#and harry was repped by a great-grandmother

[larrylimericks]

5Feb23

Our hearts raced, our palms — they were clammy; The card then got handed to Granny. The night’s biggest honor And all eyes were on her ... Well, shit! Harry took home THE Grammy!

[berniesrevolution]

Bowing to pressure from President Donald Trump, Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, announced on Thursdaythat Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar would be barred entry to the Israeli-occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, Palestinian territories that the Muslim-American lawmakers planned to visit this weekend.

The decision to bar the Democrats, who have been outspoken in calling for an end to the occupation, was quickly condemned by the two most progressive contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders.

“Israel doesn’t advance its case as a tolerant democracy or unwavering US ally by barring elected members of Congress from visiting because of their political views,” Warren wrote on Thursday morning, before the ban was confirmed. “This would be a shameful, unprecedented move.”

“Banning Congresswomen Omar and Tlaib from entering Israel and Palestine is a sign of enormous disrespect to these elected leaders, to the United States Congress, and to the principles of democracy,” Sanders wrote 30 minutes later, when the news became official. “The Israeli government should reverse this decision and allow them in.”

Rep. Betty McCollum, a Minnesota Democrat, then added that Trump and Netanyahu were “afraid” of letting Tlaib and Omar “witness first-hand the brutality & dehumanization Israel’s occupation inflicts on the Palestinian people.” McCollum, who introduced legislation in May to ban Israel from using U.S. military aid to detain, interrogate, or torture Palestinian children, added that “This bigoted president is working to extend his Muslim travel ban to Members of Congress.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi waited nearly three hours after Warren’s tweet to add her condemnation. “Israel’s denial of entry to Congresswomen Tlaib and Omar is a sign of weakness, and beneath the dignity of the great State of Israel,” Pelosi said in a statement that focused more on Trump than Netanyahu. “The President’s statements about the Congresswomen are a sign of ignorance and disrespect, and beneath the dignity of the Office of the President,” she added.

“I don’t believe any nation should deny entry to elected Members of Congress, period,” Kamala Harris wrote at about the same time on Thursday afternoon. “It’s an affront to the United States. Open and engaged foreign relations are critical to advancing U.S. interests. Trump is playing politics as he weakens our global leadership.”

Later still on Thursday, after even the American Israel Public Affairs Committee had condemned the decision, Joe Biden, the former vice president who is the leading moderate in Democratic presidential field, finally weighed in. “I have always been a stalwart supporter of Israel — a vital partner that shares our democratic values,” Biden tweeted. “No democracy should deny entry to visitors based on the content of their ideas — even ideas they strongly object to. And no leader of the free world should encourage them to do so.”

As the statements rolled in throughout the morning and afternoon, Daniel Seidemann, the director of Terrestrial Jerusalem, noted that Democrats appeared more willing to criticize Trump than Netanyahu. The words of Democrats and American Jewish groups should be studied carefully to detect “the relative integrity vs. spinelessness” of those offering them, Seidemann suggested.

“Do you mention Netanyahu and Israel by name, or only Trump?” Seidemann asked. “Do you cover ass by emphasizing how much you disagree with Omar and Tlaib? Do you say this is really bad because it tarnishes Israel’s otherwise sterling image? Do you find awkward opportunities to use profusive adjectives for Israel (our great ally)? The tone used to condemn Trump and Netanyahu should not diverge.”

Reports from Israel suggested that the decision was an abrupt reversal, taken only after the U.S. president had pushed the Israeli leader into a corner by writing on Twitter on Thursday morning, “It would show great weakness if Israel allowed Rep. Omar and Rep. Tlaib to visit.”

Last month, Israel’s American-born ambassador to the United States, Ron Dermer, a former Netanyahu aide, said that “out of respect for the U.S. Congress and the great alliance between Israel and America, we would not deny entry to any member of Congress into Israel.”

In a statement issued shortly after Pelosi condemned the about-face, Omar called Netanyahu’s decision, made “under pressure from President Trump,” an affront.

Tlaib tweeted a photograph of her grandmother, who lives in the occupied West Bank, and called the decision “a sign of weakness [because] the truth of what is happening to Palestinians is frightening.”

The lawmaker also expressed her disappointment that she would not be able to tour the West Bank city of Hebron with Avner Gvaryahu, a former Israeli soldier who leads the anti-occupation group Breaking the Silence.

(Continue Reading)

[nsula]

Hall of Master Folk Artists adds seven members

NATCHITOCHES – Seven musicians and folk artists were inducted into the Louisiana Folklife Center’s Hall of Master Folk Artists held at Northwestern State University on Saturday July 21 as part of the 39th Annual Natchitoches-NSU Folk Festival.  Inductees included Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and former Elvis Presley guitarist, James Burton, who also served as Honorary Festival Chair, Burton’s fellow band mate in Elvis Presley’s band, Estelle Brown of the Sweet Inspirations, Elvis Presley’s original drummer, D.J. Fontana, Natchitoches musician/promoter/philanthropist Rodney Harrington, folk artist Clementine Hunter, musician and craftsman Hilton Lytle, and rockabilly musician Jim Oertling.  

Dr. Tommy Ike Hailey, associate professor of anthropology and director of the Cultural Resource Office at NSU, accepted on behalf of Oertling who was unable to attend.  Phyllis Liberto accepted on behalf of her uncle, D.J. Fontana, who was inducted posthumously, and Stephanie Sewell, accepted on behalf of her great grandmother, Clementine Hunter, also inducted posthumously.  Hunter’s granddaughter, Deloris Sewell, and Hunter’s great granddaughter, Diane Brown, were also in attendance.

Dr. Shane Rasmussen, director of the Louisiana Folklife Center at NSU, took part in the induction ceremony.  Dignitaries included Natchitoches City Council members Sylvia Morrow and Dale Nielsen, Kelvin Porter from the office of State Rep. Kenny Cox, and Jerrie Ledoux from the office of U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson.   Honorary Festival Chair James Burton was born in Dubberly, but he grew up in Shreveport.  At 14, James went professional and at 15 cut the famous record “Suzie Q.” This soon led to a regular gig on the Louisiana Hayride radio show, which, in turn, led to Burton's joining the band of Bob Luman, a rockabilly and country singer. From there, Burton went on to play with Ricky Nelson, which solidified Burton's place in the Hollywood rock 'n' roll universe, and he started getting calls for recording sessions. Burton also found time to record with artists like Dean Martin, Bobby Darin and The Everly Brothers, and become a key figure in the group of session musicians referred to as ‘The Wrecking Crew.’

In 1969, Burton got a call from Elvis Presley to form him a band.  Burton acted as band leader and would remain with Elvis until The King’s untimely death in 1977.  After Elvis’ passing, Burton went on to tour with numerous artists, including Emmylou Harris, John Denver, Jerry Lee Lewis, Kenny Rogers, Elvis Costello and Johnny Cash.

Burton has been inducted into many honorable institutions such as The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame, The Musicians Hall of Fame, The Country Music Hall of Fame, The Rockabilly Hall of Fame, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (inducted by Keith Richards) and is also a Grammy winner.

Burton heads the James Burton Foundation which is dedicated to providing musical instruments to children in schools, hospitals, civic programs, and to veterans.  Burton received his first guitar at a young age and he believes in giving to help a new generation of players.  He still tours the world every year playing his guitar and is honored to be an ambassador for the great state of Louisiana.

Fifty years ago Brown and some friends formed the Sweet Inspirations, an all-girl vocal group, and the girls quickly became the “go to” backing group for the top Atlantic Records artists including Aretha Franklin, Van Morrison, Dusty Springfield, Dion Warwick, and Jimi Hendrix.  Brown and the Sweets’ distinctive harmonies can be heard on some of the most iconic songs in music history, including “Chain of Fools,” “Natural Woman,” “Brown Eyed Girl,” “Son of a Preacher Man” and “Do You Know the Way to San José,” to name but a few.  The group also toured and performed their own music, including the hit song, “Sweet Inspiration.”

In 1969, Elvis Presley invited the Sweet Inspirations to be a part of his band and they toured with him until his death in 1977, performing more than 1,000 shows with the King.  Brown moved to Louisiana several years ago and has immersed herself in the area’s music and culture performing with her old Elvis Presley band mate, James Burton and Johnny Earthquake and The Moondogs.  She helps raise money for music related charities, and appears on television and in schools sharing the history of rock & roll and rhythm & blues which she was such an integral part of and telling about of her life and times performing with the King of Rock & Roll and the Queen of Soul.

Harrington has been intimately involved in Louisiana music for over 30 years.  As a performer, he has been the front man for Johnny Earthquake and The Moondogs since the band’s inception nearly 25 years ago.  The band has recorded extensively touring throughout the South, spreading the word about Natchitoches and Louisiana music wherever they play.  The Moondogs have been referred to by music critics as “Quite simply, Louisiana’s best show band.”

As a songwriter, Harrington has written and recorded several original songs about the area, its music and culture, including “Cane River Blues,” “Reflections on the Cane” and “This Is Our Town,” an ode to his hometown of Natchitoches.

As a philanthropist, Harrington has served and continues to serve on the board of several music related charities and has worked tirelessly to raise funds to further music-related causes, such as buying musical instruments for school children.

As a promoter/producer, Harrington has promoted and produced many major concerts and musical events, including the Natchitoches Jazz/R&B Festival, for which he has served on the board for 22 years and as chairman for the past several years.

As a radio host, Harrington has hosted the syndicated radio program “Jammin’ with Johnny - The Johnny Earthquake Show” for nearly 20 years.  The program is the only one in north Louisiana which features live local and area musicians on a regular basis.

Christened in March 1887 on a plantation in Marco, Hunter’s family moved to Melrose Plantation around the turn of the last century to work as sharecroppers.  Until her death on January 1, 1988, her life had been the environs of Melrose Plantation on Cane River below Natchitoches.

Hunter’s first paintings were documented in December 1939.  Self-taught with the encouragement and inspiration of Francois Mignon, her styles evolved from paintings on paper to eventually works the size of The African House Murals, which in dramatic style tells the story of life at Melrose Plantation in the 1950s.

Although she never learned to read or write, Hunter’s art has left a legacy of life on a Louisiana plantation from the perspective of an insider.  Despite her lack of formal training, Hunter was able to depict with her paint brushes work in the cotton fields and pecan orchards, Monday wash days with a big open kettle boiling the clothes, the experience of Saturday Night at the honky tonk and the spiritual power of religion.  Her paintings will forever document life on a southern plantation for future generations to know the hard work, happiness, and community of life.

A respected instrument builder, Lytle grew up in Jena, where he learned the names of all the area’s trees.  This knowledge of wood led to his crafting toys and eventually musical instruments.  After serving overseas in World War II, he attended Texas A&M, where he majored in industrial education, completed a master’s degree and pursued his doctorate.  He returned to Louisiana and worked as a vocational counselor.  His last position was with the vocational technical school for over 20 years in Monroe, where he retired.  With the help of his late wife, Nancy, he began to build musical instruments.

As a child, Lytle built his first cigar box fiddle with strings from a screen door, and in 1970 he built his first violin by consulting Foxfire books.  He learned more instrument-building techniques from Doc Savage of Monroe.  His specialty is producing violins with exceptionally beautiful tones using a special “tap-toning” technique that he developed.  He has completed more than 900 instruments, including guitars, Dobros, mandolins, banjos, violas, cellos and violins.  His skills led to participation as a featured artist at the Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View, Arkansas, where he demonstrated instrument building as a master craftsman, taught apprentices, and helped establish the Music Roots Program to which he has donated more than 400 instruments.  He frequently participated in stage shows there, performing his own “Geriatric Blues” with his harmonica and wash tub bass.

