It shows that African American in the District make up 47% of the population in the city but they make up 86% of those arrested for nonviolent or minor offenses.
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Its a shocking report for some. A new study by the DC American Civil Liberties Union has found that African American’s are arrested 10 times more than White residents in the city for minor crimes.
The study was conducted from 2013 to 2017. It shows that African Americans in the District make up 47% of the population but they make up 86% of those arrested for nonviolent or minor offenses.
An attorney for the ACLU Michael Perloff said it took him 10 months to get the MPD to respond to information used in the research.
The minor offenses that African American’s in the District were being charged with include driving without a permit, public use of marijuana, gambling and even noise complaints.
The ACLU believes that because there are a disproportionate number of poor blacks in the city they are also disproportionately targeted by law enforcement.
The Mayor’s Neighborhood Engagement Achieves Results Act (NEAR) which was passed in 2016. It requires the MPD to collect all demographic data for all police stops and uses of force. The Mayoral website for the Safer Stronger DC initiative, the data collected from NEAR Act has not been fully implemented. Sources say it should be up this summer.
The ACLU also found that a 2017 study on police-worn body camera’s in DC did not decrease the number of use of force claims against DC police. The ACLU is calling on the Mayor and City for more transparency within the police department.
Mayor Bowser is looking to increase funding for the MPD and to hire more officers for violence prevention initiatives. The proposed budget will be voted on next Tuesday.
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“Roe v. Wade has ended the lives of millions of children,” Alabama Republican Sen. Clyde Chambliss said in a statement. “While we cannot undo the damage that decades of legal precedence under Roe have caused, this bill has the opportunity to save the lives of millions of unborn children.”
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama legislators have given final approval to a ban on nearly all abortions, and if the Republican governor signs the measure, the state will have the strictest abortion law in the country.
The legislation would make performing an abortion a felony at any stage of pregnancy with almost no exceptions. The passage Tuesday by a wide margin in the GOP-led Senate shifts the spotlight to Gov. Kay Ivey, a fixture in Alabama politics who’s long identified as anti-abortion.
Ivey has not said whether she’ll sign the bill. Sponsor Rep. Terri Collins says she expects the governor to support the ban. And the lopsided vote suggests a veto could be easily overcome. But an Ivey spokeswoman said before Tuesday’s vote that “the governor intends to withhold comment until she has had a chance to thoroughly review the final version of the bill that passed.”
In Alabama and other conservative states, anti-abortion politicians and activists emboldened by the addition of conservative justices to the U.S. Supreme Court hope to ignite legal fights and eventually overturn the landmark 1973 decision Roe v. Wade, putting an end to the constitutional right to abortion.
“Roe v. Wade has ended the lives of millions of children,” Alabama Republican Sen. Clyde Chambliss said in a statement. “While we cannot undo the damage that decades of legal precedence under Roe have caused, this bill has the opportunity to save the lives of millions of unborn children.”
Democrats didn’t shy away from blasting their GOP counterparts.
“The state of Alabama ought to be ashamed of herself. You ought to be ashamed. Go look in the mirror,” Sen. Bobby Singleton said “Women in this state didn’t deserve this. This is all about political grandstanding.”
The bill would make performing an abortion a felony punishable by up to 99 years or life in prison for the abortion provider. The only exception would be when the woman’s health is at serious risk. Under the bill, women seeking or undergoing abortions wouldn’t be punished.
Kentucky, Mississippi, Ohio and Georgia have approved bans on abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected, which can occur in about the sixth week of pregnancy. The Alabama bill goes further by seeking to outlaw abortion outright.
Alabama senators rejected an attempt to add an exception for rape and incest. The amendment was voted down 21-11, with four Republicans joining Democrats in seeking the amendment.
Supporters had argued that exceptions would weaken their hope of creating a vehicle to challenge Roe. Collins said that the law isn’t meant to be a long-term measure and that lawmakers could add a rape exception if states regain control of abortion access.
“It’s to address the issue that Roe. v. Wade was decided on. Is that baby in the womb a person?” Collins said.
Democrats criticized the ban as a mixture of political grandstanding, an attempt to control women and a waste of taxpayer dollars.
During debate, Singleton pointed out and named rape victims watching from the Senate viewing gallery. He said that under the ban, doctors who perform abortions could serve more prison time than the women’s rapists.
In a statement, Staci Fox of Planned Parenthood Southeast said, “Today is a dark day for women in Alabama and across this country. … Alabama politicians will forever live in infamy for this vote and we will make sure that every woman knows who to hold accountable.”
Outside the Statehouse, about 50 people rallied and chanted, “Whose choice? Our choice.” Several women dressed as characters from the “The Handmaid’s Tale,” which depicts a dystopian future where fertile women are forced to breed.
If the bill becomes law, it would take effect in six months. Critics have promised a swift lawsuit. Randall Marshall, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama, said a complaint is being drafted.
This is National Police Week and we begin two days of looking at policing in communities in the greater DC area. We begin with how communities interact with officers that are protecting and serving. We also examine a new report by the American Civil Liberties Union on policing in the District of Columbia and The Metropolitan Police Department
Lucia Tian, Chief Analytics Officer, ACLU of DC (not pictured)
Victoria Clark, Attorney, President, Young Professionals Network, Northern Virginia Urban LeagueCarlean Ponder, Activist, Civil Rights Attorney, Founding Member, The Silver Spring Justice Coalition
Zion Williamson’s immediate future is likely to be decided by the bounce of 14 pingpong balls. The NBA draft lottery is Tuesday night in Chicago, where some team will be awarded the No. 1 pick in the June 20 draft – and, presumably, the chance to grab Williamson with that selection. New York, Cleveland and Phoenix share the best odds: They’ve all got a 14 percent chance of winning under a new format that was designed in 2017 and put into play this year to discourage teams from all-out tanking. Williamson, the consensus college basketball player of the year this past season, is expected to be in the audience when the lottery results are announced.
”Whatever NBA team I land on, that’s where I want to be,”
Williamson, the now-former Duke star who is turning pro after one
season with the Blue Devils, said last month. ”Whoever drafts me,
that’s where I want to be.”
It is very much a lottery; the machine is exactly like the one used in many state lotteries and is manufactured by Smartplay International, which works with clients all over the world for
various drawings. Smartplay even certifies the 14 pingpong balls that will be used to churn out the four-number combination will net some team the No. 1 pick. The Knicks, Cavaliers and Suns will all be assigned 140 of the possible 1,001 four-number combinations. Chicago gets 125, giving
the Bulls the fourth-best shot. Charlotte, Miami and Sacramento will be assigned 10 of those combinations, giving them the longest odds of winning the No. 1 pick. The Kings won’t be rooting to win; their pick goes to Boston, unless it’s the first pick, and then it goes to Philadelphia. By the time the telecast of the lottery begins at 8:30 p.m. Eastern, it will already have long been over. The actual drawing takes place in a secure room about an hour beforehand, witnessed by a representative from each of the 14 lottery clubs, NBA officials and some members of the media. None of them can leave or communicate with the outside world in any way until after the results are announced on television.
Triple-A says drivers in Maryland paid nearly 64-million dollars in speed camera fines during the last fiscal year. Around one-point-six million tickets were issued in the 45 jurisdictions that operate speed camera programs in Maryland in fiscal year 2018. That’s a slight increase from the year before. Drivers in Montgomery County, Baltimore City, Prince George’s and Baltimore counties paid more than 38-million in fines. Drivers in Baltimore paid nine-point-six million in speed camera fines.
Tim Conway, the impish second banana to Carol Burnett who won four Emmy Awards on her TV variety show, starred aboard “McHale’s Navy” and later voiced the role of Barnacle Boy for “Spongebob Squarepants,” has died. He was 85.
Conway died Tuesday morning in a Los Angeles care facility after a long illness, according to Howard Bragman, who heads LaBrea Media. Conway’s wife, Charlene Fusco, and a daughter, Jackie, were at his side.
A native of Ohio, Conway credited his Midwestern roots for putting him on the right path to laughs, with his deadpan expression and innocent, simple-minded demeanor.
