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Top Democrat vows to subpoena Commanders owner Dan Snyder to testify on workplace misconduct allegations

House Oversight and Reform committee chairwoman Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) on Wednesday announced her intent to issue a subpoena toward Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder to testify over the allegations of workplace misconduct and sexual harassment.

“Mr. Snyder’s refusal to testify sends a clear signal that he is more concerned about protecting himself than coming clean to the American public.  If the NFL is unwilling to hold Mr. Snyder accountable, then I am prepared to do so,” Maloney said at the congressional hearing on Wednesday.  “The Committee will not be deterred in its investigation to uncover the truth of workplace misconduct at the Washington Commanders.” 

Maloney said in her opening statement that Snyder’s refusal to testify at the panel hearing shows his respect, or lack thereof, toward “women in the workplace.” 

“We invited Daniel Snyder to show to testify. Apparently, Mr. Snyder is in France, where he has docked his luxury yacht near a resort,” Maloney said. “That should tell you just how much respect he has for women in the workplace”

This comes as NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in his opening statement that Snyder, who has owned the NFL franchise since 1999, did run a “toxic, unprofessional workplace” for a long time, noting that the team has since made numerous internal changes to address this issue. 

Goddell also noted that the league did not receive attorney Beth Wilkinson’s initial investigation of the Commanders’ organization, adding that the league told Wilkinson that an oral report of her findings would be the best way to receive the information.

“As a league, we recognize our powerful standing as a world leader in sports and entertainment, and embrace our responsibility to lead by example, creating workplaces that prioritize respect and promote diversity, equity and inclusion,” Goodell said in his opening statement. 

“We hold ourselves to the highest six standards, and I hope this description of our workplace training programs helps to demonstrate the many ways in which we work to uphold them,” he continued. “Our work to drive progress and improve our practices never ends, but we are proud of the steps we have taken and the impact we can continue to make.” 

This comes as Maloney detailed in a 29-page memo on Tuesday how Snyder and his legal team attempted to discredit accusers and victims by conducting a “shadow investigation,” going so far as to create a 100-page slide dossier that had emails, text messages, telephone records and social media posts from those who have publicly accused the NFL franchise of harassment. 

The committee first launched its investigation into the team in October amid the resignation of former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden, whose leaked email chain with then-Commanders team president Bruce Allen, contained racist, homophobic and misogynistic language and was a part of the league’s initial probe of the team.

In a statement to The Hill, a spokesperson for Snyder said that the committee’s hearing is basically a “politically-charged show trial,” adding that he hopes the committee will focus on more pressing issues in the U.S. instead of his team. 

“It is clear the outcome of the House Oversight Committee’s investigation into the Washington Commanders was predetermined from the beginning. The committee’s decision to release a ‘report’ and introduce legislation prior to the hearing is proof-positive this was always going to be little more than a politically-charged show trial, not about uncovering the truth,” Snyder’s spokesperson said in a statement.

“Hopefully, the committee will utilize its resources going forward for more pressing national matters, instead of an issue a football team addressed years ago.”

Source: TEST FEED1

Jill Biden joins Billie Jean King in celebrating 50th anniversary of Title IX

The event is scheduled to start at 1:15 p.m. ET.

Watch the live event above.

Source: TEST FEED1

Women for Trump co-founder and Jan. 6 rally organizer: Trump is 'disconnected from the base'

A co-founder of Women for Trump and an organizer of the Jan. 6 “Stop the Steal” rally spoke out against former President Trump following Rep. Mo Brooks‘s (R-Ala.) loss to Katie Britt in the Alabama GOP Senate primary Tuesday.

Trump, who initially endorsed Brooks in the race, announced earlier this month that he would transfer his support to Britt after withdrawing his support from the Alabama congressman three months earlier. The race proved to be very divisive within the GOP, with several prominent Republicans including Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) continuing to support Brooks even after Trump announced he would back Britt.