Lytle continues his craft, having built 764 violins, most of which he has given to young musicians who could not afford to purchase them.  He knows where every single one of his violins has ended up.  He’s intent on passing down what he’s learned to a new generation of luthiers and has helped many build their own fiddles.  Fiddles made Lytle were given away to two contestants of this year’s Louisiana State Fiddle Championship, also part of the Festival.  Owen Meche of Alexandria was the beneficiary of a ¾ fiddle donated by Lytle.  Cameron Fontenot of Eunice was also the recipient of a handmade Lytle fiddle, donated by Carl and Joyce Parker of Downsville. Rasmussen remarked that Lytle has helped revitalize fiddle playing throughout Louisiana. “We are indebted to his tireless efforts and kindness to so many. His fiddles are works of art.” 2018 Grand Fiddle Champion Clancey Stewart, who has known Hilton Lytle for several years, remarked that “Hil is one of the sweetest older men you will ever meet, and he has a huge heart for younger people.  He brings new experiences into people’s lives.”

Louisiana-born Jim Oertling never landed that fish he battled in his epic 1963 swamp rocker “Old Moss Back,” but that rollicking single and a clutch of other classics landed him in the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in 1997.  The Louisiana native spent his formative years in San Antonio, but immersed himself in swamp culture during long summer vacations at his grandfather’s house in Bayou Lacombe, where he conceived the idea for “Old Moss Back.”  Oertling was a student at Louisiana State University in 1963 when he entered Cosimo Matassa’s famed New Orleans recording studio to cut his twangy fish tale and biggest song.  It was during this time that he wrote and recorded the rockabilly classics “Old Mossback,” “Louisiana Gambler,” and “Back Forty Blues,” among others.  After decades spent as “a bull rider, cattle ranch foreman, combat infantry officer, commercial banker, and always an outdoorsman,” Oertling was back on the music scene in 2013 with the release of “Mossback Revisited,” a mix of rockabilly, ballads, Tex-Mex, and more.  Oertling’s performance at the 2015 Ponderosa Stomp marked his first major appearance since meandering into nonmusical pursuits.  Oertling’s fans came from all over the world to hear him at the Rock ‘N’ Bowl.  He still takes every opportunity he can to perform his songs in front of appreciative audiences.  

Fontana was born on March 15, 1931 in Shreveport, and began his incredible career as a staff drummer on the Louisiana Hayride in 1953.  It was while working on the Hayride in 1954 that Elvis Presley invited Fontana to sit in with his guitar and bass player, Scotty Moore and Bill Black.  Elvis loved Fontana's playing, invited him to go on the road with him, and the first Rock & Roll rhythm section in history, sometimes called The Blue Moon Boys, was formed.

Fontana, Elvis, and the Boys traveled all over the South playing for anyone who would pay them for a couple of years.  They would all cram into a big Buick belonging to Scotty's wife, tie Bill Black's stand-up bass to the roof, and head to the next gig.  After the group began recording hit records and Elvis exploded on to the national scene in the late 50's, the group's mode of transportation and the venues they played improved dramatically.

Fontana played behind Elvis on the Dorsey Brothers' Stage Show, the Milton Berle Show, the Steve Allen Show, the Frank Sinatra Show, Elvis' 1968 Comeback TV Special and, most famously, the Ed Sullivan Show.  Fontana was also a guest on the Conan O'Brien Show and the Elvis Tribute TV Show in 1994.  Fontana played on approximately four hundred and sixteen RCA tracks with Elvis, which resulted in millions of record sales and countless #1, gold and platinum discs.  Along the way, Fontana performed for and with such great artists as Paul McCartney, Keith Richards, Ringo Starr, Ron Wood, Jerry Lee Lewis, Dolly Parton, Gene Vincent, Carl Perkins, Porter Waggoner, Cheap Trick, Waylon Jennings and many others.

Fontana received many awards, including a Grammy nomination, the Nashville Music Award for Best Independent Album of the Year in 1998, placement on the Beale Street Walk of Fame in Memphis in 1999, and induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2009.

There are now 110 members in the Hall of Master Folk Artists, which was started in 1981.  This year’s festival theme was “Celebrating Louisiana’s Folk Roots” which celebrated the many tradition bearers in Louisiana.  The Festival is held annually in air-conditioned Prather Coliseum on the Northwestern State University campus.  Next year’s Festival will be held on July 26-27, 2019.  The 2019 theme “Vive la Louisiane!” will celebrate the many young people keeping tradition alive in Louisiana, and will include performers such as the Bruce Daigrepont Cajun Band, Tab Benoit, the Cajun Tradition Band, the Rayo Brothers, Gal Holiday and the Honky Tonk Revue, Goldman Thibodeaux and the Lawtell Playboys, Hardrick Rivers and the Rivers Revue Band, Ed Huey, a Cajun accordion workshop and the annual Louisiana State Fiddle Championship.  For more information, call the Louisiana Folklife Center at (318) 357-4332, email folklife@nsula.edu, or online at louisianafolklife.nsula.edu.

Support for the Fiddle Championship and the Festival was provided by grants from the Cane River National Heritage Area, Inc., the Louisiana Division of the Arts Decentralized Arts Fund Program, the Louisiana Office of Tourism, the Natchitoches Historic District Development Commission, the National Endowment for the Arts, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and Foundation, and the Shreveport Regional Arts Council.

Additional support also came from generous sponsorships from Acme Refrigeration of Baton Rouge, Dr. James Arceneaux, Bank of Montgomery, Louie Bernard, City Bank, the City of Natchitoches, Cleco, John Conine; Corkern, Crews, Johnson & Guillet; CP-Tel, Delta Car Wash, Dan and Desirée Dyess, Georgia’s Gift Shop, La Capitol FCU, the Harrington Law Firm, Billy Joe Harrington, Jeanne’s Country Garden, Maglieaux's Riverfront Restaurant, the Natchitoches Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, Natchitoches Wood Preserving, Inc., NSU Men’s Basketball, Page Builders, LLC, Sabine State Bank, R.V. Byles Enterprises, UniFirst, Dr. Michael Vienne, David and Shirley Walker, Waste Connections and Young Estate LLC.

Photo Caption 2018 Hall of Master Folk Artist inductees, from left, James Burton; Rodney Harrington; Estelle Brown; Tommy Ike Hailey, accepting on behalf of Jim Oertling; Hilton Lytle; Phyllis Liberto, accepting on behalf of her uncle, D.J. Fontana; Stephanie Sewell, accepting on behalf of her great grandmother, Clementine Hunter.

[dinafbrownil]

Efforts to Keep COVID-19 out of Prisons Fuel Outbreaks in County Jails

When Joshua Martz tested positive for COVID-19 this summer in a Montana jail, guards moved him and nine other inmates with the disease into a pod so cramped that some slept on mattresses on the floor.

Martz, 44, said he suffered through symptoms that included achy joints, a sore throat, fever and an unbearable headache. Jail officials largely avoided interacting with the COVID patients other than by handing out over-the-counter painkillers and cough syrup, he said. Inmates sanitized their hands with a spray bottle containing a blue liquid that Martz suspected was also used to mop the floors. A shivering inmate was denied a request for an extra blanket, so Martz gave him his own.

“None of us expected to be treated like we were in a hospital, like we’re a paying customer. That’s just not how it’s going to be,” said Martz, who has since been released on bail while his case is pending in court. “But we also thought we should have been treated with respect.”

The overcrowded Cascade County Detention Center in Great Falls, where Martz was held, is one of three Montana jails experiencing COVID outbreaks. In the Great Falls jail alone, 140 cases have been confirmed among inmates and guards since spring, with 60 active cases as of mid-September.

By contrast, the Montana state prison system has the second-lowest infection rate in the nation, according to the COVID Prison Project. No confirmed coronavirus cases have been reported at the men’s prison out of 595 inmates tested. The women’s prison had just one confirmed case out of 305 inmates tested, according to Montana Department of Corrections data.

One reason for the high COVID count in jails and the low count in prisons is that Montana for months halted “county intakes,” or the transfer of people from county jails to the state prison system after conviction. Sheriffs in charge of the county jails blame their outbreaks on overcrowding partly caused by that state policy.

Restricting transfers into state prisons is a practice that’s also been instituted elsewhere in the U.S. as a measure to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Colorado, California, Texas and New Jersey are among the states that suspended inmate intakes from county jails in the spring.

But it’s also shifted the problem. Space was already a rare commodity in these local jails, and some sheriffs see the halting of transfers as giving the prisons room to improve the health and safety of their inmates at the expense of those in jail, who often haven’t been convicted.

The Cascade County jail was built to hold a maximum of 372 inmates, but the population has regularly exceeded that since the pandemic began, including dozens of Montana Department of Corrections inmates awaiting transfer.

“I’m getting criticized from various judges and citizens saying, ‘Why aren’t you quarantining everybody appropriately and why aren’t you social-distancing them?’” Cascade County Sheriff Jesse Slaughter said. “The truth is, if I didn’t have 40 DOC inmates in my facility I could better do that.”

Unlike convicted offenders in state prisons, most jail inmates are only accused of a crime. They include a disproportionately high number of poor people who cannot afford to post bail to secure their release before trial or the resolution of their cases. If they do post bail or are released after spending time in a jail with a COVID outbreak, they risk bringing the disease home with them.

Andrew Harris, a professor of criminology and justice studies at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, said he finds it troubling that more attention is not paid to the conditions that lead to COVID outbreaks in jails.

“Jails are part of our communities,” Harris said. “We have people who work in these jails who go back to their families every night, we have people who go in and out of these jails on very short notice, and we have to think about jail populations as community members first and foremost.”

Some states have tried other ways to ensure county inmates don’t bring COVID-19 into prisons. In Colorado, for example, officials lifted their suspension on county intakes and are transferring inmates first to a single prison in Canon City, Department of Corrections spokesperson Annie Skinner said. There, inmates are tested and quarantined in single cells for 14 days before being relocated to other state facilities.

Outbreaks are also occurring in county jails in states that never stopped transferring inmates to state prison. Several jails in Missouri have experienced significant outbreaks, with Greene County reporting in mid-August that 83 inmates and 29 staffers had tested positive. Missouri Department of Corrections spokesperson Karen Pojmann said the state never opted to stop transfers from county jails, likely because of a robust screening and quarantine procedure implemented early in the pandemic.

At least 1,590 inmates and 440 staff members have tested positive for COVID-19 in Missouri’s 22 prison facilities since March, according to state data. The COVID Prison Project ranks Missouri’s case rate 25th among the states — better than some states that halted inmate transfers, including Colorado, Texas and California.

The halting of transfers was a critical part of the response by officials in California, whose prisons have been among the hardest hit by COVID-19. An outbreak at San Quentin State Prison this summer helped spur Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom to order the early release of 10,000 inmates from prisons statewide.

Stefano Bertozzi, dean emeritus at the University of California-Berkeley School of Public Health, visited San Quentin before the outbreak, and afterward helped pen an urgent memo outlining immediate actions needed to avert disaster. He recommended halting all intakes at the prison and slashing its population of 3,547 inmates in half. At that point, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation was already more than two months into an intake freeze.

Overcrowding has long been an issue for criminal justice reform advocates. But for Bertozzi, the term “overcrowding” needs to be redefined in the context of COVID-19, with an emphasis on exposure risk. Three inmates sharing a cell designed for two is a bad way to live, he said, “especially for the guy who’s on the floor.” But if those cells are enclosed, they offer far better protection from COVID-19 than 20 inmates sharing a congregate dorm designed for 20.

“It’s how many people are breathing the same air,” Bertozzi said.

Some California county jails struggled. In July, inmates in Tulare County’s facility, where 22 cases had been reported, filed a class action suit against Sheriff Mike Boudreaux alleging he’d failed to provide face masks and other safeguards. U.S. District Court Judge Dale Drozd ruled in favor of the inmates in early September, directing Boudreaux to implement official policies requiring face coverings and social distancing.