“I think the Midwest is the heart of comedy in this country, and a little bit of the South, too,” he told the Wisconsin State Journal in 2005. “For some reason, we’re just more laid-back, more understanding. … And Midwesterners have a kinder sense of humor.”
Those qualities probably contributed to his wide popularity on “The Carol Burnett Show,” which he joined in 1975 after years as a frequent guest. The show aired on CBS from 1967 to 1978 and had a short summer stint on ABC in 1979.
“We really didn’t attack people or politics or religion or whatever. We just made fun of, basically, ourselves,” he said.
The show operated with just five writers, one producer, one director and without network interference. The ensemble cast surrounding the redheaded star included Vicki Lawrence and Lyle Waggoner.
“I don’t think the network would allow a show like ‘The Carol Burnett Show’ now because we had such freedom,” Conway said in his interview with the State Journal.
While America was laughing at Conway, so were his co-stars: Burnett and Harvey Korman were often caught by the camera trying not to crack up during his performances.
The short, nondescript Conway and the tall, imposing Korman were a physical mismatch made in comedy heaven. They toured the country for years with a sketch show called “Together Again,” which drew on characters from Burnett’s show.
Besides the four Emmys he won with Burnett (three as a performer, one as a writer), he won Emmys for guest appearances in 1996 for “Coach” and in 2008 for “30 Rock.”
Conway also had a modest but steady movie career, appearing in such films as “The Apple Dumpling Gang” (1975), “The Shaggy D.A.” (1976), “Cannonball Run II” (1984), “Dear God” (1996) and “Air Bud 2” (1998).
“The Apple Dumpling Gang” and “Cannonball Run II” allowed him to work with his comedic hero, Don Knotts, who died in 2006.
“If there’s any reason at all I’m in the business, I think it’s Don,” Conway once said. “He’s an icon in this business. He’s an icon that’s never going to be duplicated.”
He also found success in the 1980s in a series of comedy videos based on an oddly short character named Dorf. (Carefully costumed, Conway performed the bits on his knees.) Among them were “Dorf on Golf” and “Dorf Goes Fishing.”
More recently Conway voiced the role of Barnacle Boy for the hugely popular children’s series “SpongeBob SquarePants.”
He was born Thomas Conway in 1933 in the Cleveland suburb of Willoughby. He attended Bowling Green State University and served in the U.S. Army. He got his career start on local TV in Cleveland in the 1950s, where his duties included comedy spots on a late-night movie show.
He was spotted by Rose Marie of “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” who got him an audition for “The Steve Allen Show.” He became a regular on the show in the early 1960s. It was Allen who had advised him to change his name from Tom to Tim to avoid being confused with a British actor.
Following the Allen show, Conway gained attention as the incompetent Ensign Charles Parker on the Ernest Borgnine sitcom “McHale’s Navy” from 1962-66. That led to series of his own, including “Rango” and “The Tim Conway Show,” but they were short-lived.
“McHale’s Navy” fans loved watching Ensign Parker infuriate the ever-flammable Captain Binghamton (played by Joe Flynn), but it was Conway’s work on Burnett’s show that would bring him lasting fame.
Conway and his wife, Mary Anne Dalton, married in 1961 and had six children. The marriage ended in divorce. He later married Charlene Fusco.
BALTIMORE (AP) — Baltimore Mayor Bernard “Jack” Young says a ransomware virus that hit the city’s computer systems has forced operations to “revert back to manual.”
The Baltimore Sun reports the extent of the Robbinhood ransomware attack was noticeable Wednesday as some city systems remained offline and several departments reported email and phone issues. The 911 system hasn’t been affected, at least.
The FBI is investigating after authorities announced Tuesday that hackers were demanding about $76,000 to unlock encrypted files in city computers.
Young spokesman Lester Davis says most residents won’t notice an impact. But the mayor said city employees who can’t work without computer systems may be asked if they’d be willing to help clean up the city if the attack takes longer than expected to fix.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month and the Greater Washington Urban League Guild is hosting an important forum to talk about Alzheimer’s and brain health issues impacting the Black Community. My guest is Lynn Nehemiah – Member of the Greater Washington Urban League Guild
Greater Washington Urban League Guild Health Awareness Day Symposium and Vendor Fair Saturday, May 18thfrom 12pm to 3pm at First Congregation United Church of Christ @ 945 G Street, NW. More information here:
Tune in to Taking it to the Streets, weekday mornings at 6:15, 7:08 and 8:35 on the Steve Harvey Morning Showon 96.3 WHUR.
Follow me on facebook and twitter at @bobbygailes for updates and to stay connected.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A jury on Monday ordered agribusiness giant Monsanto Co. to pay a combined $2.055 billion to a couple claiming that the company’s popular weed killer Roundup Ready caused their cancers.
The jury’s verdict is the third such courtroom loss for Monsanto in California since August, but a San Francisco law professor said it’s likely a trial judge or appellate court will significantly reduce the punitive damage award.
The state court jury in Oakland concluded that Monsanto’s weed killer caused the non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma Alva Pilliod and Alberta Pilliod each contracted. Jurors awarded them each $1 billion in punitive damages in addition to a combined $55 million in compensatory damages.
Alberta Pilliod, 76, said after the verdict that she and her husband, Alva, have each been battling cancer for the last nine years. She says they are unable to enjoy the same activities they participated in before their cancer diagnosis.
“It changed our lives forever,” she said. “We couldn’t do things we used to be able to do, and we really resent them for that.”
One of the Pilliods lawyers, Michael Miller, conceded that the $2 billion punitive damage award was likely to be reduced on appeal, but said they are prepared for a long legal battle.
A federal jury in San Francisco ordered the weed killer maker in March to pay a Sonoma County man $80 million. A San Francisco jury last August awarded $289 million to a former golf course greens keeper who blamed his cancer on Monsanto’s Roundup Ready herbicide. A judge later reduced the award by $200 million.
The three California trials were the first of an estimated 13,000 plaintiffs with pending lawsuits against Monsanto across the country to go to trial. St. Louis-based Monsanto is owned by the German chemical giant Bayer A.G.
Bayer said Monday that it would appeal the verdict.
“The verdict in this trial has no impact on future cases and trials, as each one has its own factual and legal circumstances,” the company said.
The company noted that none of the California verdicts has been considered by an appeals court and that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency considers the weed killer safe.
The EPA reaffirmed its position in April, saying that the active ingredient glyphosate found in the weed killer posed “no risks of concern” for people exposed to it by any means — on farms, in yards and along roadsides, or as residue left on food crops.
“There is zero chance it will stand,” said University of California, Hastings School of Law professor David Levine. He said the ratio between the $2 billion in punitive damages and $55 million in compensatory damages is too high. He said judges rarely allow punitive damages to exceed four times actual damages awarded.
The California Supreme Court ruled in 2016 that any punitive damages exceeding 10 times the compensatory damages are likely unconstitutionally high. The court didn’t propose a ratio it felt correct, but said punitive damages should almost never exceed nine times actual damages, it said.
The punitive damages awarded Monday are 36 times the actual damages.
The lawsuits have battered Bayer’s stock since it purchased Monsanto for $63 billion last year and Bayer’s top managers are facing shareholder discontent.
Chairman Werner Wenning told shareholders at Bayer’s annual general meeting in Bonn last month that company leaders “very much regret” falls in its share price. At the same time, CEO Werner Baumann insisted that “the acquisition of Monsanto was and remains the right move for Bayer.”
Bayer’s stock price closed Monday at $15.91 a share, down 45 cents or 2.76 percent per share, in trading on the New York Stock Exchange. The verdict was announced after the trading session closed.
Bayer’s share price has lost half its value since it reached s 52-week high of $32.80 a share.
Prince George’s County Schools are the second largest school system in the county and the 25th largest school district in the country.
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This morning interim Prince George’s County School’s CEO Dr. Monica Goldson is set to propose bringing back salary step increases for public school employee.
This mornings announcement which is set for 11 this morning at Barack Obama Elementary School, 12700 Brooke Lane in Upper Marlboro. She will be joined by Dr. Alvin Thornton, Prince George’s County Board of Education Chair.
In 2018, Dr. Goldson commissioned a Compensation Restoration Task Force to study the cost and impact of restoring the salary freeze. The actual final repot is due later this month. Currently, the school system is in contract talks with the Prince George’s County Educators’ Association. Last week a new two year deal with the Association of Supervisory and Administrative School Personnel was ratified.