“Donald Trump is disconnected from the base,” Amy Kremer told Politico. “It’s time for those of us in the movement to get back to basics, back to our first principles…We were here long before President Trump came along, and we’re going to be here long afterward.”

Kremer, who helped organize the “Stop the Steal” rally near the White House on Jan. 6, 2021, that led to the Capitol riot, also expressed her disapproval of Trump’s decision to abandon Brooks on Twitter Tuesday.

“I’m on the ground in Alabama & Trump got this way wrong. People are very angry at him,” Kremer wrote.

Britt heads into the November general election to fill Sen. Richard Shelby’s (R-Ala.) Senate seat as the heavy favorite against Democrat Will Boyd.

Source: TEST FEED1

International Rugby League bans transgender women from competition

The International Rugby League (IRL) is banning transgender women from competing in the women’s league while officials conduct research to develop a policy on transgender participation. 

The IRL posted a statement online on Tuesday saying that the league considered multiple “relevant developments” in sports to reach its decision, most significantly the International Olympic Committee’s Framework on Fairness, Non-Discrimination and Inclusion on the Basis of Gender Identity and Sex Variations, which was published in November. 

The framework states that each sport’s governing body can determine how a competitor might have a disproportionate advantage compared to their peers, considering that each sport is different. The International Olympic Committee’s guidance also rejects the premise that athletes assigned male at birth have an inherent advantage over those assigned female at birth.

The announcement follows the International Swimming Federation’s new policy that bans virtually all transgender women from participating in elite international swimming competitions. World Rugby issued a ban in 2020 on all transgender men and women who transitioned after puberty, as well as those who took testosterone during puberty or adolescence. 

“In the interests of avoiding unnecessary welfare, legal and reputational risk to International Rugby League competitions, and those competing therein, the IRL believes there is a requirement and responsibility to further consult and complete additional research before finalising its policy,” the IRL statement reads. 

The statement says the league wants to balance an individual’s right to compete with the “perceived risk” to other competitors. 

The IRL will work with the eight 2021 Women’s Rugby League World Cup finalists in 2023 to gather data to help in the creation of a future transgender women inclusion policy, intended to be released, according to the statement.

Source: TEST FEED1

LGBTQ+ women make 79 cents on the dollar, report finds

LGBTQ+ women in America are consistently out-earned by men, new research has found, making less than 80 cents for every dollar earned by a man.

According to a report published Wednesday by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation, the educational arm of the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ advocacy organization, LGBTQ+ women working full-time in the U.S. earn a median weekly wage of $875. That compares to a median of $1,108 for men, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Put another way, LGBTQ+ women working full-time in the U.S. earn roughly 79 cents for every dollar made by a man – another 55 working days would be needed to make up the difference.

Wednesday’s data shows the wage gap between men and LGBTQ+ women may be widening. In January, the HRC Foundation estimated that LGBTQ+ women made 87 cents on the dollar, while LGBTQ+ workers overall earned roughly 90 cents for every dollar earned by the average full-time worker in the U.S.

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As in January, the HRC Foundation on Wednesday found pay disparities are particularly pronounced among LGBTQ+ women of color. Latina LGBTQ+ women working full-time currently earn about 65 cents for every dollar made by a man, according to the report, and Black LGBTQ+ women earn 77 cents.

White LGBTQ+ women earn about 87 cents on the dollar, while Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) women earn 90 cents.

When LGBTQ+ women were grouped by their specific sexual identity, the HRC Foundation report found that bisexual women are among the lowest earners, making just $750 a week, or 68 cents for every dollar earned by a man.

Prior research conducted by the Williams Institute and the Center for American Progress has found that bisexual women in America are more likely to be living in poverty and face heightened economic insecurity.

Queer, pansexual, demisexual and omnisexual women, when analyzed together, fared a bit better, but still earn only 80 cents for every dollar made by a man. Gay women are among the highest earners, according to the report, making about $962 a week – equivalent to that of white LGBTQ+ women and higher than LGBTQ+ women overall.