California resumed county intakes on Aug. 24 following the development of guidelines designed to control transmission risk and prioritize counties with the greatest need for space. But a huge backlog remains: 6,552 state inmates were still being held in county jails as of mid-September, according to corrections officials.

In Montana, the number of inmates at county jails awaiting transfer to prisons and other state corrections facilities was 238 at the beginning of September, according to state data obtained through a public records request.

Montana and county officials butted heads over delays in inmate transfers before the coronavirus, but the pandemic has increased the stakes.

“Once we had the issue with the pandemic and we had to maintain space for quarantining and isolating inmates, then it became even more critical because the space wasn’t really available,” Yellowstone County Sheriff Mike Linder said.

Montana Department of Corrections Director Reginald Michael acknowledged to state lawmakers in August that halting county intakes places a strain on counties but said it was “the right thing to do.”

“This is one of the reasons why I think our prisons are not inundated with the virus spread,” he told the Law and Justice Interim Committee.

Committee Chairman Rep. Barry Usher, a Republican, gave Michael his endorsement: “Sounds like you guys are doing a good job keeping it controlled and out of our prison systems, and everybody in Montana appreciates that.”

Since then, Montana officials have transferred up to 25 inmates a week, but they continue to block transfers from the three counties with outbreaks: Cascade, Yellowstone and Big Horn.

Martz dreaded the thought of COVID-19 following him out of jail. So much so that, after his release in early September, he walked to an RV park, where his wife met him with a tent.

Despite having tested negative for the virus prior to his release, he self-quarantined for a week before going home. The hardest part, he said, was not being able to immediately hug his 5-year-old stepdaughter. It “sucked,” but it’s what he felt he had to do.

“If somebody’s grandpa or grandmother had gotten it because I was careless and they ended up dying because of it, I’d feel horrible,” said Martz, who has returned home. “That’d be a horrible thing to do.”

Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

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from Updates By Dina https://khn.org/news/efforts-to-keep-covid-19-out-of-prisons-fuel-outbreaks-in-county-jails/

[go-redgirl]

***Live Updates**** Republican National Convention Night One

The Republican National Convention kicks off on Monday. Featured Speakers will include: Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York; House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA); Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC); Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Jim Jordan (R-OH); RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel; George State Rep. Vernon Jones; Kim Klacik; Mark and Patricia McCloskey; Andrew Pollack; Donald Trump Jr.

10:26 PM: Donald Trump Jr. wants to speak about the great American story. He says just a few months ago, we were seeing the American Dream become a reality for more Americans. He blames Joe Biden for calling Trump a racist and a xenophobe for his China travel ban. 

He says it is madness that Biden is trying to shut down the country. He says Biden’s economic platform seems designed to crush the working man and woman. He rips “Beijing Biden” for supporting NAFTA, TPP. 

He says China wants Biden to win while Biden wants to bring in more illegal immigrants to take jobs from America citizens. He says this will drive wages down from low-income Americans who were getting wage increases for the first time in modern history. 

He says Trump’s policies have been like rocket fuel for the economy while Biden, the “Loch Ness Monster of the Swamp” that has been lurking around for decades and sticks his head up every now and then to run for president, wants to take money out of your pocket for Swamp dwellers.

10:42 PM: Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) says 2020 has tested our nation in ways we haven’t seen in decades after talking about the Coronavirus, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor.

Scott talks about his life story about how he lived with his mom and his grandmother in a two-bedroom home after his parents divorced. He said he thought he had to use football to succeed and did not concentrate on his academics and failed out. He says even while he was failing the 9th grade, his mom told him, after working 16 hours a day, to shoot for the moon because if you fail you will be among the stars. He tells the story of his mentor, a Chick-fil-A operator John Moniz.

"When we stumble... we pick ourselves back up and try again. We don't give in to cancel culture or the radically factually baseless belief that things are worse today than in the 1860s or the 1960s. We have work to do, but I believe in the goodness of America." — Sen. Tim Scott

Scott says he won his race against Strom Thurmond’s son because of the evolution of the Southern heart because voter in an overwhelmingly white district judged him by the content of his character and not the color of his skin. Scott says we are fully not where we want to be but he thanks God Almighty we are not where we used to be.

Scott asks voters to not simply look at what the candidates say but to look back at what they’ve done because this election is about your future. Scott says Biden said if black people were monolithic and if they didn’t vote for him, they weren’t black.

Scott says while Biden’s words are one thing, his actions are another. He says Biden failed the HBCUs and passed the Crime Bill. Scott says Trump cleaned up Biden’s mess to give HBCUs permanent funding for the first time ever.

He says Biden and Harris want a “cultural revolution” and, if we let them, they will try to turn America into a “Socialist utopia.” 

Scott says his family went to “cotton to Congress in one lifetime” and that’s why he thinks America’s next century can be better than her last. He says supporting the Republican ticket gives you the best chance to make that a reality.

10:26 PM: Donald Trump Jr. wants to speak about the great American story. He says just a few months ago, we were seeing the American Dream become a reality for more Americans. He blames Joe Biden for calling Trump a racist and a xenophobe for his China travel ban. He says it is madness that Biden is trying to shut down the country. 

He says Biden’s economic platform seems designed to crush the working man and woman. He rips “Beijing Biden” for supporting NAFTA, TPP. 

He says China wants Biden to win while Biden wants to bring in more illegal immigrants to take jobs from America citizens. He says this will drive wages down from low-income Americans who were getting wage increases for the first time in modern history. 

He says Trump’s policies have been like rocket fuel for the economy while Biden, the “Loch Ness Monster of the Swamp” that has been lurking around for decades and sticks his head up every now and then to run for president, wants to take money out of your pocket for Swamp dwellers.

Trump Jr. says both parties used to love America but now Democrats are attacking the basic principles on which the nation was founded.

He says the left wants to cancel our Founders because they don’t understand that in order to improve, we must learn from our past and not erase it.

He says the Republican Party is now the home of free speech and if the radical left has its way, the “silent majority” will be the “silenced majority.”

He says what happened to George Floyd was a disgrace and if you know a police officer they think the same. But he says we must remember police are heroes and we don’t want 9-1-1 calls going to voicemail.

10:17 PM: Haley quotes Jeanne Kirkpatrick talking about how Democrats always blame America first. She says what was true in 1984 is still true today because Democrats are still blaming America first.

“Joe Biden and the Democrats are still blaming America first. Donald Trump has always put America first. He has earned four more years as President,” she says.

Haley says the United Nations is not “for the faint of heart” because it’s a place where dictators, murderers, and thieves denounce America “and then put their hands out and demand that we pay their bills.

” She says Trump put an end to all of that. She says they stood up for America and stood against enemies. She says Trump ripped up the Iran Deal while Obama-Biden let them get away with murder and sent them a plane full of cash.

Haley says Biden is good for ISIS, Iran, and China and a “godsend” for everyone “who wants America to apologize, abstain, and abandon our values.”

Haley says Biden and the Socialist left will be a disaster for America’s economy. She says Biden’s bosses this time will not be Obama but instead will be Pelosi, Sanders, and The Squad.

Haley rips Democrats for saying America is a racist country

“In much of the Democratic Party, it’s now fashionable to say that America is racist. That is a lie. America is not a racist country.

This is personal for me. I am the proud daughter of Indian immigrants. They came to America and settled in a small southern town. My father wore a turban.

My mother wore a sari. I was a brown girl in a black and white world,” She says. “We faced discrimination and hardship. But my parents never gave in to grievance and hate. My mom built a successful business. 

My dad taught 30 years at a historically black college. And the people of South Carolina chose me as their first minority and first female governor.”

She says America is a story that is a work in progress and it is so tragic to see Democrats turning a blind eye to riots and rage.

Haley says the lives of black cops, black businesses, and black kids who have been shot matter too.

Haley talks now talks about the Mother Emanuel AME massacre and talking about removing the Confederate flag peacefully.

10:16 PM: RNC video says the radical left that wants amnesty and health care for illegal immigrants have already taken over the Democratic Party and warns voters not to not let them take over America.

10:08 PM: Maximo Alvarez speaks about how his family knows all about totalitarianism. His father fled Spain and then Cuba.

“But my family is done leaving. By the grace of God, I have lived the American dream—the greatest blessing I’ve ever had. 

My dad, who only had a sixth-grade education told me, “don’t lose this place. You’ll never be as lucky as me,” Alvarez says. “

I’m speaking to you today because my family is done leaving places. There is nowhere left to go.”

He says he knows plenty of people who swallowed Fidel Castro’s “Communism poison pill” and they starved and died because they believed those empty promises.

“When I watch the news in Seattle and Chicago and Portland, when I see history being rewritten, when I hear the promises—I hear echoes of a former life I never wanted to hear again,” he says. “I see shadows I thought I had outrun.”

Alvarez praises Trump for being a president who is fighting Communism and anarchy. He says Biden will hand the country over to “those dangerous forces.” He says he chooses president Trump because he chooses America and freedom.

10:02 PM: RNC focuses on American hostages freed by Trump. Video shows Trump speaking in the White House to hostages and detainees he freed. Trump says there are a few more people we wants to get back and will do so shortly.

____________________________________________________

OPINION:  Wow! What an amazing night.  The Republicans of the great lovers our of great country.  And, when citizens love their country they become ‘UNSTOPPABLE’ and greatness become their goal for all Americans regardless of what side of the isle you are on

[tragically-broken]

10 Questions Tag

 Thank you @abookandacoffee for tagging me! I really enjoyed reading your answers!

My Questions:

1. When’s the last time you wrote for fun?

2. Growing up what did you want to be?

3. How many bottles of water do you drink per day?

4. Fav way to exorcise? 

5. Do you think you’re good at texting?

6. What is your go-to outfit?

7. If you could have any pet what would it be?

8. Do you use bar soap?

9. What are your thoughts on winter?

When’s the last time you felt pure joy? 

@abookandacoffee ‘s questions:

1. Would you rather vacation in the mountains or at the beach? 

Mountains 100%

2. Describe your perfect day in five words or less.

friends who love me back 

3. Who is the last person you had a deep conversation with?

Briannica aka @tintinnabulary 

4. Do you read any genres other than fantasy?

MS = obsessed with Nicholas Sparks Novels

HS = obsessed with Hunger Games and anything “end of the world” 

College = my fav obsession by far with SJM novels 

sooooo yes? lol 

5. Do you have an idea of where you want to be 5 years from now? 10 years?

-Working for a school that I love

-Living in a cute apt w/ my pupper

-Have my first draft of my novel finished 

-Completed my masters in education 

-Financially stable so that I can visit family/friends and travel the world....there is so much on this beautiful earth to see and I’ve barely laid eyes on a fraction of it.

-By the 10 yr mark I hope to have successfully adopted at least one child

6. What is your favorite thing to cook/bake?

I wish i cooked more than I do, but I feel like chocolate chip cookies are the most rewarding lol

7. What is your favorite thing about tumblr?

Friendship & Freedom

8. What is the last thing you would want to do with your free time?

M A T H 

9. You see a big spider. What do you do?

Find a shoe and deSTROY HIM 

10. What’s the last book you read? Rating?

The last book I read that wasn’t SJM was Six of Crows and I’d give it 5 stars it was soooooooooooooooo gooooooooooooooood

From Lucia:

1. Are you afraid of getting old? Or do you want to grow old?

I wouldn’t say i’m afraid of getting old, but I would say i’m afraid of aging....getting old is just a number on your diverse license, but aging is when your boy starts to slowly break down and your quality of life ain’t so great anymore.

2. Favorite type of landscape?

I haven’t had the chance to experience many different types, but I’d have to say mountains...4 summers in a row I’d hike part of the Appalachian Mountains and it’s one of the most amazing experiences and the water, OMG THE WATER so cold and crisp. What I love most about it is that the only thing touched my man is the slim trail. That’s it. The animals, trees, rivers, its all untouched. Breathtaking.