Prince George’s County Schools are the second largest school system in the county and the 25th largest school district in the country. There are 134,000 students and 207 schools and center in the county. In addition to that there are almost 19,000 employee’s.
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The announcement comes just two weeks after online behemoth Amazon said it’s upgrading its free shipping option to Prime members who pay $119 a year to one-day delivery from two-day delivery.
NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart is rolling out free next-day delivery on its most popular items, increasing the stakes in the retail shipping wars.
The nation’s largest retailer said Tuesday it’s been building a network of more efficient e-commerce distribution centers to make that happen. The next-day service will cover 220,000 popular items from diapers and non-perishable food items to toys and electronics. That’s nearly double the number of items it carries in its stores.
Next-day delivery, which will require a minimum order of $35, will be available in Phoenix, Arizona, and Las Vegas on Tuesday. In coming days, it will expand to southern California. The discounter plans to roll out the service to 75% of the U.S. population by year-end. It will also be adding hundreds of thousands more products as the program expands.
The announcement comes just two weeks after online behemoth Amazon said it’s upgrading its free shipping option to Prime members who pay $119 a year to one-day delivery from two-day delivery. Amazon has declined to say when the switch will happen, but it already offers one-day delivery for some items in certain areas.
Walmart says the new delivery program has been in the works for a while.
“Customer expectations continue to rise,” said Marc Lore, CEO of Walmart’s U.S. e-commerce division, told The Associated Press in a phone interview. “We’re trying to get ahead of that.”
The move will only increase pressure on other rivals that are already investing in millions of dollars to shorten the delivery window.
Amazon changed consumer expectations when it launched its two-day delivery for Prime members back in 2005 and forced other retailers to step up their game. But analysts say Amazon then needed to cut the delivery time in half to make its membership more attractive since others like Walmart offered free two-day deliveries without any membership.
Two years ago, Walmart began offering free two-day shipping on millions of items on its website for orders of at least $35. Target also offers free two-day shipping for those who spend at least $35 or use its RedCard loyalty card. Walmart has also been expanding same-day grocery delivery service fulfilled from its stores for a fee of about $10.
Lore says it will be cheaper for the company to do next-day delivery versus two-day service because eligible items will come from a single fulfillment center located closest to the customer. This means orders will ship in one box, or in as few as possible, unlike two-day deliveries that come in multiple boxes from multiple locations.
Still, Walmart sells far fewer products than Amazon and its online U.S. sales are only a fraction of Amazon’s online global merchandise empire. Amazon has also been delivering more packages itself rather than relying on the post office and other carriers like UPS and FedEx. The company expects to spend $800 million in the second quarter to speed up deliveries and has expanded its fleet of jets. On Monday, it announced that it will be expanding an incentive program to its employees so they can quit their jobs and start their own Amazon package delivery businesses.
Walmart has one big advantage over Amazon — its more than 4,700 stores.
Walmart and Target have been turning their physical stores into shipping hubs, speeding up deliveries and helping to defray costs for services like curbside delivery and in-store pickup. Walmart has also been expanding the use of robots in its stores, which keep tabs on what’s on and not on the shelves. Meanwhile, Target has redesigned its staging area for packages to help speed up fulfilling curbside deliveries.
The 2019 American Fitness Index has named Arlington, Virginia as the fittest city in the U.S.
The study looks at exercise habits and overall health in the America’s biggest cities. Arlington ranked atop this list out of 100 cities included. By the way the city also had the lowest rate of residents who light up and who are listed in medical poor health.
DC came in sixth place. Seattle, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Denver and Madison also made it atop the list. The city that came in dead last was Oklahoma city. You can find the full report in the American College of Sports Medicine and the Anthem Foundation publication.
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The malware was able to penetrate phones through missed calls alone via the app’s voice calling function, the spokesman said. An unknown number of people — an amount in the dozens at least would not be inaccurate — were infected with the malware, which the company discovered in early May, said the spokesman, who was not authorized to be quoted by name.
Spyware crafted by a sophisticated group of hackers-for-hire took advantage of a flaw in the popular WhatsApp communications program to remotely hijack dozens of phones, the company said late Monday.
The Financial Times identified the actor as Israel’s NSO Group, and WhatsApp all but confirmed the identification, describing hackers as “a private company that has been known to work with governments to deliver spyware.” A spokesman for the Facebook subsidiary later said: “We’re certainly not refuting any of the coverage you’ve seen.”
The malware was able to penetrate phones through missed calls alone via the app’s voice calling function, the spokesman said. An unknown number of people — an amount in the dozens at least would not be inaccurate — were infected with the malware, which the company discovered in early May, said the spokesman, who was not authorized to be quoted by name.
John Scott-Railton, a researcher with the internet watchdog Citizen Lab, called the hack “a very scary vulnerability.”
“There’s nothing a user could have done here, short of not having the app,” he said.
The spokesman said the flaw was discovered while “our team was putting some additional security enhancements to our voice calls” and that engineers found that people targeted for infection “might get one or two calls from a number that is not familiar to them. In the process of calling, this code gets shipped.”
WhatsApp, which has more than 1.5 billion users, immediately contacted Citizen Lab and human rights groups, quickly fixed the issue and pushed out a patch. He said WhatsApp also provided information to U.S. law enforcement officials to assist in their investigations.
“We are deeply concerned about the abuse of such capabilities,” WhatsApp said in a statement.
NSO said in a statement that its technology is used by law enforcement and intelligence agencies to fight “crime and terror.”
“We investigate any credible allegations of misuse and if necessary, we take action, including shutting down the system,” the statement said. A spokesman for Stephen Peel, whose private equity firm Novalpina recently announced the purchase of part of NSO, did not return an email seeking comment.
The revelation adds to the questions over the reach of the Israeli company’s powerful spyware, which takes advantage of digital flaws to hijack smartphones, control their cameras and effectively turn them into pocket-sized surveillance devices.
NSO’s spyware has repeatedly been found deployed to hack journalists, lawyers, human rights defenders and dissidents. Most notably, the spyware was implicated in the gruesome killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was dismembered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last year and whose body has never been found.
Several alleged targets of the spyware, including a close friend of Khashoggi and several Mexican civil society figures, are currently suing NSO in an Israeli court over the hacking.
Monday, Amnesty International — which said last year that one its staffers was also targeted with the spyware — said it would join in a legal bid to force Israel’s Ministry of Defense to suspend NSO’s export license.
That makes the discovery of the vulnerability particularly disturbing because one of the targets was a U.K.-based human rights lawyer, the attorney told the AP.
The lawyer, who spoke on condition of anonymity for professional reasons, said he received several suspicious missed calls over the past few months, the most recent one on Sunday, only hours before WhatsApp issued the update to users fixing the flaw.
In its statement, NSO said it “would not or could not” use its own technology to target “any person or organization, including this individual.”
Prince George’s County Fire Fighters were called to a house fire this morning in Fort Washington.
When fire fighters arrived at the home in the 12800 block of Prestwick Drive the flames were shooting out from the roof and windows. I appears the large home was under renovation. No one was home at the time and no fire fighters were injured putting the blaze out.
The cause is still under investigations.
