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Jeffries rips 'redistricting chaos' in New York

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on Wednesday blasted a new redistricting effort in his home state as one that “robs us of power and takes a sledgehammer to Black districts.”

In a campaign ad that he tweeted, Jeffries highlighted the state making history by electing the most Black candidates to Congress.

In a reference to New York’s first Black woman elected to Congress, Jeffries, the House Democratic Caucus chairman, said: “It’s enough to make Jim Crow blush. It’s time to fight like Shirley Chisholm.”

“The redistricting chaos in NY was unleashed by the Court of Appeals,” Jeffries said in a tweet alongside the advertisement by his campaign.

“Shirley Chisholm wouldn’t stand for an assault on historic Black neighborhoods like Bedford Stuyvesant. And neither will we,” he added, referring to the Brooklyn neighborhood.

The campaign ad is not the first time Jeffries has criticized New York’s redistricting plans. He said on Tuesday that the court “degraded” minority populations.

“In Brooklyn and Queens, you’ve got four districts with significant pluralities of either African Americans or Latinos. … In this proposed map, the Black or Latino population was degraded in all four districts. Are you kidding me? That doesn’t happen by accident,” Jeffries said.

The impending overhaul of New York’s congressional map has prompted much criticism from incumbent Democrats because in some districts, it could pit them against each other.

Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), who leads the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), on Wednesday downplayed the potential quarrel, emphasizing that the map has yet to be finalized.

“We’re not at Friday yet, so we don’t know what the districts are gonna look like,” Beatty said.

Rep. Ritchie Torres, another New York Democrat, has taken a more direct approach in criticizing the plans, tweeting that “the thinly veiled racism here is profoundly disappointing.”

The New York map was unveiled by a judge on Monday and is expected to be released in its final form on Friday. 

Source: TEST FEED1

AAPI community pushes for more Asian American history in school curricula

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) are pressing for their communities to be a bigger part of school curricula, arguing the rise in violence targeting them is directly related to people not understanding their histories and placement in American life.  

Several states, including Connecticut, Illinois and New Jersey, have taken action by passing legislation requiring that AAPI studies be included in public school curricula. The effort is intended to make sure that students not only learn about the Great Depression and the Civil Rights movement, but also about Japanese internment camps established during World War II and how Chinese Americans defended American soil during the Civil War. 

For Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, it also means learning about key historical figures in American history who were of Asian descent. 

“Students should know about Meriden resident Joseph Pierce who fought in the Civil War as the highest ranked Chinese American in the Union Army. Students should know about Yale-graduate Yung Wing, who in 1854 became the first Chinese student ever to graduate from an American university. This vote is a proud moment and important opportunity for Connecticut, and I thank the legislators and advocates who championed this legislation,” said Tong, in a statement. 

The AAPI community is making a concerted push in May, AAPI heritage month, to raise awareness of their communities’ contributions and shared history with Americans.

The White House released a statement reiterating just that, reminding Americans, “from serving our country in uniform, advocating for civil rights, starting new businesses and winning Olympic medals, the contributions of the AA and NHPI [Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders] community touch the lives of Americans every day.” 

America is changing faster than ever! Add Changing America to your Facebook or Twitter feed to stay on top of the news. 

However, in an interview with Changing America, Tong also reiterated how he wants to remind Americans of the suffering Asian communities have endured and how it hasn’t been an easy road to acceptance, in particular in the 1940s, when thousands of Japanese Americans were placed in internment camps. 

During World War II, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt issuing an executive order that resulted in thousands of Americans of Japanese descent being targeted and forced to evacuate and remain in detention on a 48-hour notice.  

By the end of March 1942, approximately 112,000 persons of Japanese descent were placed in internment camps — with some living there for nearly three years or more until the end of World War II. 

“When you don’t know that history, that provides a firm foundation of ignorance and for people to act out on their hate and to buy into myths that Asian Americans are a model minority,” Tong said. 

Many decades later, Congress and President Reagan approved the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 that acknowledged the injustice of internment and apologized for it. The legislation included a $20,000 cash payment to each person who was incarcerated. 

Attacks on the AAPI community, however, have evolved, with the U.S. experiencing a 339 percent increase in anti-Asian hate crimes in 2021 compared to 2020. Countless attacks have been reported, including in New York, where 40-year-old Michelle Go was pushed to her death in a subway station.  

A survey by the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum found nearly three-quarters of women in AAPI communities reported experiencing racism and discrimination in the past year. Another 40 percent of women surveyed said they had also experienced sexual harassment over the last year while more than half said they feel less safe today than they did at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. 

“AAPI women have long endured misogyny and racism for centuries and these findings show how this history continues to bleed into our grim present,” said Sung Yeon Choimorrow, executive director of the nonprofit, in a statement. 