But gay women still face a wage gap, earning roughly 87 cents for every dollar made by the average American male. That changes when gay women are grouped by their race and ethnicity, however, and while gay Latina women make about 65 cents for every dollar earned by a man, gay AANHPI women actually out-earn men, making an estimated $1.08 for each dollar they earn.

In general, AANHPI women in the U.S. typically make more than men on average, according to the BLS.

According to the HRC Foundation report, racial and ethnic wage disparities were “magnified” among bisexual women, specifically.

While white bisexual women earned a median weekly wage of $831, translating into a wage gap of 75 cents for every dollar earned by a man, Black bisexual women earned just 63 cents and AANHPI bisexual women made just 60 cents.

Latina bisexual women earned just 50 cents for every dollar made by a working man. In 2021, Latina bisexual women would have had to work until June 24, 2022 – halfway through the year – to earn what a man earned.

“As the number of openly LGBTQ+ people in our country grows, the fight for equal pay has not yet been won,” Shoshana Goldberg, director of public education and research at the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, said Wednesday

“Earning less is a dangerous setback that impacts every facet of our lives,” Goldberg said, “and must be addressed to promote true equity in not only our finances but in society at large.”

Source: TEST FEED1

House Republican who represents Uvalde backs bipartisan gun safety bill

Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales — whose Texas district includes Uvalde, the site of last month’s school shooting — said Wednesday he will vote for the Senate’s bipartisan gun safety bill.

Gonzales’s announcement of support came one day after Senate negotiators released the text of their bipartisan legislation, which includes a number of provisions to respond to the shooting in Uvalde, which killed 19 students and two adults at an elementary school, and last month’s massacre in Buffalo, N.Y., which left 10 Black Americans dead.

“As a Congressman it’s my duty to pass laws that never infringe on the Constitution while protecting the lives of the innocent. In the coming days I look forward to voting YES on the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act,” Gonzales wrote on Twitter.

Senate negotiators released the legislative text of the bill, which clocked in at 80 pages, on Tuesday, after weeks of intense talks between both parties. The group announced a nine-point framework last weekend, but needed extra time to hash out final details before releasing the actual bill.

The legislation calls for enhancing background check requirements for firearm purchasers who are younger than 21 and have juvenile criminal records and closing the so-called “boyfriend loophole” by barring individuals from buying firearms for at least five years if they are convicted of a misdemeanor crime of violence involving someone they have or had a romantic relationship with, among other measures.

The bill also gives states federal funding to establish red flag laws and other intervention programs.

The Senate advanced the legislation in a 64-34 vote Tuesday night, with 14 Republicans supporting the measure.

With at least 15 Republican senators in support — Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) helped write the framework but missed Tuesday’s vote — the bill is poised to overcome a filibuster, pass through the chamber and head to the House for consideration.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told reporters Wednesday morning that she expects the Senate will pass the bill with enough time for the House to consider it before the weekend.

The House is scheduled to break for a two-week recess on Friday to mark Independence Day.

“I anticipate that they will get it done,” Pelosi said.

It is unclear how many other House Republicans might join Gonzales in supporting the measure.

Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) have said they will not vote for the bill.

In announcing his support for the legislation, Gonzales talked about his history with domestic abuse.

“My name is Tony Gonzales and I am a survivor of domestic abuse, my stepfather would come home drunk & beat on me and my mother. One night he decided that wasn’t enough and shoved a shotgun in my mother’s mouth. I was 5 at the time and not strong enough to fend off the wolves,” Gonzales wrote on Twitter.

“School was my sanctuary from the chaos at home. Now I am 41, all grown up. Loving father of six children. Served our country in the Navy for 20 years, led men and women in combat in Afghanistan and Iraq. I slay wolves every day,” he added in a separate tweet.

Gonzales led a moment of silence on the House floor earlier this month to commemorate the victims of the deadly shooting at Robb Elementary School.