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Ditch the car. The Washington Area Bicyclist Association invites you to participate in the Annual Bike to Work Day May 17th. www.biketoworkmetrodc.org
Alzheimers Health Symposium
Learn the facts about Alzheimers. Come out May 18th to a health awareness day symposium hosted by the Greater Washington Urban League Guild in NW. www.gwul-guild.org/events
Girl’s Night Out
It’s the Ultimate Party for A Cause. The 11th Annual Girl’s Night Out is June 1st at the Katzen Arts Center in NW. Proceeds benefit “My Sister’s Place. www.gnobyshawnyancy.com
TIS Foundation Gala
The TIS Foundation is hosting its 25th Annual Gala Honoring Women In Leadership June 6th at the Marriott Marquis in DC. www.tisfoundation.org
Prostate Cancer Walk
Fight back against prostate cancer. Join the Richards Group Foundation for its 5k Run Walk June 8th at the Bowie Town Center. www.therichardsgroupfoundation.org
Phi Beta Sigma Fatherhood Luncheon
It’s all about dads. Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity invites you to its Fatherhood Luncheon Celebration June 15th at the Waterford at Fair Oaks. www.thetatausigma1914.com
African Children’s Choir
The African Children’s Choir “Just As I Am” is touring in Manassass May 31st. Hear the melodies of these young children from various countries throughout Africa. Proceeds support humanitarian and relief efforts on the continent. www.africanchildrenschoir.com
AKA Casino Night
Don’t miss a fun night of food, prizes and music. Join the ladies of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority for their Casino Night May 18th at the American Legion at Chesapeake Beach. opoivyleaf@gmail.com
We often talk about heart health and managing our blood pleasure but it was sad to hear that we lost two entertainers from a stroke. The passing of the actor Luke Perry and director John Singleton was a wake up call to men’s health. We also can not forget about R&B singer Peabo Bryson is recovering from a heart attack. Tonight, we’re having a conversation with our men about ignoring the signs….
According to a 2014 Center for Disease Control report, life expectancy among Black men in the U.S. is precisely 72.2 years—significantly shorter than white men at 76.5 years and white women at 81.2 years. Black women, however, fair slightly better than Black men with a life expectancy of 78.2 years.
Audio:
Dr. Yolanda Lewis-Ragland-Board Certified Bariatrician & Pediatrician
Mandrell Birks- HUR Voices Sirius XM’s Personality
Soon you’ll have to be 21 to purchase tobacco and nicotine products in Maryland. Governor Larry Hogan signed a measure today to raise the age for buying tobacco from 18 to 21. The legislation takes effect in October. The law will apply to all types of tobacco products such as: Cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, e-cigarettes and vaping devices. Members of the military are exempt from the new law. Maryland is the ninth state to raise the age to buy tobacco.
The National Park Service says a stretch of the George Washington Memorial Parkway will stay closed going into tomorrow. A ten-foot sinkhole opened up on the parkway causing northbound lanes to close between Virginia Route 123 Chain Bridge Road and I-495 Capital Beltway Friday. NPS plans to reopen one lane in time for the evening rush hour Tuesday. Rain over the weekend prevented the Park Service from making repairs.
He is alleged to have used straw donors to give campaign contributions to a U.S. presidential candidate, who is identified in the indictment only as Candidate A.
WASHINGTON (AP) — One of the founding members of the 1990s hip-hop group the Fugees has been charged in a campaign finance conspiracy that took place during the 2012 presidential election, the Justice Department said Friday.
A four-count indictment accuses Prakazrel “Pras” Michel of conspiring with fugitive Malaysian financer Low Taek Jho, usually known as Jho Low, to make and conceal foreign campaign contributions. He is alleged to have used straw donors to give campaign contributions to a U.S. presidential candidate, who is identified in the indictment only as Candidate A.
Low has gained attention in the last several years after U.S. officials accused him of masterminding a money laundering and bribery scheme that pilfered billions from the Malaysian state investment fund known as 1MDB. He’s been charged separately by both U.S. and Malaysian officials in connection with that alleged fraud but remains at large.
Prosecutors allege that from June to November 2012, Low directed more than $21.6 million to be moved from foreign entities to Michel’s accounts in order to funnel money into the 2012 presidential election. They say Michel then paid about 20 straw donors and conduits so they could make the donations in their names and conceal where the money actually came from, according to the indictment.
More than $1 million was also sent to an independent expenditure committee, prosecutors said.
“Mr. Michel is extremely disappointed that so many years after the fact the government would bring charges related to 2012 campaign contributions,” said defense lawyer Barry Pollack. “Mr. Michel is innocent of these charges and looks forward to having the case heard by a jury.”
Representatives for Low said in a statement that he is innocent and the allegations against him “have no basis in fact.”
“Mr. Low has never made any campaign contributions directly or indirectly in the U.S. and he unequivocally denies any involvement in or knowledge of the alleged activities,” the statement said.
Fred Wertheimer of Democracy 21, a nonprofit campaign finance watchdog group, said that his organization and another one filed a complaint against Michel to both the Federal Election Commission and the Justice Department.
“It’s pretty unusual to get the government to bring criminal campaign finance cases,” he said. “On the other hand, we thought this was a clear case where enforcement was called for.”
Michel faces a separate civil forfeiture complaint accusing him in a scheme to try to get the department to drop an investigation into embezzlement from a Malaysian investment fund. Michel has denied wrongdoing in that case.
The embezzlement from the fund, known as 1MDB , became a political scandal in Malaysia. Looted money paid for jewelry and luxury art and helped finance “The Wolf of Wall Street” and other Hollywood productions films. The Justice Department last year announced charges against Jho Low and two former Goldman Sachs bankers in a money laundering and bribery scheme that pilfered money from the fund, created to spur economic development projects in that country.
One of those bankers, Roger Ng, was extradited from Malaysia earlier this month to face charges in New York.
Delegate Walker said it took him almost 8 years to get the bill through both the state House and Senate.
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Delegate Jay Walker joined me this morning to talk the passage of his financial education bill for students in Prince George’s County. He said it’s a start and there are still a lot of additional things that he wants to add to the program. Right now it is not required throughout the county or states. The program that will deal with compound interest, CD’s, credit card and loan debt will be offered at a few schools in the county.
Delegate Walker said it took him almost 8 years to get the bill through both the state House and Senate. He said if you want your child’s school to offer it you need to contact your school board and Senator and let them know. Montgomery and Howard County School have it as a requirement for students to graduate. Prince George’s County does not but he is working on that changing. His long term goal is that all schools in the state make that a requirement.
The Synopsis of HB371 (Financial Literacy)
Requiring the State Board of Education to develop curriculum content for a half-semester-long course in financial literacy; requiring each county board of education to implement the financial literacy curriculum content developed by the State Board in certain high schools; and requiring students to complete a certain course in order to graduate from high school.
Apple keeps 30% of the sales price, where it is set, Kavanaugh said in a summary he read from the bench. “In other words, Apple as retailer pockets a 30% commission on every app sale,” said Kavanaugh, one of President Donald Trump’s two high court appointees.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A divided Supreme Court ruled Monday that consumers can pursue an antitrust lawsuit that claims Apple has unfairly monopolized the market for the sale of iPhone apps.
New Justice Brett Kavanaugh joined the court’s four liberals in rejecting a plea from Cupertino, California-based Apple to end the lawsuit over the 30% commission the company charges software developers whose more than 2 million apps are sold through the App Store.
iPhone users who must purchase software for their smartphones exclusively through Apple’s App Store filed the suit.
Apple keeps 30% of the sales price, where it is set, Kavanaugh said in a summary he read from the bench. “In other words, Apple as retailer pockets a 30% commission on every app sale,” said Kavanaugh, one of President Donald Trump’s two high court appointees.
That was enough to persuade that at this early stage of the legal fight, the lawsuit can continue, he said.
Justice Neil Gorsuch, Trump’s other pick, wrote a dissent for four conservative justices. The consumers’ complaint against Apple is the kind of case earlier high court rulings said was not allowed under federal laws that prohibit unfair control of a market, Gorsuch wrote.
Apple had argued it’s merely a pipeline between app developers and consumers, and that iPhone users have no claims against Apple under antitrust law.
The suit could force Apple to cut the commission it charges software developers. A judge could triple the compensation to consumers under antitrust law if Apple ultimately loses the suit.
There has been exponential growth in the availability of apps since Apple created the App Store in 2008 with 500 choices.
″‘There’s an app for that’ has become part of the 21st-century American lexicon,” Kavanaugh said.
“Day had been in excellent physical health for her age, until recently contracting a serious case of pneumonia, resulting in her death,” the foundation said in a statement. It said she requested “no funeral or memorial service and no grave marker.”
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Doris Day, the sunny blond actress and singer whose frothy comedic roles opposite the likes of Rock Hudson made her one of Hollywood’s biggest stars in the 1950s and ’60s and a symbol of wholesome American womanhood, died Monday. She was 97.
In recent years, Day had been an animal rights advocate and her Doris Day Animal Foundation confirmed her death at her Carmel Valley, California, home. The foundation said she was surrounded by close friends.