3. Favorite work of art?

I love art in general, but haven't gotten to see as much as I’d like. However, I’d have to say my fav is Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh. My Mamow (grandmother) had these coasters at her house that I was memorized by and they were all pictures of art made by Vincent and the Starry Night one was always my favorite. I actually got to visit the MoMA 2 years ago to see it in person and it was a really cool experience.

4. Favorite newspaper or magazine to read? 

I literally NEVER read either of those anymore....the last time I read a magazine was when I was 16/17 and it was Seventeen Magazine

5. Sweet or savory breakfast food? 

Chocolate Pancakes is my fav breakfast food ever

6. Fall fashion or spring fashion? Or do you not really care either way?

FALL GIMME ALL THE FALL COLORS MAN 

7. Are your books organized nicely or just in random piles/groups? 

I WISH. I’ve actually never owned a book shelf in my life which really sucks but i basically have a “read” pile, “haven’t read” pile, and a “WRECK MY LIFE” pile sooooo

8. Does a messy room bother you? 

Messy? nah. Dirty? yes. 

9. How big of a procrastinator are you? 

I can’t even talk about this rn lol

10. Whats your star sign? 

Libra

From Harry:

1) What one piece of fiction has most affected your world view? 

Throne of Glass by SJM 100% Those books have helped me in too many ways to count

2) Which three real life people do you look up to most? 

I don’t really do that?? I feel like the sooner you realize that everyone is human and will let you down at some point the better....I do admire certain things about ppl though like my aunt’s strength/independence, my papow’s determination/love for others, certain friends for not caring what ppl think about them, but overall I’m just tryin to do the best with what I have because at the end of the day no one on this earth is exactly like me. So why should I idolize ppl?

3) Which three fictional characters inspire you? 

Aelin (ToG series), Rhysand (ACOTAR series), Nina (SoC series) 

4) What, or who, is your guilty pleasure at the moment? 

I’d have to say anything chocolate related....

5) What trait about yourself do you feel is under appreciated by either yourself, or those around you? 

I’m a very good friend, and a lot of ppl have taken that for granted....as a result I’ve learned to drop ppl who could care less about me 

6) How do you dance? 

I loooooove to dance, but I’m so bad at it it’s embarrassing 

7) How do you entertain yourself on long, LONG car journeys? 

I get car sick which means reading makes it worse which sucks, but I drive now so just the radio mostly and whoever is my driving companion 

8) Are you at all religious or spiritual? 

I am both, but the term “religious” these days has a very bad rep which is understandable. I’m always open to conversation about these things. After all isn’t that how we grow as people? 

9) In light of October approaching, what are your favourite spooky films/books/shows/etc? 

I wasn’t allowed to watch Halloween movies as a child so I dont really have any...saw Hocus Pocus about 2 years ago for the first time and that was fun lol

10) And finally, which song are you most likely to sing along to regardless of the situation around you? 

If I know it, i’m singing it.

From Yfke:

1. What is your favorite movie of all time? 

whhhhhYYYYYYY THIS IS SO HARD 

I can watch Tangled any day any where so I guess that’s it

2. How old were you when you first fell in love? 

I’d like to say 16, but tbh I’m not even sure if that’s what love is

3. What is your biggest wish? 

Equality 

4. How old were you when you read your first book? 

Hmmm interesting question. I have no idea.....I remember loving the Junie B Jones books tho! Those were classics 

5. Who is your favorite person in this entire world? 

This hits a sore spot, so I’ll pass on this inner turmoil question

6. What is one place you would love to visit? 

Alaska 

7. What is one place you would love to move to? 

Somewhere that’s not here and has 4 seasons lol

8. What time do you usually go to bed? 

I have the worst sleeping schedule in the world, maybe im in bed by 8pm or 8am who knowwwwws

9. Favorite drink? 

Milkshake or Some sort of adult beverage 

10. What is/was your favorite subject? 

MS/HS = English 

College = Advanced Writing (shocker) 

Tagged: @tintinnabulary @kylar-black @abookandacoffee @kashews @dr-woodsprite @literarynonsense @mirroredsilence @ilikebigbooks-and-icannotlie @akcrion @kiminicricket 

^ngl this did take quite a bit of time so no offense taken if ya don’t wanna do it XD

[nigeiadigitalmarketingcompany]

2:00PM Water Cooler 7/23/2019

Digital Elixir 2:00PM Water Cooler 7/23/2019

By Lambert Strether of Corrente

Trade

“U.S. farmers look past trade fears to cash in on China’s hog crisis” [Reuters]. “The U.S. trade war with China initially forced U.S. pork exporters to scour the world for new markets but as the swine fever crisis deepens they’re gearing up for new opportunities to supply the Chinese market later this year and next. The catch for U.S. hog farmers is that if they want to take advantage of the surge in Chinese pork demand, they can’t feed their pigs with the growth drug ractopamine which is widely used in the United States but banned in China. In recent years, the European Union has provided roughly two-thirds of China’s pork imports, excluding offal, with Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and Denmark the main suppliers, according to Chinese customs data. Potential demand is so huge, however, that the EU alone can’t satisfy it.” • Chlorinated chicken, pork à la ractopamine…

Politics

“But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature?” –James Madison, Federalist 51

“They had one weapon left and both knew it: treachery.” –Frank Herbert, Dune

“2020 Democratic Presidential Nomination” [RealClearPolitics] (average of five polls). As of July 23: Biden still climbing at 28.6% (28.4), Sanders down at 14.8% (15.0%), Warren flat at 14.6% (14.6%), Buttigieg steady at 4.8% (4.8%), Harris flat bump 12.6% (12.6%), others Brownian motion.

* * *

2020

Harris (D)(1): “Kamala Harris once opposed legalizing marijuana. Now she wants to decriminalize it” [Yahoo News]. “The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act, which was written by Harris and co-sponsored in the House by Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., would decriminalize marijuana at the federal level, implement re-sentencing or expungement for prior marijuana-based convictions, and tax revenue generated by the marijuana industry, with 50% of it used to create three trust funds…. he California Democrat, however, hasn’t always supported fully legalizing marijuana. Nine years ago, Harris opposed legislation that would have legalized marijuana in California.” • People do get to change their minds. But it’s always nicer when they do the right thing all along.

Klobuchar (D)(1): “2020 Candidates Delayed Paying Staff to Look Richer on Paper” [Daily Beast]. “For some campaigns, the ability to put off a payroll payment—whether by design or coincidence—made a substantial difference. That’s most true for the Klobuchar campaign, which reported $186,000 in salary expenditures on its last reported pay day, June 15. Federal Election Commission records indicate that the campaign was otherwise paying staffers on the 15th and last day of each month. But no paychecks went out at the end of June, according to its second quarter financial filing…. And at some point, she will either have to make all wage payments or simply not pay her staff. And by kicking the can down the road, she has been able to avoid taking the hit on a campaign finance filing for the time being.” • It’s gonna take an awfully big binder for Klobuchar to keep track of all that. Oh, and collective bargaining in the Sanders campaign is a big, big scandal. Potential wage theft? Not so much.

Warren (D)(1): “The Coming Economic Crash — And How to Stop It” [Elizabeth Warren, Medium]. “The [yield] curve has inverted before each and every recession in the past half century — with only one false signal.” • I’m not sure that’s entirely correct. From the Financial Times: “Prof [Campbell] Harvey’s research indicates only an inversion of at least three months is a reliable recession indicator. The curve briefly inverted in 1998, at the peak of the turmoil caused by Russia’s default and the blow-up of Long-Term Capital Management, but quickly normalised before a subsequent, more durable inversion in 2000 preceded the dotcom bust. The latest inversion only lasted five trading days.” In any case, a recession call at some point in the future is not a hard call. Still, good piece!

Warren (D)(2): “Warren warns of ‘coming economic crash’” [Politico]. How Politico summarizes the article above: “Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Monday predicted an imminent economic crisis unless the Trump administration and Congress quickly pass legislation to regulate the financial sector and significantly reduce middle class household debt.” • That’s shockingly bad and wrong, even for Politico. Warren recommends reducing household debt, monitoring and reducing leveraged corporate lending, strengthening manufacturing, and limiting potential shocks to the economy. Her recommendations are bulleted, ffs.

* * *

“‘She/hers’: In progressive move, 3 presidential hopefuls add pronouns to their bios” [NBC]. “Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s bio on her official presidential campaign Twitter page is touting a new addition: her pronouns. Earlier this month, her bio was updated to “U.S. Senator, former teacher, and candidate for president. Wife, mom … grandmother, and Okie. She/hers. Official campaign account.” She is one of three 2020 presidential hopeful to add pronouns on an official campaign Twitter account, along with Julian Castro and Bill de Blasio. On the surface, it’s just two words. But the inclusion of “she/hers” on a major candidate’s social media profile is no small feat in the eyes of LGBTQ advocates. Among the LGBTQ community and its allies, including pronouns in social media profiles has become increasingly common to avoid misgendering and to indicate solidarity with transgender and nonbinary people.” • Which is great, and one can only hope leads to solidarity with working class people.

RussiaGate

“Mueller testimony could be frustrating for both parties” [The Hill]. “Democrats want Mueller to breathe life into his 448-page report and demonstrate to the American public that Trump is guilty of obstructing his investigation — a verdict Mueller’s team purposely avoided in issuing its findings. Republicans will try to throw Mueller off his game, vowing to focus their questions on whether it was even proper to launch the investigation in the first place.” • I’ve noticed a tendency on the Twitter for liberal Democrats to assign work to others; here is the same tendency with Mueller. Why can’t they “demonstrate to the American public”? Meanwhile, I bet poor old straight-shootin’ Bob Mueller longs for the days when he was only greenlighting fake WMD evidence. Life was simpler, then.

2019

“Rashida Tlaib: Minimum wage should be $20 an hour, not $15” [The Hill]. “‘By the way, when we started [#FightFor15], it should have been $15. Now I think it should be $20. Make sure America Rising hears that. It should be $20 an hour — $18 to $20 an hour at this point,’ Tlaib said.” • And it also shouldn’t take six years to kick in. That’s even longer than ObamaCare took!

Realignment and Legitimacy

“Week-end Wrap – Political Economy – July 20, 2019” [Tony Wikrent, Ian Welsh]. • Interesting wrap-up.

Stats Watch

Richmond Fed Manufacturing Index, July 2019: “Fifth District manufacturing activity unexpectedly fell into contraction in July” [Econoday]. “The surprising weakness of today’s report contrasts with the Philly Fed and Empire State regional reports last week showing manufacturing rebounding in these regions. Despite the reported increase in input and output prices, the marked deterioration in the region’s manufacturing survey to the lowest level in six years is likely to bolster the dovish case for cutting the Fed funds rate at the FOMC meeting next week.”

FHFA House Price Index, May 2019: “FHFA had been holding up better than Case-Shiller but data for May point to less gradual slowing underway in home prices” [Econoday]. “Easing imbalances in housing are probably a plus for the long-term health of the sector but are perhaps unexpected given this year’s still strong job growth and the drop in mortgage rates.

Existing Home Sales, June 2019: “The housing market firmed in the early Spring but has since flattened out” [Econoday]. “Lack of momentum in housing, which is unexpected this year given the strength of the jobs market and the fall in mortgage rates, will be one factor that doves can cite at next week’s FOMC meeting in favor a rate cut.”

Shipping: “Trucking spot market underperforms expectations by 10% in June” [Freight Waves]. “The DAT US National Long Haul Van Freight Rate Index which measures the average long haul spot rate for dry van truckloads in the U.S. excluding fuel and other accessorial charges averaged $1.50/mile in June. This number fell well below expectations according to the freight futures settlement price which started the month over $1.66/mile, meaning futures market participants expected rates to be much higher than they were this June.