Source: TEST FEED1

Congress should reclaim its say on Iran policy

The Biden administration’s 16-month-long effort to return to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal has failed. But, appearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Special Envoy for Iran Rob Malley showed no willingness to pivot to a realistic containment strategy. The conditions are ripe for Congress to take the lead and set a new direction. 

Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee agrees, and recently pledged to draft new legislation that would lay out a replacement Iran policy. To reassert Congress’ role in setting Iran policy, Menendez does not need to start from scratch. One avenue Congress should consider is to modernize and strengthen the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act (INARA) which originally provided a tool for Congressional oversight of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). 

Congress passed INARA in 2015 to guarantee its ability to review and vote on any nuclear agreement reached with Iran. INARA remains the only mechanism that ensures Congress has a say on Iran negotiations since the Biden administration — unlike the Trump administration — has refused to submit any deal it reaches to the Senate as a treaty. But here’s the issue: That law was written with an eye to the circumstances surrounding negotiations with Iran in 2015. INARA was already weak and is now becoming increasingly outdated. 

Here are four suggestions to update and strengthen the law. 

First, INARA was drafted in a short-sighted manner. While it normally required a 30-day period for congressional review of any nuclear deal with Iran, it sought to protect against the possibility that then-President Obama would circumvent that process over the August 2015 recess by temporarily extending the review period to 60 days. That protection against a recess submission lapsed nearly seven years ago. Congress should either extend the 60-day review period permanently or at least ensure that it applies to all future extended recess periods. 

For over a year, the Biden State Department deflected whether it would even abide by INARA, arguing to government lawyers that it was merely “re-implementing” a deal that had already been submitted to Congress. After more than a year of congressional pressure, Malley finally pledged to the Senate last month that the administration would submit the current deal to Congress. But Congress should not predicate its oversight rights for such an important matter on the whims of unelected officials. Congress must permanently close any possibility of abuse by clarifying the submission requirements apply regardless of Congress’ previous review of the JCPOA. 

Third, during the drafting of INARA, President Obama’s team forced Congress to neuter the legislation under the threat of a presidential veto. Accordingly, INARA was overly deferential to the executive branch to determine what kind of deal would be permissible to negotiate in the first place. The revised legislation resulted in the executive branch only needing to secure the support of 34 senators to greenlight a deal, instead of the 67 required for a treaty. At a minimum, INARA should be amended so a majority vote is required to proceed with a new Iran agreement, as was originally envisioned by Congress before President Obama’s veto threat. 

Finally, since any deal with Iran would require the waiving of congressionally imposed sanctions, Congress should set the parameters for an acceptable deal up front. This would enable Congress to take some responsibility for setting Iran policy. The Iranian regime takes advantage of the policy swings in new administrations to stall for more time while it advances its various provocations. But most importantly, this will help strengthen U.S. negotiators’ position at future talks and help ensure that negotiators do not get so invested in sealing a deal that they cave to the Iranians at the finish line. It will also promote the permanency of any future deal. 

Congress could implement this final suggestion by adding to INARA’s certification components. Congress should require that any deal include strong restrictions on Iran’s nuclear enrichment that do not sunset. Any agreement should require Iran to fully come clean about the previous military dimensions of its nuclear program, including being transparent with the IAEA regarding the unexplained presence of nuclear material at undeclared nuclear facilities. Congress must also condition any sanctions relief to firm financial transparency requirements on the regime to prevent aid from flowing to terrorism. 

Democrats and Republicans are certain to differ on the particular elements, but they should agree that U.S. foreign policy would be best served by Congress establishing a comprehensive and bipartisan strategy on Iran, setting firm negotiating principles and requirements and rebuilding our sanctions architecture to force Iran back to the table. It’s time for Congress to act. 

Gabriel Noronha is a fellow with JINSA’s Gemunder Center for Defense and Strategy and previously served as the Special Advisor for Iran at the Department of State. 

Source: TEST FEED1

House panel to debate bipartisan comprehensive data privacy bill

A House panel will debate a bill that would set national standards for how companies obtain and manage data on Thursday.