“Day had been in excellent physical health for her age, until recently contracting a serious case of pneumonia, resulting in her death,” the foundation said in a statement. It said she requested “no funeral or memorial service and no grave marker.”
With her lilting contralto, wholesome beauty and glowing smile, Day was a top box-office draw and recording artist known for comedies such as “Pillow Talk” and “That Touch of Mink,” as well as songs like “Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)” from the Alfred Hitchcock film “The Man Who Knew Too Much.”
Over time, she became more than a name above the title: Right down to her cheerful, alliterative stage name, she stood for a time of innocence and G-rated love, a parallel world to her contemporary Marilyn Monroe. The running joke, attributed to both Groucho Marx and actor-composer Oscar Levant, was that they had known Day “before she was a virgin.”
Day herself was no Doris Day, by choice and by hard luck.
In her Oscar-nominated role in 1959′s “Pillow Talk,” the first of three films with Hudson, she proudly caught up with what she called “the contemporary in me.” Her 1976 tell-all book, “Doris Day: Her Own Story,” chronicled her money troubles and three failed marriages.
“I have the unfortunate reputation of being Miss Goody Two-Shoes, America’s Virgin, and all that, so I’m afraid it’s going to shock some people for me to say this, but I staunchly believe no two people should get married until they have lived together,” she wrote.
Day was given a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004, as George W. Bush declared it “a good day for America when Doris Marianne von Kappelhoff of Evanston, Ohio decided to become an entertainer.”
Although mostly retired from show business since the 1980s, she still had enough of a following that a 2011 collection of previously unreleased songs, “My Heart,” hit the top 10 in the United Kingdom. The same year, she received a lifetime achievement honor from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.
Designer Stella McCartney, an animal rights advocate, responded to Day’s death Monday by tweeting: “The one, the only, the woman who inspired so much of what I do… Doris Day I love you, my calamity Jane. An iconic woman who I was hugely honoured to meet and share precious moments with. Rest in peace.”
Playwright Paul Rudnick tweeted in part, “Doris Day was kind and decent, onscreen and off; she maintained her friendship with Rock Hudson after his AIDS diagnosis, in a climate of fear and abandonment — one of his last appearances was on a TV show with her.”
Born to a music teacher and a housewife in Cincinnati, Day dreamed of a dance career but at age 12 broke her leg badly when a car in which she was traveling was hit by a train. Listening to the radio while recuperating, she began singing along with Ella Fitzgerald, “trying to catch the subtle ways she shaded her voice, the casual yet clean way she sang the words.”
Day began singing at a Cincinnati radio station, then a nightclub, then in New York. A bandleader changed her name to Day after the song “Day after Day” to fit it on a marquee.
A marriage at 17 to trombonist Al Jorden ended when, she said, he beat her when she was eight months pregnant. She gave birth to her son, Terry, in early 1942. Her second marriage also was short-lived. She returned to Les Brown’s band after the first marriage broke up.
Her Hollywood career began after she sang at a Hollywood party in 1947. After early stardom as a band singer and a stint at Warner Bros., Day won the best notices of her career with 1955′s “Love Me or Leave Me,” the story of songstress Ruth Etting and her gangster husband-manager. She followed with Hitchcock’s “The Man Who Knew Too Much,” starring with James Stewart as an innocent couple ensnared in an international assassination plot. She sang “Que Sera, Sera” just as the story reached its climax. The 1958 comedy “Teacher’s Pet” paired her with an aging Clark Gable.
But she found her greatest success in slick, stylish sex comedies, beginning with “Pillow Talk.” She and Hudson played two New Yorkers who shared a telephone party line. She followed with “The Thrill of It All,” playing a housewife who gains fame as a TV pitchwoman to the chagrin of obstetrician husband James Garner.
The nation’s theater owners voted her the top moneymaking star in 1960, 1962, 1963 and 1964.
Her first singing hit was the 1945 smash “Sentimental Journey,” when she was barely in her 20s. Among the other songs she made famous were “Everybody Loves a Lover,” ″Secret Love,” and “It’s Magic,” a song from her first film, “Romance on the High Seas.”
Critic Gary Giddins called her “the coolest and sexiest female singer of slow-ballads in movie history.”
“Romance on the High Seas” had been designed for Judy Garland, then Betty Hutton. Both bowed out, and Day, recommended by songwriters Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne, won the role. Warner Bros. cashed in on its new star with a series of musicals, including “Calamity Jane,” ″My Dream Is Yours,” ″Tea for Two” and “Lullaby of Broadway.” Her dramas included “Young Man with a Horn,” with Kirk Douglas and Lauren Bacall, and “Storm Warning,” with Ronald Reagan and Ginger Rogers.
Her last film was “With Six You Get Eggroll,” a 1968 comedy about a widow and a widower who blend families.
“For those of us in my generation, Doris Day was synonymous with Hollywood icon,” actor George Takei said on Twitter Monday.
In the 1960s, Day discovered that failed investments by her third husband, Martin Melcher, left her deeply in debt. She eventually won a multimillion-dollar judgment against their lawyer.
With movies trending for more explicit sex, she turned to television to recoup her finances. “The Doris Day Show” was a moderate success in its 1966-1973 run on CBS.
Day had married Melcher, who worked in her agent’s office, in 1951. He became her manager, and her son took his name. In most of the films following “Pillow Talk,” Melcher was listed as co-producer. Melcher died in 1969.
In her autobiography, Day recalled her son telling her the $20 million she had earned had vanished and she owed around $450,000, mostly for taxes. Terry Melcher, who died in 2004, became a songwriter and record producer, working with such stars as the Beach Boys. He was also famous for an aspiring musician he turned down, Charles Manson. When Manson and his followers embarked on their murderous rampage in 1969, they headed for a house once owned by Melcher, and instead came upon actress Sharon Tate and some visitors, all of whom were killed.
Day married a fourth time at age 52, to businessman Barry Comden in 1976.
Her wholesome image was referenced in the song “I’m Sandra Dee” in the 1971 musical “Grease,” which included the lyrics: “Watch it, hey, I’m Doris Day/ I was not brought up that way/ Won’t come across/ Even Rock Hudson lost/ His heart to Doris Day.”
“The great Doris Day left us and took a piece of the sun with her,” actress Goldie Hawn tweeted Monday. “She brighten our lives and lived out her life with dignity. May she rest peacefully.”
Police have arrested 30-year-old James Jordan and charged him with attacking a man and woman who were hiking the popular trail Saturday morning.
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Police have arrested a suspect in a horrific attack that claimed the life of a man on the Appalachian Trail in Virginia.
Wythe County Police have arrested 30-year-old James Jordan and charged him with attacking a man and woman who were hiking the popular trail Saturday morning.
The male victim died from his injuries. The female survived and walked several miles to get them help. The suspect has been charged with murder and assault with the intent to kill. There is no word on the murder in this unprovoked attack.
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“We are turning the final season of ‘Empire’ into a large television event,” Fox Entertainment CEO Charlie Collier told a teleconference Monday. “One of the great benefits of announcing a final season is that you actually allow the fans to lean in and have the ending they deserve.”
NEW YORK (AP) — “Empire” will return for its final season this fall on Fox — with Jussie Smollett a question mark — and should count itself lucky.
Fox, the lowest-rated network among the big four broadcasters, is hitting the reset button for the 2019-20 season by cancelling eight shows and adding 10 new ones.
“Empire” companion drama “Star” is among the goners as the network makes room for an eclectic mix of wrestling, two new animated comedies and a “9-1-1” spinoff starring Rob Lowe.
“We are turning the final season of ‘Empire’ into a large television event,” Fox Entertainment CEO Charlie Collier told a teleconference Monday. “One of the great benefits of announcing a final season is that you actually allow the fans to lean in and have the ending they deserve.”
Collier dodged questions about Smollett’s future with the show after the actor was accused of staging an attack in which he said two masked men beat him, hurled racist and homophobic slurs at him, doused him with a chemical substance and put a rope around his neck. Criminal charges were dropped but the uproar has yet to subside, making Smollett a continued publicity liability for Fox.
When pressed, Collier said there is an option to include him in the series “but at this point we have no plans for that.”
