S. born between 1999 and 2005 were raised in a home where a parent or co-residing adult faced at least one criminal charge. 

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The analysis found 9 percent of children have had an intergenerational exposure to prison, 18 percent have been exposed to felony conviction and 39 percent in total have been exposed to any criminal charge over the course of childhood. 

Researchers said their estimates are far higher than estimates from the Bureau of Justice Statistics that show less than 1 in 40 children have a parent in prison in a given year. 

“Data limitations have left us in the dark on just how many kids grow up in households with justice involvement,” Michael Mueller-Smith, assistant professor of economics and faculty associate at the Population Studies Center, said in a statement. 

“That we find estimates with close to half of U.S. children having intergenerational exposure to crime and justice is a wake-up call to the failures of our public policy to date. Even if the justice system were completely overhauled today, we will be living with the damage done to our current and former generations for decades to come.” 

The study also found that more 60 percent of Black and Native American children, as well as children from low-income households, are exposed to the justice system at twice the rate of their white counterparts. 

Researchers note this type of exposure to the justice system is correlated with negative child development outcomes such as falling behind in school and an increase in the likelihood of teen crime and death. 

Source: TEST FEED1

Georgia grand jury subpoenas Giuliani, other Trump allies in election probe

A Fulton County grand jury has issued a slew of subpoenas to seven people, including Rudy Giuliani, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and conservative lawyer John Eastman, as part of an investigation surrounding former President Donald Trump.

In addition to Giuliani, Graham and Eastman, those issued subpoenas include conservative lawyer Cleta Mitchell, podcast host Jacki Pick Deason, former Trump campaign legal adviser Jenna Ellis and pro-Trump attorney Kenneth Chesebro. 

The Atlanta Journal Constitution was the first to report about the subpoenas, which were filed on Tuesday.

The Fulton County grand jury is tied to a probe launched by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, and is looking at whether there were attempts to unlawfully influence the 2020 election by Trump and his allies.

The Hill has reached out to Giuliani; Pennsylvania state Sen. Doug Mastriano’s campaign, where Ellis is a senior legal adviser; and a spokesperson for Graham for comment. 

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Source: TEST FEED1