Tech: “Industrial robots are proving adept at picking up venture-capital funding. Logistics technology startup Fetch Robotics Inc. is adding to its support with a $46 million funding round…. which the Silicon Valley company will use to expand its range of products for the growing warehouse automation market” [Wall Street Journal]. “Fetch is working in a growing area of industrial automation focused on ‘collaborative robots’ that work alongside humans and can be easily integrated into existing operations. That can boost productivity without adding staff, a potential big plus for logistics companies as warehouse operators compete for workers in a tight jobs market.”

Tech: “How Amazon uses 18-wheelers to transfer heavy data loads to the cloud” [CNBC]. “Moving petabytes of data to a cloud like Amazon Web Services or Microsoft Azure just by sending it out over the internet can take years. Some companies would rather not wait that long. So the cloud providers have come up with special-purpose hardware that can be filled up with data and then mailed to the cloud vendors for much faster migration. Using this equipment can save money, too, because moving data over a network in the usual way can get expensive. One business with big data, DigitalGlobe — a subsidiary of Maxar Technologies, came up with a more radical idea. It had AWS send over a truck over for faster delivery. AWS wound up announcing its Snowmobile 18-wheel truck for this exact purpose in 2016. None of AWS’ cloud competitors have followed suit — yet.” • The cloud turns out to have a pretty heavy footprint.

Manufacturing: “The prolonged grounding of the Boeing Co.’s 737 MAX is starting to ripple through the U.S. economy. The problems with the jet are cutting into U.S. exports and clouding the outlook for airlines and parts suppliers” [Wall Street Journal]. “The impact of the grounding and Boeing’s production cuts highlight the deep reach the aircraft manufacturer has across a range of high-value supply chains that have been all but idled while the company seeks a solution. Economists say Boeing’s production cuts likely weighed on U.S. gross domestic product in the second quarter, and warn the impact could intensify if the plane maker can’t resume deliveries as hoped in the fourth quarter. Companies ranging from engine maker General Electric Co. to smaller parts suppliers have tied the halt in deliveries of the aircraft to financial damage, or suspended profit guidance.”

The Biosphere

“Melting ice sheets, storm-damaged homes: For some, it’s a business opportunity” [Grist]. For example: “Worldwide demand for air conditioning is only going to increase, according to investors and those in the industry. ‘The hotter it gets, the more your business increases,’ John Staples, president and CEO of US Air Conditioning, told the Verge back in 2013. And he was right — by 2050, two-thirds of the world’s households are predicted to own an air conditioner. But it’s a bit of a catch-22: As the planet warms, access to A/C can save lives, but the more we use it, the more the world heats up. And though people are certainly making money off this boon in the HVAC market, they aren’t investing in developing new, greener methods of cooling.” • The capitalists will sell themselves the rope…

“WASTE ONLY: How the Plastics Industry Is Fighting to Keep Polluting the World” [The Intercept]. “China’s decision in 2017 to stop receiving the vast majority of plastic waste from other countries blew the flimsy lid off our dysfunctional recycling system. That year, when the Chinese government announced the National Sword policy, as it’s called, the U.S. sent 931 million kilograms of plastic waste to China and Hong Kong. The U.S. has been offloading vast bundles of scrap this way since at least 1994, when the Environmental Protection Agency began tracking plastics exports. The practice has served to both mask the mounting crisis and absolve U.S. consumers of guilt. But in fact, much of the ‘recycled’ plastic scrap that the U.S. sent to China appears to have been burned or buried instead of being refashioned into new products. Although China’s turnabout made the failure of the plastics recycling system suddenly and undeniably obvious, in truth the plastics problem has been with us as long as plastic has. Over the decades, as production has grown exponentially, we’ve never managed to repurpose even one-tenth of our plastic waste.”

“This Is What America Could Look Like When Our Coasts Are Under Water” [Vice]. “Depending on how we do it, we face very different coastal futures. In one scenario, our coastlines will be dotted with derelict ruins—the haunting remains of communities that weren’t given a chance to get out of harm’s way. Cities will exist behind walls built that protect from the ocean, and there will be no access to the shoreline. In a more egalitarian vision, U.S. shores could be reclaimed as public land. A national shoreline could serve as a natural buffer to the ocean, and if paired with affordable housing, community investment, and employment, moving away from the coasts could promise survival but also, better quality of life. ‘The question isn’t whether we will retreat, it’s how we will retreat,’ said A.R. Siders, an environmental fellow at the Harvard University Center for the Environment. ‘In that, we have a lot of choice and a lot of opportunity.’” • Oh, there will be “access.” For a price.

“Was the Automotive Era a Terrible Mistake?” [The New Yorker]. “When the people of the future look back at our century of auto life, will they regard it as a useful stage of forward motion or as a wrong turn? Is it possible that, a hundred years from now, the age of gassing up and driving will be seen as just a cul-de-sac in transportation history, a trip we never should have taken?” • Um, hysteresis. We can’t just back up and go in another direction. That’s not to say cars will persist in their current form, just that cul-de-sac is the wrong metaphor.

“‘Climate Grief’: Fears About The Planet’s Future Weigh On Americans’ Mental Health [Kaiser Health News]. “Therapist Andrew Bryant says the landmark United Nations climate report last October brought a new mental health concern to his patients. ‘I remember being in sessions with folks the next day. They had never mentioned climate change before, and they were like, ‘I keep hearing about this report,” Bryant said. ‘Some of them expressed anxious feelings, and we kept talking about it over our next sessions.’” • Today is my day to be kind, so I’m going to cancel my curmudgeonly response to this.

“How Airplane Contrails Are Helping Make the Planet Warmer” [Yale Environment 360]. “[T]he condensation trails produced by the exhaust from aircraft engines are creating an often-invisible thermal blanket of cloud across the planet. Though lasting for only a short time, these ‘contrails’ have a daily impact on atmospheric temperatures that is greater than that from the accumulated carbon emissions from all aircraft since the Wright Brothers first took to the skies more than a century ago. More alarming still, researchers warned late last month that efforts by engineers to cut aircraft CO2 emissions by making their engines more fuel-efficient will create more, whiter, and longer-lasting contrails — notably in the tropics, where the biggest increases in flights are expected. In a paper being widely praised by other experts in the field, Lisa Bock and Ulrike Burkhardt of the Institute of Atmospheric Physics in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany, forecast a near-tripling in the ‘radiative forcing’ from contrails by 2050….. Research in the American South and Midwest has concluded that when contrails are around, they raise night-time temperatures sufficiently to reduce the day-night differences by 3 degrees C.”

“Community Roots – Let’s Plant Some Trees!” [Richmond Tree Stewards]. “Homeowners in the City of Richmond will receive free a limited number of trees (2 or 3 depending on availability) from our gravel beds…. In Richmond we celebrate Arbor Day in October rather than late April because that is a much better time to plant trees in Virginia.” • This sounds like a great program!

Health Care

“A look at people who have persistently high spending on health care” [Peterson-Kaiser Health System Tracker]. “Those with persistently high spending, while few in number, are some of the most expensive users of care – the 1.3% of enrollees with high spending in each of three consecutive years (2015-2017) had an average spending in 2017 of almost $88,000, accounting for 19.5% of overall spending that year. The predictability and extent of their spending suggest that any efforts to reduce the total costs of care and improve health system quality must focus heavily on this group of people.” • Yes, “Peterson” is that Peterson. Ugh.

“Verma touts site-neutral pay policies, blasts hospital consolidation” [Modern Healthcare]. “CMS Administrator Seema Verma on Monday took swings at Medicare’s ‘hospital-centric payment model,’ touting the Trump administration’s recent site-neutral payment policy and decrying provider consolidation. Verma condemned Democratic proposals for a public insurance option at a policy summit for the Better Medicare Alliance, which represents Medicare Advantage plans. … ‘The secret of the public option is that it’s only cheaper because it uses the force of government to strong-arm doctors and hospitals into accepting below-market payment rate,’ she said. ‘But the government cannot wave a wand and impose lower rates on some providers while holding everyone else harmless.’ She touted another policy, hated by hospitals, that determines some Medicare payments: site-neutral payment regulations that cut Medicare dollars for some hospital services that can also be performed in physicians’ offices… From there, Verma doubled down on another topic that makes major health systems nervous: the growth of hospital monopolies and the ‘upward trend in provider consolidation.’ ‘Hospitals are buying up physician practices, and mergers of large health systems and health plans are a common occurrence,’ she said. ‘But without competition in a market, consumers have fewer choices, prices go up, and incentives to improve quality go down.’”

“The great plague of 2019, or how the United States got single payer health-care” [Alice Marshall, Medium]. “A few of Pence’s team went to a book party for a famous conservative commentator. Within a week everyone at the party was dead, but not before they spread the disease to their think tank, law firm, and trade association. Several staffers from AHIP and PhRMA were there. By the end of the month they had to close their DC office as everyone was dead.” • Not entirely implausible, even as wish fulfillmennt.

Class Warfare

“The Most Gullible Man in Cambridge” [New York Magazine]. • Yikes.

“Jeffrey Epstein doled out millions to Harvard and others. Is that cash tainted?” [Miami Herald]. “The multimillionaire hedge fund manager lavished at least $30 million on universities, scientists, politicians, cultural organizations, think tanks — as well as his local police department, according to records of three of his charities. Records for a fourth were not available. That $30 million figure includes at least $2 million doled out following a short stint in the Palm Beach stockade that resulted when a 53-page federal sex trafficking indictment got whittled down to a pair of minor prostitution-related charges late in the last decade. For those organizations that hung onto the money, is there a moral obligation to give it back, or alternatively, pay it forward to organizations that would benefit, for example, young sexual assault victims like those Epstein allegedly victimized?’” • Lol, no.

“Student Debt and Racial Wealth Inequality” (PDF) [Marshall Steinbaum]. “This paper analyzes the effect of cancelling student debt on racial wealth inequality using the 2016 Survey of Consumer Finances. It concludes that cancelling student debt reduces racial wealth gaps as measured by the ratio of white wealth to black wealth at a given wealth quantile, across the wealth distribution. It then discusses why cancelling student debt disproportionately increases the net wealth of black households and thereby reduces racial wealth gaps.” • As surely all universal benefit programs must do?

“Baby born on 7-Eleven Day at 7:11 p.m., weighs 7 lbs., 11 oz., gets 7-Eleven college fund” [USA Today]. • Just another kind of legacy admission….

News of the Wired

“Dream Of Retiring Abroad? The Reality: Medicare Doesn’t Travel Well” [Kaiser Health News]. “After paying into the Medicare system for decades, it’s no wonder some expats are frustrated that they can’t generally use the program outside the United States…. And retirees should honestly consider whether they will spend the rest of their lives overseas.” • And spend the last days of my life drugged and strapped to a bed in a nursing home room with a TV I can’t turn off? I’d rather die in a ditch in the tropics.

“Don’t Put Your Work Email on Your Personal Phone” [OneZero]. “Here’s one reason: Your work account might be spying on you in the background. When you add a work email address to your phone, you’ll likely be asked to install something called a Mobile Device Management (MDM) profile. Chances are, you’ll blindly accept it. (What other choice do you have?) MDM is set up by your company’s IT department to reach inside your phone in the background, allowing them to ensure your device is secure, know where it is, and remotely erase your data if the phone is stolen. From your company’s perspective, there are obvious security reasons for installing an MDM on an employee’s phone. But for employees, it’s difficult to tell what these invisible profiles are collecting behind the scenes, as they provide people at your company with invisible control over your device. That’s why when it comes to your phone, no matter how much you trust your IT department, it’s a good idea to keep work and pleasure separate.”