As for “Star,” which had been paired on the schedule with “Empire,” it fell victim to Fox’s prime-time schedule, which is an hour shorter per night than the other networks, Collier said. The network also wanted to give “Empire” a strong send-off by pairing it with returning medical drama “The Resident,” he said.
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials say this year’s count of measles cases has surpassed 800, a growing tally that is already the nation’s highest in 25 years.
A total of 839 cases were reported as of last week. That’s the most since 1994, when 963 were reported for the entire year.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the latest numbers Monday.
In all, 23 states have reported cases this year. The vast majority of illnesses have been in New York — most of them among unvaccinated people in Orthodox Jewish communities.
That pattern continued last week, with most of the 75 new cases coming from New York.
Amazon says it will cover up to $10,000 in startup costs for employees who are accepted into the program and leave their jobs. The company says it will also pay them three months’ worth of their salary.
NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon, which is racing to deliver packages faster, is turning to its employees with a proposition: Quit your job and we’ll help you start a business delivering Amazon packages.
The offer, announced Monday, comes as Amazon seeks to speed up its shipping time from two days to one for its Prime members. The company sees the new incentive as a way to get more packages delivered to shoppers’ doorsteps faster.
Amazon says it will cover up to $10,000 in startup costs for employees who are accepted into the program and leave their jobs. The company says it will also pay them three months’ worth of their salary.
The offer is open to most part-time and full-time Amazon employees, including warehouse workers who pack and ship orders. Whole Foods employees are not eligible to receive the new incentives.
Seattle-based Amazon.com Inc. declined to say how many employees it expects to take them up on the offer.
The new employee incentive is part of a program Amazon started a year ago that let anyone apply to launch an independent Amazon delivery business and provided $10,000 in reimbursements to military veterans.
The program’s expansion is part of the company’s plan to control more of its deliveries on its own, rather than rely on UPS, the post office and other carriers. Startup costs start at $10,000 and contractors that participate are able to lease blue vans with the Amazon smile logo stamped on the side.
Overall, more than 200 Amazon delivery businesses have been created since it launched the program last June, said John Felton, Amazon’s vice president of global delivery services.
One of them is run Milton Collier, a freight broker who started his business in Atlanta about eight months ago. Since then, it has grown to 120 employees with a fleet of 50 vans that can handle up to 200 delivery stops in a day. It has already been preparing for the one-day shipping switch by hiring more people.
Tonight a Candlelight Vigil will be held at 8:00 p.m. on the National Mall between 7th and 12th Streets.
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The week is National Police week. It marks the time of year that fallen police officers are remembered for their service and laying their life on the line to help others.
President John F. Kennedy in 1962 signed a proclamation making May 15th as Peace Officers Memorial Day. Now that week is Police Week. People from all over the country head to Washington, DC to take part in a list of events.
This year 371 names of officers killed in the of duty will be added to the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial here in the District of Columbia. Of that number 158 who died in 2018, the others died over the past few years.
Tonight a Candlelight Vigil will be held at 8:00 p.m. on the National Mall between 7th and 12th Streets. The event is sponsored by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. No tickets are required and everyone is welcome.
Wednesday is the 38th Annual National Peace Officers’ Memorial Service. The Memorial Service will be held on the West Front of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.
The service begins at 11:00 a.m. and is expected to run approximately 2 hours. The Wreath Laying Ceremony will be held immediately following the Memorial Service.
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The day of her death Attoh tweeted When it comes to relationships, remaining faithful is never an option but a priority. Loyalty is ever…
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Police have identified the woman chases and gunned downed in a Greenbelt parking lot.
She was 44-year-old Bettie Jenifer and she was killed on Friday in the 6300 block of Ivy Lane as she walked to her vehicle. Investigators say there were several witnesses around 5 pm. Jenifer was shot in the head and was pronounced dead on the scene.
This morning we have learned that she was married to two men. One a convicted drug lord from Baltimore who is serving 20 years in prison. He has been identified as 47-year-old Kedrick Jenifer. Her second husband was Chris Attoh a famous Ghanainan actor. they had only been married for 7 months. Reportedly Kendrick filed for divorce first on April 9th. Jenifer filed against him six days later.
The day of her death Attoh tweeted When it comes to relationships, remaining faithful is never an option but a priority. Loyalty is ever…
The gunman got away in a blue vehicle. No other details about the vehicles have been released.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 11, 2019) – Today, Howard University marked its 151st Commencement Convocation awarding more than 2,000 degrees, including some 300 master’s degrees and over 100 Ph.Ds. Additionally, more than 400 students received professional degrees in law, medicine, pharmacy and dentistry.
During the ceremony, Kasim Reed, former Atlanta mayor and noted Howard alumnus and trustee emeritus, lauded his alma mater as a “dream factory for our people.”
“Howard was built to be a dream factory for a people – a place where you can come and be a pastor, a nurse, a teacher, an engineer, a social worker, a physician, a scientist a lawyer, a place where if you had the grit and the toughness and the intellect then your lesson plan could become a dream plan, and that’s what’s happening today,” Reed told the assembled graduates and their families.
Reed served two terms as the 59th mayor of the city of Atlanta from 2010 to 2018. He earned his Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor degrees and an honorary Doctor of Laws from Howard University. He applauded the Class of 2019 for their decision to become a part of Howard’s rich legacy of leaders.
“We are the place where if you are an African American lawyer, there is a one-third chance you graduated from Howard. If you are an African American physician, there is a one-fifth chance that you went to Howard. We are a place that has a unique ability to take raw talent, energy, and grit and weave it into a beautiful mosaic. In fact, I am looking at it right now,” said Reed.
He encouraged the new graduates to get busy making their dreams a reality without delay.“Take full advantage of your physical capacity. I know that as you sit there with your future ahead of you, you feel like you have all the time in the world. You don’t,” Reed stated emphatically. “Excellence, greatness, and passion are where the grind is. Do not squander your physical capacity to work all day and work all night when needed.”
In total, Howard University awarded 2,293 degrees. That number includes 309 master’s degrees, and 114 Ph.Ds. The 2019 graduates represent 42 states and 43 countries; 194 graduates are from the District of Columbia. The youngest graduates are 20 years old (receiving bachelor’s degrees in political science, finance, and biology). The oldest graduate is 72 year and received a doctor of education degrees. Sixty-seven percent of the total 2019 graduates were women.
This year’s Commencement Convocation marks the commemoration of Howard University’s 151st graduating class. Howard University PresidentDr. Wayne A. I. Frederick said the ceremony was made possible because of “countless and fearless leaders” in the past who pursued justice, equality and education. “Howard University continues to be a national treasure, not only because of our legacy, but also because of what is taking place in our country today right now,” Dr. Frederick said. “Our core values of excellence, leadership, truth and service are at the center of Howard’s faithfulness to our primary task – to develop scholars and professionals who drive change while engaging in scholarship that provides solutions to contemporary global problems.”
Dr. Frederick said this weekend marked 24 years since his own graduation from the Howard University College of Medicine. Howard University is America’s No. 1 institution for producing Black applicants to U.S. medical schools. “Howard University was the only place in the world where I could fulfill my dreams,” he said. “No one at Howard ever questioned my capacity or my abilities, and this is the HBCU difference. I think this is why HBCUs are more critical today than ever before.”
Among the excited graduates stood Olumide Olulade, who graduated first in his class in the College of Medicine. Olulade followed the path to Howard through the example of family members. His brother graduated with a Howard medical degree in 2008. His mother graduated from the Howard University College of Pharmacy in the class of 1977. On this Mother’s Day weekend, he was able to give his mother the gift of his graduation. He plans to pursue a career in interventional radiology.
“My mother is the reason I went to medical school. When I finished my Ph.D. and was working as a researcher, she got sick. I realized in that moment that I couldn’t help her at all,” said Olulade, who describes that moment as a turning point. “I decided that I wanted to be able to be at the bedside helping people who get sick. I think research is amazing, but I realized I wanted to be directly engaged in care.”