The bipartisan bill, known as the American Data Privacy and Protection Act, was formally introduced in the House Wednesday by Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), committee Ranking Member Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.). 

The Energy and Commerce Consumer Protection subcommittee will hold a markup on the data privacy bill, along with seven others. 

The comprehensive data privacy bill would also require companies to provide individuals with clear ways to opt out of targeted advertising. It would put in place additional requirements for kids’ data, including banning companies from using targeted advertising for all minors and from transferring covered data for users 13 to 17 to third parties without user consent. 

Pallone and McMorris Rodgers, along with Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), unveiled a draft of the legislation earlier this month. 

But it lacks support from Senate Commerce Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), meaning it’s less likely to move forward in the Senate.

Cantwell’s main sticking point with the proposal is over the degree to which individuals can pursue legal challenges against companies over data privacy breaches under the law. 

The bill would not allow individuals to bring cases over data breaches until four years after the law is in place. It would also require individuals to first notify the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and their state attorney general of their intent to bring action, and give the agencies 60 days to make a determination. 

“For American consumers to have meaningful privacy protection, we need a strong federal law that is not riddled with enforcement loopholes,” Cantwell said in a statement earlier this month, after Pallone, McMorris Rodgers and Wicker released their draft. 

Cantwell drafted a separate privacy bill. Her version would allow individuals to sue companies in federal court over privacy violations, without some of the additional steps laid out in the other proposal, according to a copy of the draft obtained by The Hill.  

Source: TEST FEED1

Andrew Gillum, 2018 Florida governor candidate, charged with fraud

Andrew Gillum, the 2018 Democratic nominee for Florida governor, and a longtime adviser were indicted in federal court on Wednesday on fraud charges.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida announced the charges against Gillum and Sharon Letterman-Hicks, a longtime Gillum adviser and the chief executive of the National Black Justice Coalition, after a grand jury returned a 21-count indictment.

The indictment alleges that between 2016 and 2019, Gillum and Letterman-Hicks illegally solicited funds under false pretenses. It also alleges that the pair used third parties to direct some of those funds to a company owned by Letterman-Hicks, who then funneled the funds to Gillum for his personal use.

Both Gillum and Letterman-Hicks are facing 19 counts of wire fraud. Gillum is also facing a charge of making false statements to the FBI.

Gillum and Letterman-Hicks are set to make their initial appearance in a Tallahassee federal court on Wednesday afternoon.

In a statement, Gillum, a former Tallahassee mayor, denied any wrongdoing and said that the case against him was politically motivated.

“I have spent the last 20 years of my life in public service and continue to fight for the people,” Gillum said. “Every campaign I’ve run has been done with integrity. Make no mistake that this case is not legal, it is political.”

“Throughout my career I have always stood up for the people of Florida and have spoken truth to power. There’s been a target on my back ever since I was the mayor of Tallahassee. They found nothing then, and I have full confidence that my legal team will prove my innocence now.”

Gillum’s attorneys did not respond to The Hill’s request for comment, but defended Gillum in a statement to NBC News.

“The government got it wrong today. The evidence in this case is clear and will show that Mr. Gillum is innocent of all charges. We look forward to putting this case to rest and giving Andrew and his family peace of mind once and for all,” said Marc Elias, a top Democratic attorney, and criminal defense attorney David Oscar Markus.

The fraud charges mark the latest blow to Gillum’s reputation. Once seen as a rising Democratic star in Florida, Gillum has faced controversy since losing the 2018 gubernatorial race to Gov. Ron DeSantis.

He largely receded from public life in 2020 after he was found in a Miami Beach hotel room with a male escort who was being treated for an apparent overdose. Gillum said that he was abusing alcohol at the time to cope with his loss to DeSantis and checked himself into a rehabilitation facility.

Gillum also faced an FBI corruption investigation for years that stemmed from his time as Tallahassee mayor. While he did not face criminal charges, he eventually agreed to pay a $5,000 fine.

Source: TEST FEED1