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Readers, feel free to contact me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, with (a) links, and even better (b) sources I should curate regularly, (c) how to send me a check if you are allergic to PayPal, and (d) to find out how to send me images of plants. Vegetables are fine! Fungi are deemed to be honorary plants! If you want your handle to appear as a credit, please place it at the start of your mail in parentheses: (thus). Otherwise, I will anonymize by using your initials. See the previous Water Cooler (with plant) here. Today’s plant (JL):

JL writes: “Mystery tree”!

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Readers: Water Cooler is a standalone entity not covered by the annual NC fundraiser. So do feel free to make a contribution today or any day. Here is why: Regular positive feedback both makes me feel good and lets me know I’m on the right track with coverage. When I get no donations for five or ten days I get worried. More tangibly, a constant trickle of small donations helps me with expenses, and I factor in that trickle when setting fundraising goals. So if you see something you especially appreciate, do feel free to click this donate button:

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2:00PM Water Cooler 7/23/2019

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[mfmagazine]

Debi Lynn

Article by Lauren Weigle

Aside from the fact that Debi Lynn jewelry is purely incredible, the woman behind the brand is even more fantastic, if that’s even possible.  Her main goal in life and for her designs is, “to not only help financially as I can, but to help spiritually; and give women the love and support they need, while showing them that they are in charge of their own path----and that as women, we do need each other!”  As a true philanthropist and cheerleader of life, Debi Mattingly is a charitable force of nature whose creations should not be missed.  When she isn’t donating to great causes, organizing charity events, or designing for her line, she can be found running her store front, hanging out with her hubby, running around with her grandkids, or traveling the world.  Like I said, she’s fantastic.

I hear you are becoming music’s new obsession.  Can you tell me about how your designs are hitting the music scene?

Obviously it helps a great deal when you have a great PR firm like CLD that is in the center of the music and fashion scene to help promote your work!   Since 1994, my jewelry designs have been seen and worn by people across the world from celebrities to soccer moms….and my work has always been seen as a cross between “western meets rock ‘n roll”.  

Why is it that music and fashion often go hand-in-hand?

I believe that music and fashion are the “universal language” around the world….it is what helps “connect” us as the “human race”.  Regardless of our culture, religion, spiritual believes, etc----the unspoken beat of music and our relationship with fashion helps us connect as humans. People get a peek into our soul by the music we love and the fashion that we wear---they BOTH make us feel passionate about who we are and where we are in life.

Given that, how do you feel about being featured in mf magazine (music and fashion)?

Obviously I am honored and thrilled to be able to have my work loved and showcased in such an aspiring magazine!! It is a great feeling to be able to reach an audience about not only my work, but why I do what I do and to help inspire others about their dreams, hard work, and “giving back” to their community!

Aside from music, tell me about your other creative influences like your Native American Culture.

I am not only Muskogee Creek, but I am also Cajun/Creole from Louisiana. BOTH of these cultures play a HUGE influence on my work….and not why people would think.  Our society has put both of these cultures into a ‘box’ and dramatized them through movies, books, etc….I was influenced by the way I was raised by my family and relatives.  Every tribe is different, just like every family is different….both of these cultures have many similarities:  Respect for our spiritual ways, respect for nature, respect for our ancestors and most of all respect for all beliefs.  My Native ways have influenced me through the respect of the materials I use.  They all have a “spirit” from the past and I not only have to be careful with what I use, but I let the stones and other materials guide me as to what they “want to say”.  In fact, whenever I find an old piece, I always do a cleansing ceremony before bringing it into my studio.  I do this because I do not know the ‘spirit’ that may have created the bead or finding.  Then, there is my Cajun/Creole side. My great-grandmother, Meme, was French and black from the West Indies. She studied and practiced Houdoo.  So, you can imagine the teachings from that side of my family!  Actually, they were very similar to the Native American beliefs.  I guess the number one influence from BOTH of these cultures would be “RESPECT” for the past and the lesson and/or lessons that those before us have to teach us.

Wow. That’s a pretty impressive background.  Okay, so some other things I’m definitely impressed with are your jewelry.  I’m absolutely, ridiculously obsessed with the “Tears of Hope” necklace.  What went into designing this piece?

Funny that you pick that specific piece…because it took on a mind of its own when I was trying to create it.  I had the ancient Native American medal pendant with chains given to me by my Elders, and I tried NUMEROUS times to create a piece with it, but it just never seemed to work or “feel right”.  Then one day out of the blue, as I saw it hanging in my studio….the words “Tears of Hope” came to me.  I still didn’t know what it was going to end up looking like and I just let the piece guide me.   The meaning of the piece showcases several different spiritual believes….with the Australian rare opal (which is a stone for Hope) the rusted out crucifix for the “tears” of Christ on the cross, the ancient pendant from my Elders, findings from Sudan, Nigeria, Ghana, and even the Mayan’s.  “Tears of Hope” is a lesson to the wearer to remember to respect all paths that lead to our Creator…..and by living that way, then you become a part of that “hope” for our world.

One of the things I love most about your jewelry is your fusion of vintage and modern.  Is that how you subscribe your style?

For years people have tried to put a “label” on my style, and it has ranged in many different titles.  I just know that my work has always been about taking our past and bringing it forward into the present.  But, I must say, this is the first time I have had my work called “modern”.  I really like that!  Can I use that….”fusion of vintage and modern”?

Ha ha.  If you want to trade it for a gorgeous necklace, I might let you use it. (I joke.)  So, where can I buy some of your pieces?

My one-of-a-kind pieces can be found at CLD’s showroom and they also carry “samples” of my limited edition pieces.  All my work can be ordered and bought through my marketing reps, at Material Things, Inc. in Denver. They are also taken to markets throughout the US for boutique owners to purchase for their stores.  But, they are also available for retail!

Tell me about some of your celebrity customers.

My work was showcased and seen with many celebrities for a charitable event in 2007 with Harvard Business School Leadership Awards Gala in Beverly Hills, CA.  Celebrities such as, Sherry Lansing, Alan Horn, Robin Williams, Rob Reiner, Meg Ryan, Tom Cruise, George Clooney, Clint Eastwood, Norman Lear, Ron Meyer, Barry Meyer, Morgan Freeman, Dan Glickman, Tom Hanks, Katie Holmes, Leonardo DiCapprio, Jason Alexander, and others.  I must say that it was quite an impressive list of people that now had an original “Debi Lynn” in their hands; and I was very honored.  I was even more proud when I received a personal email from Sherry Lansing letting me know that she loved my jewelry!  My work was also featured at the “What A Pair” in LA in 2007 to benefit breast cancer research.  The celebrities that received one of my pieces was everyone from Jamie Lee Curtis, Lori Alan, Jayne Atkinson, Mary Birdsong, Rosa Blasi, Deana Carter, Loretta Devine, Joely Fisher, Tricia Leigh Fisher, Jasmine Guy, Diana Harris, Marg Helgenberger, Elaine Hendrix, Sharon Lawrence, Vicki Lewis, Jane Lynch, Ann Magnuson, Armelia Mcqueen, Annette O’Toole, Tierney Sutton, Lea Thompson, Jennifer Leigh Warren, and KD Lang.

That’s amazing!  Anyone else?!

I started with CLD in late July, 2011 and have been honored to have Demi Lovato and Nicole Scherzinger seen wearing my pieces!! The sweet and adorable Demi Lovato is a huge fan and has been wearing my collection all over lately!  I am so proud of her as a young woman and that she was able to overcome all that she has gone through over the past two years. She is truly a fantastic example to other young girls trying to beat their insecurities or going through a tough time!  I know she loves my work and I am honored to have her wear it.

How do you feel having your creations worn by so many high-profile stars?

It is nice to have celebrities wear your work, but I truly believe all my customers are “stars” in their own special way.  I am just as honored and proud when I run into a customer on the street and see them wearing my work!  I can tell in their eyes that they truly “feel the spirit” of the designs---and THAT is what I create for!

Okay, most importantly is the charitable aspect of your company.  I understand that  you donate 10% of each sale to help women?

At the end of each quarter, I pay my bills, my taxes, etc…and then keep “what I need” for the next quarter and I give the rest to a “woman’s charity”.  I DO NOT take a salary or anything for MYSELF…I take only what I need to pay my bills and order future materials and then the rest goes to charity.  So actually that “percentage” is much higher than 10%.  I also own a fashion boutique in Houston, called “Yaya Chique” and at the end of the year whatever is not sold in the store, goes to a women’s crisis center here in Houston for abused women  and children. This Christmas for my annual “Christmas on the Bayou” party, I asked all my customers to bring “new unwrapped gifts” for the women in the shelter.  I felt that the children are always taken care of around Christmas, which is great, but the women are not always thought of….so, I wanted to make sure that they also received gifts for Christmas; along with a check for 20% of the net sales that evening.

I bow down to you!  You are amazing!  Why do you feel it is so important to participate in causes like these?

I have known since I was 45 that part of my purpose here on Earth was to help and give to those that need it more than I do….so that is why I do what I do.  I feel EVERY woman has the right to feel beautiful  and special.  My grandfather had a saying that “women are their own worst enemy---they don’t need men as enemies, because they have each other.”  I guess I wanted to prove him wrong, so I tell women all the time that “their success does not take away from mine, just as my success does not take away from theirs.”

[theconservativebrief]

LAS VEGAS — Harry Reid had no business winning as many races as he did in purple Nevada over his many years in the US Senate, but the Democratic machine he built in the state proved formidable. Now, out of the Senate and recovering from cancer, Reid could still emerge as Democrats’ most important kingmaker, even in retirement.

Reid quietly has his hand in the race against Nevada Sen. Dean Heller, considered the most endangered Republican senator this year. Hillary Clinton won the state in 2016, and polls show the race is a dead heat.

A handful of Democrats were eager to challenge Heller, including Rep. Dina Titus, but Reid cleared the field for Jacky Rosen, a 61-year-old freshman Congress member, ex-synagogue president, and former computer programmer.

Rep. Jacky Rosen (D-NV), who is running for Senate, greets voters at an event in East Las Vegas. Mikayla Whitmore for Vox

“He personally recruited Jacky to run for Congress and then Senate,” one former aide said. “He’s been a huge fan of hers from the beginning.”

Reid took a bet that Rosen, a moderate Democrat with a relative lack of political experience, would be the right kind of candidate to run against Heller in purple Nevada. Political experts in the state agree that Rosen’s thin voting record is a boon juxtaposed with Heller’s lengthy (and often shifting) political stances on key issues like health care.

This bet also comes with a risk — Heller is a known quantity in the state, and he might be able to define Rosen before she can define herself. But Reid is not averse to political risk, since he was an early backer of former President Barack Obama, when Obama was still a freshman senator.

The race is a must-win for Democrats if they have any shot at taking back the Senate. Even with Democrats up in the polls and President Trump’s dismal approval ratings, the math does not look great for Senate Democrats. They have a very narrow path to victory, and it goes straight through Reid’s Nevada.

Left, Steven Camacho, 16, and Tristian Brower, 18 — volunteers for PLAN Action in Nevada — talk with resident Ronald Carter while canvassing a neighborhood in Las Vegas on September 15, 2018. Mikayla Whitmore for Vox

Right, Steven Camacho, 16, speaks with his team while canvassing a neighborhood in Las Vegas on September 15, 2018. Mikayla Whitmore for Vox

The Democratic Party’s success or failure this November rests on shoulders of the legendary “Reid machine,” a grassroots army of local organizers, Culinary Union members, and state Democratic Party workers and volunteers. They’ve been canvassing the state for Rosen and other Democratic candidates for months, even in sweltering 100-plus-degree desert heat. Year after year, the Reid machine has done what other states cannot: successfully turn out Nevada’s growing Latino voting bloc.