During the ceremony, Howard University bestowed honorary degrees upon distinguished leaders in the fields of finance, higher education and dentistry. The recipients include: First Data Chairman and CEO Frank Bisignano, honorary Doctor of Humane Letters; Xavier University of Louisiana President Emeritus Norman C. Francis, J.D., honorary Doctor of Humane Letters; Senior Scholar-in-Residence Emerita, Office of the President and CEO of the American Dental Education Association Jeanne C. Sinkford, D.D.S., Ph.D., honorary Doctor of Science; and Historian and former Howard University Provost Michael R. Winston, Ph.D., honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. Reed was awarded the Presidential Medal of Achievement.
Mother’s Day weekend is upon us. It can be poignant, exciting, emotional… even down right fun. We’re asking a question that could help you define your relationship with your mother or give you pause when thinking back on what could have been. What’s the one thing you’ve done… that you didn’t tell your mother about? Would you tell her now? Do you wish that you could?
The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee says special counsel Robert Mueller won’t appear before his panel next week, despite the committee’s hope that Mueller would testify May 15.
New York Rep. Jerrold Nadler said Friday that negotiations continue with Mueller and the Justice Department about the testimony. He wouldn’t characterize those talks.
Nadler said he expects Mueller to appear, though the committee will subpoena him “if necessary.”
Democrats are clashing with the Justice Department over access to Mueller’s full report on the Trump-Russia investigation.
The Judiciary panel on Wednesday voted to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt of Congress after he defied the committee’s subpoena. The next step is a vote on the House floor.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested Democrats could wait and combine several contempt resolutions into one package.
(Los Angeles, CA) — The attorney for the man accused of killing rapper Nipsey Hussle is quitting. Christopher Darden is a former Los Angeles County prosecutor and was on the O.J. Simpson murder trial. He announced his decision today on Facebook. He says he and his family have been getting threats since taking the job. Prosecutors say Eric Holder shot and killed Hussle outside his clothing store in March.
The search continues for the person or people involved.
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Last night DC Police Officers were called to a shooting in Southeast. Officer responding to the call found the victim in the 800 block of Xenia Street.
The victim has not been identified. During the investigators, officers found some surveillance footage that showed a green four-door BMW suspiciously driving fast out of the area after the shooting.
MPD reached out to the public for help in locating the vehicle. Earlier this morning that vehicle was found on 10th Place in Southeast in the Congress Height’s neighborhood. It’s not too far from the crime scene.
The search continues for the person or people involved.
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Gas prices are moving higher, which will likely continue to lift inflation in the coming months. The average price of gas was $2.87 a gallon on Friday, according to AAA. That is 11 cents higher than a month earlier.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. consumer prices increased 0.3% in April, led by more expensive gasoline, rents and appliances.
The Labor Department said Friday that the consumer price index climbed 2% in the year ending in April. Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core prices increased 0.1% last month and 2.1% from a year ago.
The figures suggest inflation is mostly subdued, despite solid economic growth and rising wages, which typically push up prices. Federal Reserve policymakers took note of low inflation at their meeting last week but attributed it mostly to “transitory” factors.
A big increase in gasoline costs drove more than two-thirds of April’s price rise, while rents increased 0.4%. Food prices fell for the first time in nearly two years.
President Donald Trump has urged Powell to cut the Fed’s benchmark interest rate by up to a full percentage point because inflation remains low. Few economists agree that such a large cut is needed.
Still, most analysts say that with inflation so low, further rate hikes may not be necessary. The Fed has set an inflation target of 2% as a hedge against deflation. It monitors a different inflation gauge, which has shown an overall price increase of just 1.5% in the past year. The Fed’s preferred gauge has rarely hit 2% since the target was set more than six years ago.
Gas prices are moving higher, which will likely continue to lift inflation in the coming months. The average price of gas was $2.87 a gallon on Friday, according to AAA. That is 11 cents higher than a month earlier.
Americans are seeing the cost of other items decline, offsetting some of the price increase at the pump. Fruit and vegetable prices fell 0.9% in April, the government said, while meat, fish and egg prices slipped 0.2%.
Used car and truck prices dropped 1.3%, the third straight monthly decline, while clothing costs fell 0.8%.
Higher tariffs on Chinese imports, including fish, luggage, and handbags, may boost prices for many consumers in the coming weeks. The Trump administration on Friday lifted tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods to 25% from 10%.
Still, a study by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco in February estimated that tariffs on China have so far had little overall impact on inflation.
The consumer price index has increased since last winter, which has eroded American’s inflation-adjusted wages a bit. Average hourly pay, adjusted for price changes, increased 1.2% in April from a year earlier. That’s down from a 1.9% annual gain in February.
The investigation began following a tip from an internet provider.
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The children’s performer locally as “Mr. Knick Knack” has been charged with possession child pornography.
Fairfax County Police say his real name is Steve Rossi. He was arrested last month and just posted bail on May 2nd. Rossi is charged with 10 counts of felony possession of child pornography.
The investigation began following a tip from an internet provider. A search of Rossi’s Reston home uncovered some 50 images.
Mr. Knick Knack has performed at such places at Reston Town Center, Market Common in Clerendon and Tysons Corner to name a few. Now officers say they have no evidence that he had any contact with the children in the video. Anyone with information should call police at 703-246-7800 or text a tip to “TIP187”
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Sources close to production on the hit series tell TMZ … 50 wants the show to go out on top, because he’s seen too many other series run themselves into the ground. “Power” is still hugely successful as it enters its 6th season on Starz.
While there’s speculation that drama between Fiddy and Randall Emmett is behind the decision to pull the plug … we’re told that’s simply not the case, and there’s no lingering beef between the fellow executive producers.
You’ll recall … Fiddy’s character, Kanan Stark, died last season, and we’re told that’s no coincidence … because 50 wanted more time to get started working on other projects, including “Power” spin-offs, which are already being developed.
As we first told you … 50 inked an 8-figure deal with Starz back in 2017 to bring 3 more projects to life, and the contract runs through this September.
Bottom line … the final season of “Power” just got even more interesting.
Summer bodies are made during the winter. We’ve heard that before. Some of us are still working on those summer bodies. Others haven’t started yet. Is there time? We discuss getting fit and staying for the summer and beyond.
(Washington, DC) — The Justice Department is bidding farewell to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Rosenstein is moving on after overseeing most of the nearly two-year Russia investigation. During a ceremony today, Attorney General Bill Barr called Rosenstein a man of exceptional intelligence and sound judgment. He also referred to Rosenstein as unflappable. Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Rosenstein is one of the top Justice Department leaders in U.S. history.
Rosenstein hired Special Counsel Robert Mueller [[ MULL-er ]] after President Trump fired FBI Director James Comey [[ COE-me ]] in 2017. Sessions had recused himself from the Russia investigation due to his work as an adviser to the Trump presidential campaign in 2016.
(Annapolis, MD) — A new poll shows Maryland Governor Larry Hogan doesn’t have much support in the state when it comes to running for president. A poll released today by Gonzales Research shows if Hogan faced off next year against President Trump, he would win just 24-percent of the vote in the state’s GOP primary. Sixty-eight-percent of Republicans in Maryland would choose Trump, with eight-percent undecided. Hogan has been considering a run for the presidency in 2020, and even made a recent appearance in New Hampshire. His approval rating remains high at 76-percent.
“He’s not a deadbeat dad,” Kelly’s attorney Lisa Damico told reporters after Wednesday’s hearing, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. “All he wants to do is do right by his kids.”
CHICAGO (AP) — R. Kelly spent much of Wednesday in court, with his lawyer explaining to one judge that the singer didn’t respond to a lawsuit brought by one of his sexual abuse accusers because he is illiterate and with Kelly paying $62,000 in back child support during a second hearing.
At the first hearing, Judge Moira Johnson vacated a default judgment she made against Kelly after the singer failed to respond to a lawsuit brought by one of the four women he’s charged with sexually abusing. Johnson reinstated the lawsuit after one of Kelly’s attorneys explained that the singer was in jail when he was served with the lawsuit documents and that Kelly didn’t respond because he can’t read.
The second hearing, which pertained to child support, came weeks after the judge in that case ordered Kelly to jail after finding him in contempt of court for failing to pay $161,000 in back child support to his ex-wife, who is the mother of his three children. Kelly remained locked up for three days until he raised the back child support.
“He’s not a deadbeat dad,” Kelly’s attorney Lisa Damico told reporters after Wednesday’s hearing, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. “All he wants to do is do right by his kids.”