Many believe education is the first step in stemming hate targeted towards the AAPI community, as one analysis from 2016 found, “compared to other groups of color, Asian Americans and their perspectives have rarely been given attention in curriculum studies,” said Sohyun Ann, author and associate professor at Kennesaw State University. 

Though mandating AAPI history in school curriculums has broadly received widespread support in state legislatures, the concept of ethnic studies has some critics. In California, the state’s board of education was forced to revise its ethnic studies rule after multiple groups, including the legislature’s Jewish caucus, argued the proposal failed to discuss anti-Semitism and reinforced negative stereotypes about Jews, among another shortcomings.  

Tong believes it’s important to emphasize how the AAPI community has in many ways remained unseen within American society. It even prompted him to share his own family’s story, as he grew up the oldest of five children working at his immigrant family’s Chinese restaurant. He would later become Connecticut’s first Asian American elected at the state level.  

“You don’t have to be Asian American and Pacific Islander to understand the immigrant story,” he said. “It’s a story that we share and is as deep and rooted and meaningful and painful as everyone else. And it’s the story of our country. And it’s a powerful and emotional and uplifting and inspirational story. But we’re routinely left out of it. And I think that’s why we have Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage month.” 

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Source: TEST FEED1

Soaring diesel prices spells bad news for America

Over the past year and a half, fuel prices have seen record increases and among those is the skyrocketing price of diesel. Diesel is holding steady above $5.57 per gallon compared to one year ago when prices hovered just over $3.17 per gallon. Understandably, many Americans look at this increase as a reminder of historic inflation alongside astronomical prices for gas, groceries, lumber, automobiles, and the list goes on. Although this drastic surge in the price of goods and services is undoubtedly painful for countless Americans, the record cost of diesel is a crisis in and of itself.      

Despite the attempts to undermine and slash America’s vast energy industry, there is no escaping the reality that America runs on oil and gas. Our economy depends on this fuel type—from tankers, trains, trucks, manufacturing, farming, and mining industries to the goods and services they support. Without diesel, America’s economy collapses—full stop. Considering the strong impact this commodity plays in our day-to-day lives, it’s time to discuss what outrageously high diesel prices mean for our economy. Unfortunately for Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, their tone-deaf message to go electric won’t work well for those that are currently feeling the pain at the diesel pump. Many on the left seriously think that higher energy prices are good for America. Don’t take my word for it—listen to the rhetoric of prominent Democrats and, more importantly, judge their actions (or lack thereof). For decades the climate change lobby has waged an aggressive war on America’s energy industry, and they finally have a puppet in power to enact their radical anti-American energy policies on a national scale.  

Since Day One, the Biden-Harris administration has kissed the ring of the extremist Green New Deal movement. In return, America’s energy industry is collapsing before our very eyes. By canceling the Keystone XL pipeline, refusing to approve oil and gas leases, raising energy production royalties, and seeking oil from adversaries, American energy is under assault. Sadly, for American businesses, the job still needs to get done—which means higher prices for them and subsequently, higher prices for you. Economics 101 tells you that while many businesses attempt to eat increased costs, the reality is the increased burden will eventually fall on the consumer. According to UBS, diesel and jet fuel at New York harbor is currently trading at above $280 a barrel. Further, a number of experts say that this average price per barrel is more than just off the walls, but out of this world. Numbers like these equate to one thing for you and me: get ready for even higher prices at the pump and for everyday life.  

According to economists, the average American family will spend an extra $5,000 a year due to rising inflation. This number is bound to increase as inflation continues to surpass expert projections. Additionally, America is home to nearly two million trucking companies. Each company faces a massive crisis with the enormous increase in fuel prices. Weekly, I repeat, weekly diesel costs are increasing by $8,000—which will lead to countless bankruptcies in the trucking industry and further inflame the supply chain crisis. Many in the media and the Democrat Party like to play the blame game, first blaming Vladimir Putin, then Republicans, COVID-19, and most frequently our domestic energy producers. Every scapegoat this administration uses falls on deaf ears. The American people are pointing their angry, wagging fingers squarely at the Biden-Harris administration. Regardless of what Biden, Granholm, or Buttigieg say, they aren’t easing up on their assault against America’s energy sector.  

Under the anti-domestic energy production posture of this White House, there is little to no incentive for American producers to embark on the arduous process of producing oil. Additionally, the Biden administration is purposefully dragging its feet in providing leases and permits for increased oil and gas acreage approved under the Trump administration. This blatant lack of support alongside Biden’s executive orders to ban federal oil and gas offerings, as well as blocking the pipelines necessary for transporting energy are a one-two-punch to our economy. The bottom line is the uncertainty and anti-American energy policies of the Democrat Party are directly responsible for the high energy prices we as a nation are facing today. The solution is simple: stop attacking American energy and bring back the American First energy policies of the Trump administration. These policies led to lower energy prices, energy superiority around the world, and energy independence—a stark change from the policies we see today.         