“The machine is still here,” said Megan Jones, a former longtime Reid campaign aide and current Democratic consultant at Hilltop Communications.

The best way to understand Harry Reid’s lingering influence on Nevada politics is to look back to 2016. While that year was a bloodbath for Democrats in most states, Nevada was the rare example where they trounced Republicans. Clinton won the state narrowly, but Democrats had also flipped the state legislature, beat Republicans in three of the state’s four US House seats, and sent Catherine Cortez Masto, the first Latina senator, to Washington.

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto delivers her victory speech at the Nevada Democrats’ election night watch party in Las Vegas on November 8, 2016, after defeating Republican Joe Heck. Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call

Democratic senators gathered in the election’s aftermath in Washington to grapple with the major losses the party had suffered, and Reid brought his closest aide, Rebecca Lambe (whom another former aide called “the best political operative in America”), to Capitol Hill to give the caucus a pep talk.

“Fundamentally, Rebecca used the Seattle Seahawks expression ‘defend every blade of grass,’” a former Reid aide who was at the meeting told Vox. “There’s no secret sauce; you just have to be relentless and work every day.”

Operatives and volunteers in the Nevada state Democratic Party operation aren’t just working in the months up to an election, they are at work all year round: showing up at doors, registering new voters, helping boost candidate’s name ID, and getting people to show up to early voting or go to the polls on Election Day.

“Vegas is largely apathetic to politics, it’s about getting folks disciplined enough to do the basic stuff,” said former Reid spokesperson Jim Manley.

They’ve had notable success: In 2010, Latino voters accounted for 12 percent of the state’s voters, and made up about 16 percent of the total number of voters who cast ballots for Reid in the Senate race, according to research firm Latino Decisions. This year, Democratic organizers want to see that vote share increase to 18 to 20 percent, according to Artie Blanco, a Democratic National Committee member and labor organizer in Nevada.

“There’s been consistent investment in the Latino population here. I think the community is figuring out they have a voice,” Blanco, who is Mexican-American, told Vox.

In a year when Democrats are counting on a backlash to Trump to spur Latinos and other minorities to the polls in Southern states like Texas, Georgia, Florida, and Arizona, organizers in Nevada are clear on one thing: You cannot expect a reaction to Trump to translate organically to votes. You have to go out there and get every vote yourself.

Jacky Rosen’s campaign schedule on a recent weekend made it clear she is running the Reid playbook — making a huge play for Latino, Hispanic, and other minority voters, groups that have been disproportionately affected by the Trump administration’s immigration policies.

Homemade flan with Jacky Rosen’s campaign logo at a Hispanic Heritage Celebration Kickoff in Las Vegas on September 15, 2018. Mikayla Whitmore for Vox

Las Vegas is a city where Trump’s name is emblazoned on the skyline in gold lettering topping the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas. But the president’s disapproval rating has climbed from 39 percent to 50 percent in Nevada, per a Morning Consult poll tracker.

He does remain popular with the state’s Republican base. Trump recently went out to campaign for Heller, drawing a crowd of about 8,000.

Rosen began her day on the campaign trail with a roundtable with African-American entrepreneurs before attending a Hispanic heritage celebration (complete with homemade flan with her name on it — something she was very enthusiastic about), and the Fiesta Las Vegas festival, a huge celebration of the city’s Mexican-American population.

Rep. Jacky Rosen speaks with guests during a roundtable discussion with African American entrepreneurs in Las Vegas on September 15, 2018. Mikayla Whitmore for Vox

Rosen takes a photo with voters and volunteers at a Hispanic Heritage Celebration Kickoff in Las Vegas on September 15, 2018. Mikayla Whitmore for Vox

“I don’t have to tell anybody that Latinos are on the forefront of the fight,” she said at a recent event with Latino voters. “DREAMers, TPS recipients, families torn apart at the border.”

Unlike Nevada’s Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, who is Latina, Rosen is not of the Latino community. She doesn’t speak Spanish — but then, neither did Reid. Rosen, the granddaughter of immigrants from Eastern Europe, frequently talks to the state’s immigrant community about deportation and family separation in relation to her own family story.

“I will tell you, my grandmother came to this country 100 years ago as a young widow,” Rosen said. “What if she came her now, would my uncle Phillip been torn away from her? Would my family be considered a mixed-status family?”

Trump’s rhetoric and action on immigrants has rankled many in the city, according to community activist Margarita Rebollal, who is from Puerto Rico. Rebollal said she hopes Trump’s recent tweets about the island’s death toll during Hurricane Maria spurs Vegas’s Puerto Rican population to the polls to vote against Heller and the GOP.

“I know it’s motivating me and close friends of mine,” Rebollal said.

One game changer in Nevada is the strong union presence that can organize voters. The Culinary Union, one of the state’s most active labor unions that represents workers in Vegas’s many hotels and restaurants, allows for workers to take a months-long leave of absence to volunteer knocking doors, registering voters, and handing out fliers.

Vox recently joined two Culinary Union members — Mary Anne Corre, a housekeeper at MGM Grand, and Alfonso Maciel, a cook at Excalibur — as they went out to knock on doors nearly two months before Election Day. Corre is Filipino and speaks Tagalog, and Maciel is Latino and speaks Spanish, which means they have most of the area’s language bases covered.

Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, is diversifying rapidly, with Latinos making up a little more than 30 percent of the population, followed by African Americans and a smaller percentage of Asian Americans and American Pacific Islanders.

A campaign poster Jacky Rosen signed for a young volunteer a campaign event. It reads, “Always stay true to who you are & you will be successful.” Mikayla Whitmore for Vox

Flipping Heller’s Senate seat is personal to both of them, but especially for Maciel, whose family members fear Trump’s crackdown on immigrants.

“My family has lived in fear of being deported or having family taken away, to the point where they were afraid to come out of their homes,” Maciel said. “Everyone knows someone impacted by immigration.”

Deportations are increasing in Las Vegas and Nevada as a whole, immigration advocates say. More people are being picked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and are at risk of being deported for such minor infractions as unpaid traffic tickets. More than 6,000 Salvadoran immigrants will likely face deportation in September 2019 after Trump ended temporary protected status (TPS) for them earlier this year. (Trump’s move was recently blocked by a federal judge.) Still, people who have been in the community for 15 years or more, own homes, and pay taxes have been impacted.

“Immigrants are completely under attack,” said Geoconda Arguello Kline, secretary treasurer of the Culinary Union. “We’re the largest immigration organization in Nevada. This election is a very, very important election for us, too.”

One of the reasons Latino voters showed up to vote for Harry Reid year after year is he followed through on his promises, according to those close to him. He understood that courting the Latino vote was more than just talking the talk — he had to play transactional politics with groups that typically don’t get that big of an advocate in Congress.

Facing reelection in 2010, the then-Senate majority leader made another risky political bet: He brought the DREAM Act — a bill that would allow young unauthorized immigrants known as DREAMers to eventually get US citizenship — up for a vote in the Senate. Reid did so against the advice of his own campaign advisers and pollsters, who warned this would turn white independent voters against him.

Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid meets with DREAMer and immigration activist Astrid Silva of Las Vegas in his Capitol office before a 2013 vote on an immigration reform bill in the Senate. Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call

“He was being told by his pollster that he should not touch the DREAM Act with a 10-foot poll,” said Jose Parra, who ran Latino communications for Reid’s campaign and his office. “He still went for that; he went hard on it. At a time when Hispanic voters were being attacked by his opponent, he had their backs.”

Reid also put together a bilingual college guide for Latino families, created a program to help people with foreclosures in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, and hired Latino staff.

“He had a huge hand in DACA as well; he twisted a lot of arms in the [Obama] administration to get DACA going,” Parra said.

The entirety of Reid’s legacy on immigration is complicated. In 1993, he introduced a bill that would have gotten rid of birthright citizenship for children of illegal immigrants born in the United States. Reid later referred to his bill as a “travesty” and the “low point” of his career, and became one of the few senators openly spearheading immigration reform when it was still “the third rail of Democratic politics,” according to Parra.

Still, he came around to taking the Latino vote seriously, so much so that he became a leading voice on the subject, even as the issue became more polarizing in his own party. And it helped boost him in a tough, 2010 Senate race against Republican Sharron Angle.

“Reid was right there from the beginning, before it was popular or considered safe,” Parra said. “That obviously turns people out. Good policy, when it’s messaged well, is good politics.”

North Las Vegas City Council member Isaac Barron introduces Rosen speaks at a Hispanic Heritage Celebration Kickoff in Las Vegas on September 15, 2018. Mikayla Whitmore for Vox

As a freshman Congress member, Rosen doesn’t have much of a voting record to be judged on. But in January, she voted against a short-term government spending bill — a vote Heller is hammering her on in ads. House Republicans ultimately had enough votes to pass that spending bill without Democrats. It failed in the Senate over frustrations about the lack of action on an immigration bill and short-term funding of children’s health insurance and community health centers, pushing the government into a three-day shutdown.

“It’s not a good choice to pit kids who need children’s health insurance against other children like our DREAMers,” Rosen told Vox in a recent interview. “So that’s why we voted against it; it was a false choice. It’s something the Republicans put up there as a poison pill to force us to choose one group of children over another.”

Parra said Rosen taking a tough vote like that and siding with DREAMers sends a message to the state’s Latino community that she is serious about fighting for them. That’s an important contrast to draw, especially since Heller has recently voted against immigration reform and largely aligned himself with Trump after disavowing the president in 2016.

Rosen said she’s called Reid on a few occasions to offer comfort as he recovers from cancer treatment. Asked if she’s received any advice from the former Senate majority leader and political kingmaker (or queenmaker), she nodded: “Know who you are, stay true to yourself, stay true to your values, and be a straight shooter.”

Rosen greets a young singer at the Fiesta Las Vegas Festival at Craig Ranch Regional Park in North Las Vegas on September 15, 2018. Mikayla Whitmore for Vox

Original Source -> Harry Reid is still a Democratic kingmaker

via The Conservative Brief

[movietvtechgeeks]

Latest story from https://movietvtechgeeks.com/melania-trump-ready-vogue-wile-george-clooney-proves-fertile/