Kelly’s bookings for performances began drying up following the airing of a television documentary “Surviving R. Kelly.” That was weeks before his February arrest on charges accusing him of sexually abusing a woman and three girls over roughly a 10-year period starting in the late 1990s. But on Tuesday, one his attorneys told reporters that he was lining up performances for the Grammy award-winning R&B singer in Illinois and outside the state, and that he anticipated the judge approving requests to travel to make those appearances.
Kelly has pleaded not guilty to the sexual abuse charges and denied any wrongdoing.
Council Member Jim Cleveland he stated that he was against interracial marriage and that it was against his “Christian beliefs”
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It’s a story of racism that for many is still unbelievable in this day and age. In a small Georgia town known as Hoschton. Pronounced (Hoosh-ton) one council member is considering stepping down following a racist comment he made.
Hoschton Council Member Jim Cleveland and the Mayor of Hoschton Theresa Kenerly are being pushed to resign. It all began when Mayor Kenerly the Atlanta Journal-Constitution uncovered that she had withheld the name of a candidate for office because he was black. Reportedly their documentation and witnesses that she told a fellow lawmaker that the town, which is predominately white (2,000 people) wasn’t ready for this.
Now fast forward while the Journal-Constitution was conducting an interview with City Council Member Jim Cleveland he stated that he was against interracial marriage and that it was against his “Christian beliefs” and then added that it made his “blood boil”. The comments that were printed sparked public outcry from lawmakers around the Atlanta area. Some residents who attended a city council meeting after the comment threatened to begin recall elections.
Council Member Cleveland said he has been told by some resident to stay and wait it out that he would be Ok. Cleveland says he is still looking at his options at this point.
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The network announced Wednesday that “Gideon’s Army” director Dawn Porter is helming the project. She began shooting the 79-year-old Lewis last year ahead of the midterm elections.
NEW YORK (AP) — CNN Films is developing a documentary on civil rights icon and Georgia congressman John Robert Lewis.
The network announced Wednesday that “Gideon’s Army” director Dawn Porter is helming the project. She began shooting the 79-year-old Lewis last year ahead of the midterm elections.
The film will be primarily a cinema verite documentary following Lewis from the election through the congressional battles of 2019.
In a statement, Porter said the need has never been greater for “the type of moral and compassionate leadership that he embodies.”
Recent CNN Films releases include “RBG,” ″Three Identical Strangers” and “Apollo 11,” all of which received a theatrical release before appearing on the network.
Today’s event is called, “Let Girls Walk In Peace”.
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The Founder and CEO of Washington DC’s Richard Wright Pubic Charter School wants to bring attention to young girls walking to and from school.
Dr. Marco Clark say’s he was getting tired of hearing young girls at his school and other places complaining of being harassed as they walked to and from school. He said grown men are cat calling them and in some cases touching or grabbing at young girls as they walk the streets of DC either to the metro or bus station and to and from class.
Today’s event is called, “Let Girls Walk In Peace”. Dr. Clark wants the public to be aware of this growing and potential dangerous problem in the District. He is also calling on everyone to please look out for young girls in DC if you see them walking and being harassed by an adult male.
Today’s gathering will be held from 3:30 to 5:00 at the school, 770 “M” Street in Southeast.
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Tonight at 6:30 there will be a vigil to mark the 1st anniversary of his death at the Brentwood Recreational Center.
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The family of 24-year-old D’Quan Young can not believe it has been a year since their loved one was shot and killed by an off duty police officer.
It happened outside of a cookout on 15th Street in Northeast. His mother Catherine Young, said they still do not know the officer’s name. Requests made to the Mayor have been denied. In fact, today WHUR has learned the unidentified off duty officer who was on administrative leave is now back on full duty. At the time of the shooting DC Police Chief Peter Newsham promise to provide the family with answer but they say that has not happen.
An autopsy shows the 24-year-old was shot 5 times, 3 in the back. The police say Young charged the officer and that the two exchanged gun fire. A gun was found near the victim’s body. His mother says he was running away from the plained clothed officer.
Tonight at 6:30 there will be a vigil to mark the 1st anniversary of his death at the Brentwood Recreational Center.
The Attorney General’s Office is still looking into the shooting.
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M.I. Mother’s Keeper is hosting their “Homeless No More” fundraiser to raise money and awareness for homeless families and those struggling with mental health challenges. My guest is Rhonda Hamilton.
On Friday, May 10th, 2019 Join the Jimmy Garvin Legacy Foundation & The Marlton Golf Club as they sponsor a Fundraiser Golf Tournament on behalf of M.I.’s “Homeless No More” housing initiative, to be held at: Marlton Golf Club, 9413 Midland Turn, Upper Marlboro, Md. 20772 Registrations begin at 12:00 PM; Tournament starts 1:00 PM. More information here:
Tune in to Taking it to the Streets, weekday mornings at 6:15, 7:08 and 8:35 on the Steve Harvey Morning Show on 96.3 WHUR.
Follow me on facebook and twitter at @bobbygailes for updates and to stay connected.
Washington, D.C. (Wednesday, May 8, 2019) – Military mother’s face many unique challenges when it comes to celebrating special occasions like Mother’s Day. They are often stationed away from their homes and children, making it difficult for them to celebrate Mother’s Day with the traditional outing with family. That’s why each year WHUR teams up with our partner in goodwill, FedEx, to host a special luncheon just for military moms.
Hosted at the Copper Canyon Grill in Silver Spring, the WHUR and FedEx Military Moms Luncheon held Wednesday afternoon, is an opportunity for women service members to experience a day set aside just for them. The day is filled with music, food, fun, and lots of laughter and giveaways. “We are honored to present this special day for ‘Military Mothers.’ We know on any given day they sacrifice their lives to fight for our country and for our freedom. This luncheon is just our way of saying thank you to them and letting them know we appreciate everything they do,” said WHUR Interim General Manager Sean Plater. WHUR and FedEx have hosted the luncheon for more than a decade inviting active duty and veteran women from all of the different branches of the military to join us. WHUR’s very own Lorna Newton has been the MC for the event for the past 11 years. Lorna has a special bond with the ladies. She is a veteran as his her husband, son, son-in-law, and father. In addition to a three course meal, each mom received flowers, cards, and candy, along with WHUR and FedEx goodies. There was also t-shirt, tickets, and other specialty giveaways. WHUR would like to extend a special thank you to the staff and management of Copper Canyon Grill in Silver Spring, FedEx, and Lee’s Flowers and Card Shop for helping to make the 11th Annual Military Moms Luncheon a success.
We do a lot of health topics on The Daily Drum, almost weekly. One of the most complex topics is mental health. The science and the perceptions about mental illness are constantly evolving. On this edition of the program… as we observe mental health awareness month… we discuss the many faces of mental illness.
Resources:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 1–800-273-TALK (8255)
(Montgomery County, MD) — Montgomery County Police are identifying the three men charged in a series of smash-and-grab ATM thefts. Omar Barnes, Janarro Hewett and Deandre Jackson were arrested after a botched robbery at a 7-Eleven that turned into a police chase and ended in a crash on the Beltway in Greenbelt Tuesday. The suspects have each been charged with three counts of robbery for ATM heists at three different 7-Eleven locations in the DC-area over the last few weeks. Police say the stolen ATMs had a combined total of nearly 97-thousand dollars.
Some Uber and Lyft drivers in D.C. have gone on strike today. Stand De La Cruz, of the protest group Drive United, says there is an unfair balance between the drivers and the executives of rideshare companies. The District is among several cities where drivers are protesting. The drivers are reportedly planning to turn off their apps at noon and keep them off until midnight. Drivers say the pay system has gone downhill from where the ride-sharing companies started. Some drivers are also considering an organized protest at National Airport.
Delegate Jay Walker joined me this morning to talk the passage of his financial education bill for students in Prince George’s County. He said it’s a start and there are still a lot of additional things that he wants to add to the program. Right now it is not required throughout the county or states. The program that will deal with compound interest, CD’s, credit card and loan debt will be offered at a few schools in the county.
The Founder and CEO of Washington DC’s Richard Wright Pubic Charter School wants to bring attention to young girls walking to and from school.