Donalds represents Florida’s 19th District.

Source: TEST FEED1

Maye Musk on Elon's safety: 'I really do worry about him'

Elon Musk’s mother says she’s concerned for his safety amid his attempt to take over Twitter.

“When I see all the malicious comments on Twitter, I really do worry about him, yes,” Maye Musk said Thursday after being asked about her son’s safety during an appearance on “CBS Mornings”

“A mother always worries about her children, and I’ve got three,” Musk told co-host Gayle King, “but he’s the one I’m worried about.”

The 74-year-old “A Woman Makes a Plan” author recently called out her 50-year-old son after the Tesla and SpaceX CEO tweeted, “If I die under mysterious circumstances, it’s been nice knowin ya.”

“That’s not funny,” Musk’s mother replied.

Musk announced last week that he was putting his $44 billion deal to acquire Twitter “on hold” over concerns about the number of fake accounts on the platform.

Asked if she ever offers her son business tips, Musk said that she advised him against launching both an electric car and spacecraft company.

“I said just choose one,” Musk recalled with a laugh. “So obviously he doesn’t listen to me.”

Musk also said she doesn’t suggest that her outspoken son, who’s the world’s richest man, tone down his online rhetoric.

“You have to be responsible for whatever you say,” she said.

“Yesterday I was tweeting out all the bots that have seven followers but 1,000 likes, and they are all malicious comments,” she said.

The dietician recently made history as the oldest model to be featured on the cover of “Sports Illustrated” for its annual swimsuit issue.

“I’m unstoppable,” Musk said on CBS. “I mean, I’m just getting started,” she added.

The key to happiness at her age, Musk said, is that “you don’t mix with nasty people anymore. You don’t tolerate that.”

Source: TEST FEED1

CDC now investigating 180 cases of unexplained hepatitis in children

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is now looking into 180 cases of pediatric hepatitis that have been reported over the past seven months, 71 more cases than what it reported earlier this month.

In a statement, the CDC stressed that while this may appear to be a large increase in cases, most of them are “retrospective,” with the agency looking at patients as far back as October 2021. The agency noted that some cases may not end up being related to the current investigation.

“Additionally, there have been no reported deaths since February 2022, and the proportion of patients requiring liver transplants has gone down from 15 percent to 9 percent since May 5,” the CDC said.

Since the beginning of the CDC’s investigation into the unexplained pediatric hepatitis cases, a possible link to adenovirus has been speculated due to the relatively high rate in which it has been found in the affected patients.

In its update, the CDC said adenovirus has been found in almost half of the children with unexplained hepatitis and said it “continues to be a strong lead” as a potential cause.

Adenovirus infections do not normally manifest as hepatitis, with the typical symptoms being inflammation of the stomach or lungs. However, hepatitis resulting from an adenovirus infection is not unheard of, particularly in immunocompromised patients.

The agency added that childhood hepatitis continues to be a rare condition. However, parents should still be aware of the potential symptoms, which include vomiting, dark urine and light stools. One of the most notable symptoms of hepatitis is jaundice, which is a yellowing of the skin.

In people with darker skin tones, a yellowing in the whites of their eyes may be more noticeable than in their skin if they have jaundice.

Source: TEST FEED1

Southern states suffered Census undercounts, bureau says

The decennial count of America’s population drastically undercounted the number of people who live in six states, the U.S. Census Bureau said Thursday, putting at risk billions of dollars in potential federal funding over the next decade.

Most of the states that suffered severe undercounts are in the South: A follow-up survey the bureau conducted after the 2020 count showed Arkansas’s population was undercounted by just over 5 percent. The populations of Mississippi and Tennessee were undercounted by more than 4 percent, and Florida’s population came in almost 3.5 percent short.

The Census undercounted populations in Texas and Illinois by 1.9 percent, the Bureau said in a press briefing Thursday.

The populations in eight states — Delaware, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island and Utah — were overestimated in the decennial count, the Bureau said.

Hawaii’s population was the most over-counted, by nearly 6.8 percent.

The new figures will not change congressional apportionment, the bureau said.

The bureau did not offer demographic details of the populations that were undercounted, but Census experts have long worried that low-income and minority populations are the most likely to be missed.

In this decade’s Census, observers were most concerned that Hispanic Americans might be left out of the count, after the Trump administration attempted to add a citizenship question to the survey.

Tim Kennel, who led the post-enumeration survey, said the transition from paper counts to an internet-based system, first used in the 2020 Census, had led to lower error rates than in previous years.

“Many of the innovations were successful. The internet self-response was widely used,” Kennel said.

The decennial census is used for allocating money from hundreds of federal programs to the states, making correct counts crucial for states that depend on money for everything from school systems to wildfire preparations.