Melania Trump ready to Vogue while George Clooney proves fertile

Despite her husband publically bashing the media (including fashion publication Vanity Fair) on countless occasions, First Lady Melania Trump will likely still get a chance to be a fashion magazine cover star. In a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal, Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour revealed that she is planning to shoot Melania during her reign as the nation’s First Lady. Anna told the Journal, “We have a tradition of always covering whoever is the first lady at Vogue, and I can’t imagine that this time would be any different.” Surprisingly, Donald’s wife has already been featured on Vogue, which is a highly sought after cover within the modeling world. Back in 2005, Melania graced the cover in an embroidered bridal gown. The accompanying article within the magazine introduced the Slovenia-native as “Donald Trump’s New Bride,” as 2005 was the year that the two tied the knot. In line with what Anna told The Wall Street Journal, Vogue has had numerous US First Ladies on their cover. In fact, Michelle Obama graced the cover of the high fashion magazine on 3 separate occasions. Based on all of the controversy surrounding both Melania and her husband Donald Trump, it will be interesting to see how consumers react to Melania’s [future] issue of Vogue. Unlike the public, who just found out earlier this week, George Clooney’s good friend Matt Damon has known about George and Amal’s pregnancy for several months now. Earlier this week, The Talk co-host Julie Chen broke the big news to the public, revealing that actor George Clooney and his accomplished journalist wife Amal are expecting twins. This inevitably came as a shock to most, as many assumed that George was not interested in having kids. In a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight Canada, George’s pal Matt Damon revealed that he has been keeping the couple’s secret for the past while. Matt told the media outlet, “I was working with [George] last fall, and he pulled me aside on set and I mean, I almost started crying. I was so happy for him. And I was like, ‘How far along is she?’ and he goes, ‘Eight weeks.’ [And I said] ‘Are you out of your mind? Don’t tell anybody else! Don’t tell anybody else! Don’t you know the 12-week rule?’ Like, of course he doesn’t.” Matt went on to recount, “Then four weeks later, I’m like, ‘We’re good right?’” Fortunately, George assured Matt that Amal and him were still preparing for parenthood. When asked about George’s beau Amal Clooney, Matt gushed all about her to ET. Matt explained, “I’m thrilled for [George]. [Amal’s] amazing. He hit the jackpot. Just on every level. She is a remarkable woman. They’re gonna be great. They’re gonna be awesome parents. Those kids are lucky.” With George and Amal’s A-list network of friends, as well as the baby frenzy that is currently going on in Hollywood, the couple’s offspring will undoubtedly have a long list of famous friends. This year's Oscar telecast will have some big Grammy Award winners: Sting, Justin Timberlake, John Legend and Lin-Manuel Miranda are all slated to perform the tunes nominated for Best Original Song. Timberlake will perform "Can't Stop The Feeling" from the movie "Trolls" and Sting will perform "The Empty Chair" from "Jim: The James Foley Story," the Oscar-nominated song he co-wrote with three-time Oscar nominee J. Ralph. Legend will perform both "Audition (The Fools Who Dream)" and "City of Stars" from "La La Land" and Miranda will team up with Auli'i Cravalho to perform the Oscar-nominated song "How Far I'll Go" from "Moana." The Oscars air Feb. 26 on ABC, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel. In a bizarre series of events, Josh Elliott stepped down from CBS’s digital channel on Friday for a larger role at CBS News — shocking his own bosses. Elliott, who had served as CBSN’s lead daytime anchor for a year, bid an emotional farewell to viewers, saying that it was to be his “last day.” “It has been by any measure a great stay here at CBSN,” he added. It was surprising news — not least to CBS News execs, who had no idea he was announcing his plan to leave the online station. “This is a mess of epic proportions,” said a network source. “Nobody at the top at CBS News knew that Josh was going to do that.” It seems Elliott — who joined the network from NBC in 2016 — had recently met with Laurie Orlando, the network’s head of talent, who told him that she wanted him to take on a bigger role at CBS News. The plan is for him to file reports for “CBS Evening News” and “CBS This Morning,” and help fill in for Charlie Rose, who has just undergone heart surgery. We’re told the surgery was a success and Rose is expected back at work in three weeks. “Then Josh announced his departure without warning,” said the insider. “Executives at CBS were stunned.” Meanwhile, sources close to Elliott claim that his executive producer dropped the ball for not alerting higher-ups, including Orlando and CBS News president David Rhodes. “They totally bungled their own announcement,” said the source. “There was no communication.” There was a flurry of meetings Friday at CBS News to work out how to handle the debacle. Finally, they announced Elliott would be reporting on a national level for CBS News. Insiders say the move is part of a plan for Elliott to take on a bigger role down the line. There are rumors CBS could move Scott Pelley off “CBS Evening News,” which network chiefs have denied. On Friday, a CBS rep told us, “Josh is going to be taking field assignments and reporting long-form pieces as well. He will appear across CBS News programs, including CBSN.” Gigi Hadid couldn’t keep her cool on her first date with boyfriend Zayn Malik. “We actually met at a friends birthday party a few years ago,” the 21-year-old model told Ellen DeGeneres in an episode that aired on Friday, “Then he was in New York to go to the Victoria’s Secret show last year, I think, and ended up not coming. I was like ‘I’ll play it cool. I’ll go to the after-party.’ He wasn’t there and then later that week we ended up going on our first date.” She added, “We played it cool for like 10 minutes, and then I was like, ‘You’re really cute.'” The couple began dating in 2015. “We connected really quickly,” she said, “We had the same sense of humor.” In June 2016, there were rumors the couple had called it quits. According to E!, the couple have experienced several rough patches throughout their relationship, but it seems they’ve worked through those issues. “Black-ish” star Yara Shahidi called a federal appeals court ruling against President Donald Trump’s travel ban an “early birthday present.” That because the half African-American, half Iranian-American actress’ grandmother can now come to visit her, the actress explained to People. “I have family that’s already in the states, and I have family in Iran. That was my early birthday present,” she told the magazine. While none of the 16-year-old’s family was directly affected by the ban, it has placed any future travel plans in limbo. “Fortunately, none of my family was traveling. It did affect the fact that my joon joon [grandmother] was possibly coming,” she said. “That’s kind of been halted until we assess what’s happening.” The Minnesota native, whose first language was Farsi, said that despite the ruling, it’s still hard to get a handle on exactly what is happening. “It goes from, ‘it’s happening,’ to ‘no, it’s postponed,’ to, ‘oh, it’s temporarily postponed,’ to ‘how temporary is the postponement? When are we going to get rid of it?’ So I feel like it’s just hard to adjust and keep up,” she admitted. On Thursday, three federal appeals judges unanimously upheld a decision that halted the president’s refugee and immigration ban. The decision prompted a shrill rebuke from Trump on Twitter. https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/829836231802515457 https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/830389130311921667 “SEE YOU IN COURT, THE SECURITY OF OUR NATION IS AT STAKE!” he wrote shortly after news of the decision broke. Clive Davis isn’t letting national politics affect his famed pre-Grammys party. The veteran music executive says his annual event will be at capacity again this year despite moves elsewhere in Hollywood to scale back awards season soirees. Celebrities have used acceptance speeches and red carpet appearances at recent awards shows to voice their concerns about President Donald Trump. The more serious mood prompted talent agency UTA this week to replace its big traditional pre-Oscars party with a political rally. But speaking Thursday at the Beverly Hilton Hotel alongside soul singer Maxwell, Davis said “there is no impact whatsoever” on Saturday’s gathering of business and tech leaders, actors, musicians and other celebrities. (Trump himself attended the event years ago when it was held in New York.) “There was a hunger for this night,” the 84-year-old music mogul said. “The audience is totally glittering and special. You can’t wait to see all of these cultural-influencing forces be in one room, one night.” Performers will include Chicago’s Chance the Rapper and Maxwell, who performed last month at the Women’s March on Washington at the invitation of Harry Belafonte, who was an honorary co-chair of the event. Davis said he expected a rising level of political engagement by fellow musicians, well past Grammy weekend. “It’s like the ’60s and the ’70s again, isn’t it. A great time for art. A great time to be able to say something that needs to be heard,” he said. “I just hope that in this time, people start using their voices.” Davis, meanwhile, says he used his voice to make sure there was a focus on music as producers crafted a documentary about his life, “Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of our Lives.” The movie was selected to kick off the Tribeca Film Festival in April. “That’s more than cool. I’m from New York. I’m from Brooklyn,” he said, “and to open at Radio City Music Hall, which is the first theater I ever visited in Manhattan when I was 13 years old — that night of April 19 will be very special.” Actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and professional ballerina Misty Copeland have joined basketball star Stephen Curry in criticizing the CEO of sports apparel company Under Armour for praising President Donald Trump. Kevin Plank, the CEO of Baltimore-based Under Armour, called Trump “an asset to the country” in an interview with CNBC this week. The company later issued a statement saying it engages in “policy, not politics.” “I appreciate and welcome the feedback from people who disagree (and agree) with Kevin Plank’s words on CNBC, but these are neither my words, nor my beliefs,” Johnson wrote as part of a lengthy Facebook post. “His words were divisive and lacking in perspective. Inadvertently creating a situation where the personal political opinions of Under Armour’s partners and its employees were overshadowed by the comments of its CEO.” Under Armour sponsors Johnson, Copeland and Curry, the two-time NBA MVP and star of the Warriors. Copeland wrote in an Instagram post she was so concerned about Plank’s comments that she spoke to him directly. Curry turned Plank’s use of “asset” around. “I agree with that description,” Curry told the Mercury News, “if you remove the ‘-et’ from asset.” None of the three has severed ties with the company. Actor Shia LaBeouf slammed the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens Friday for shuttering his controversial anti-President Trump webcam exhibit. “THE MUSEUM HAS ABANDONED US,” he wrote on Twitter. https://twitter.com/thecampaignbook/status/830078936533102592 LaBeouf’s criticism drew a swift response on his site — not all of it favorable. “Well you created a circus,” responded Quite Frankly Podcast. The Astoria-based museum said it shut down the 24/7 webcam project Friday morning because the installation had become a “flashpoint of violence.” The webcam exhibit mounted on a wall outside the museum— titled “HE WILL NOT DIVIDE US” — began filming on Inauguration Day, and was to be in place 24/7, for the duration of Trump’s presidency. NBC is in talks with FremantleMedia to resurrect “American Idol,” Variety has learned. According to sources with knowledge of the discussions, NBC has been pitched a revival of the long-running singing competition by producer Fremantle and is now mulling options for how to integrate the show into its programming slate. One possibility being considered: cutting NBC’s existing singing competition “The Voice” from two cycles a year to one. Fremantle has been shopping an “Idol” revival in recent weeks, with NBC emerging as the leading candidate to become the new home of the long-running singing competition series. Sources emphasize that talks are ongoing, and no deal is yet in place. Representatives for NBC and Fremantle declined to comment. “American Idol” ran on Fox for 15 seasons beginning in 2002. For eight consecutive seasons, beginning in 2003-04, it was the highest-rated show on television. At its peak in 2006, “American Idol” averaged a 12.4 rating among the 18-49 demographic and 36.4 million total viewers, according to Nielsen live-plus-same-day numbers. Ratings began to decline steeply in the show’s later years, to the point that Fox decided that it no longer represented a worthwhile financial or scheduling commitment. (The series aired two nights a week, typically beginning in midseason.) The final season in 2016 averaged a 2.2 and 9.1 million viewers. Those numbers were far diminished from what the show drew in its heyday, but they remain respectable by contemporary standards, with delayed viewing and increased competition applying downward pressure on live ratings across television. An “American Idol” revival has been a subject of speculation since before the final season aired on Fox last year. Speaking at the Television Critics Association winter press tour in 2016, longtime host Ryan Seacrest discussed the show’s future even as he promoted what Fox had dubbed the “farewell season.” “When you’ve got a franchise that has this kind of heritage, and you’ve got a franchise that generates X amount of millions of people, if it sustains, does that mean it’s the end?” Seacrest said. “I’m not so sure.” “The Voice,” currently in its seventh year, has shown its own ratings fatigue — even as it remains NBC’s most-watched non-football offering besides freshman drama “This Is Us.” The 2016 fall cycle, which ended Dec. 12, averaged a 2.5 live-plus-same-day rating among adults 18-49, according to Nielsen overnight numbers — down 19 percent from the previous fall. From a scheduling standpoint, it could be difficult for NBC to find a place for “American Idol” without making changes to its existing unscripted slate. NBC’s schedule is already loaded with talent competitions year-round, with “The Voice” premiering new cycles in fall and mid-season, and “America’s Got Talent” — produced by original “American Idol” judge Simon Cowell — reigning as the network’s biggest draw in summer. In July, NBC gave a series order to “World of Dance,” a dance competition series from another former “American Idol” judge, Jennifer Lopez, which has not yet been scheduled. After saying she'd like to play President Donald Trump's controversial adviser Steve Bannon on "Saturday Night Live," comedienne Rosie O'Donnell has apparently changed her Twitter profile picture to make herself look like him. O'Donnell's offer to play the chief strategist came after actress Melissa McCarthy's caustic portrayal of White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer on "SNL" last weekend. O'Donnell's new Twitter picture appears to be a digitally altered picture of Bannon with her face replacing his. But the actress-comedian will not appear on the NBC show this weekend, her spokeswoman said Friday. O'Donnell and Trump have publicly feuded in the past, with Trump making derogatory comments about O'Donnell's looks and weight.

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