The results of post-enumeration surveys have varied widely over the decades. Twelve years ago, no state experienced a statistically significant overcount or undercount, Kennel said. In 2000, the populations of 22 states were overcounted, while the population of Washington, D.C., was undercounted.

People might be undercounted when they refuse to respond to the Census or follow-up efforts to contact them. They might be over-counted in second homes, or if children of divorced parents are counted at both parents’ homes, Kennel said.

Source: TEST FEED1

Fyre Festival founder released early from prison

Fyre Festival founder Billy McFarland was released from prison early after just two years of his six-year sentence, according to his lawyer.

“Mr. McFarland is relieved to be out of prison and ready to re-integrate into society,” attorney Jason Russo said in a statement obtained by The Hill. 

“His sole priority and focus at this time is to do all he can to pay his restitution and make amends,” Russo added.

McFarland, now 30, departed a low-security federal prison in Michigan in March after an early release due earning good time credit and arrived at a halfway house in New York on Wednesday, according to NBC News.

He was sentenced in 2018 after pleading guilty to wire fraud over the 2017 failed Fyre Festival, a now-infamous music festival in the Bahamas that never occurred and left most attendees without proper accommodations or food. Photos of conditions from the event went viral, prompting spiraling outrage.

The festival was organized by Fyre Media, a company founded by McFarland and rapper Ja Rule.

As a result of a $2 million class-action lawsuit settlement, the company agreed that each of the event’s attendees will receive just over $7,000 each.

The class action case claimed that the duo of organizers knew the event “was dangerously underequipped and posed a serious danger to anyone in attendance.” 

McFarland also paid out several million to two festival attendees who purchased VIP experiences.

The disastrous event has since been turned into competing Netflix and Hulu documentaries that portray the chaos that transpired during the disorganized efforts to host the festival.

Source: TEST FEED1

Pete Williams retiring from NBC

Longtime justice correspondent Pete Williams is retiring from NBC after nearly three decades with the network.

News of Williams’ retirement came Thursday in a memo NBC News President Noah Oppenheim sent to staff that was obtained by The Hill.

“Pete has been one of the nation’s foremost authorities covering the Supreme Court and the Department of Justice for nearly three decades. His career has been defined by his reputation for accuracy, reliability, and unmatched expertise in the subjects he covers,” Oppenheim said. “From the most consequential Supreme Court cases of our time – like marriage equality and the legal battles over the Affordable Care Act – to major breaking news events – like 9/11, the Boston Marathon bombing, and so much more – Pete’s reporting has always been ironclad. His ability to break down the most complex and fast-developing situations is uncanny.”

Williams, who got his start in local news, first came to Washington, D.C., in 1986 as a press aide for then-Rep. Dick Cheney. He later served as a Pentagon spokesperson during the administration of former President George H.W. Bush.

Since breaking into journalism, Williams has earned a reputation as one of the most dogged and plugged-in court watchers in the media. He most recently broke the story of the retirement of Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer earlier this year.

Andrea Mitchell, one of Williams’ longtime colleagues at the network, called Williams “simply superb, as a human being, as a journalist, as a friend, and as a colleague,” during a recent interview with The Washington Post.

“He combines a wonderful sense of humor and a great sense of humanity with tireless, careful, fact-perfect journalism,” Mitchell said.

Oppenheim said Thursday Williams, 70, had “agreed” to stay with NBC through July, which he said would allow “for countless more opportunities to celebrate him.”

Source: TEST FEED1

Senate Democrats propose DOJ license requirement for gun purchases

A trio of senators plan to introduce legislation on Thursday that will require residents to acquire a Department of Justice (DOJ) license before purchasing or obtaining a legal firearm. 

The bill would also raise the legal age for obtaining a firearm to 21 years old.

The bill was introduced by Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.).

It has virtually no chance of becoming law given GOP opposition, but gives a sense of the breadth of restrictions on gun access that some lawmakers would favor imposing in the wake of years of mass shootings in the nation.

On Saturday, 10 people were killed at a Buffalo supermarket in a predominantly Black neighborhood by a lone gunman who released a racist screed before the attack that suggested he had targeted African Americans.

According to the bill text, the Federal Firearm Licensing Act will require residents to complete a written firearm safety test and hands-on testing, which includes firing testing, to get the license to acquire a firearm. 

The license will also require those wanting to buy a gun to submit a criminal background check, fingerprints, and proof of identity. 

In a statement to Politico, which first reported the legislation, Booker said this is the time to “enact ambitious legislation” on this ongoing issue. 

“This is the moment to enact ambitious legislation – as a nation, we must rise to it, or we are fated to witness the deadly scenes of this past weekend and years past over again,” Booker said in a statement. 

Source: TEST FEED1