Saturday, January 30, 2016

Obama to meet with Muslims on 1st visit to US mosque

 

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE 5 hours ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a public show of support, President Barack Obama will meet with Muslim community members Wednesday in Baltimore on his first presidential visit to an American mosque.

Obama plans to hold talks with Muslim leaders at the Islamic Society of Baltimore, the White House announced Saturday. The visit will amount to a public embrace of Muslims by Obama at a time when public sentiment against them seems to be growing, largely fueled by fears of terrorist acts carried out by extremist groups.

Obama has largely put distance between himself and U.S. Muslims, opting against fueling the rampant theories that he is a closet Muslim who was born in Kenya, the country of his late father's birth. Obama is American by virtue of his birth in Hawaii and has released his birth certificate as proof. He also is Christian. But segments of the U.S. population still believe neither to be true.

As such, the visit will come during the final year of Obama's two terms in office. The White House said he will go to the Baltimore mosque to "celebrate the contributions Muslim Americans make to our nation and reaffirm the importance of religious freedom to our way of life."

In remarks to be delivered at the mosque, Obama "will reiterate the importance of staying true to our core values: welcoming our fellow Americans, speaking out against bigotry, rejecting indifference and protecting our nation's tradition of religious freedom," the White House said.

Obama has been outspoken in pushing back against calls by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and others to block Muslims from being admitted to the U.S. over fears of domestic terrorism linked to radical extremist groups.

Others have cited potential security risks in pushing legislation in Congress to limit the resettlement of refugees from Iraq and Syria, where the Islamic State group is active and from which it has exported its brand of terrorism to other regions of the world.

Obama has argued that such efforts are wrong and serve only to incite extremist groups, weaken America's leadership around the world and put U.S. security at risk.

"We're not going to build progress with a bunch of phony tough talk, and bluster, and over-the-top claims that just play into ISIL's hands," the president said, using an acronym for the Islamic State. He spoke to House Democrats on Thursday as they strategized at a meeting in Baltimore. "We're not going to strengthen our leadership around the world by allowing politicians to insult Muslims or pit groups of Americans against each other. That's not who we are. That's not keeping America safe."

It was not immediately clear why the White House chose the Islamic Society of Baltimore for the visit.

_Above is from:  __http://news.yahoo.com/obama-meet-hold-talks-muslims-baltimore-172545110--politics.html

Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders tentatively agree to four more debates

 

  • Agreement must be approved by Democratic National Committee
  • Clinton campaign chairman wants one debate in Flint, Michigan

CNN Democratic Presidential Debate13 Oct 2015, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA --- UK CLIENTS MUST CREDIT: AKM-GSI ONLY Las Vegas, NV - Jim Webb, Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, Martin O’Malley and Lincoln Chafee pictured at the 2015 CNN Democratic Presidential Debate at Wynn Resort. Pictured: CNN Democratic Presidential Debate --- Image by © AKM-GSI/Splash News/Corbis

Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have agreed in principle to contest four more Democratic presidential primary debates.

Live Iowa counts down to caucus as Sanders and Clinton campaign - live coverage

It’s the last weekend before voting begins and with rallies across the Hawkeye state, Democrats and Republicans are seeking a late boost in polls

Read more

Should the Democratic national committee sanction the move, the new schedule would begin with a proposed “unsanctioned” debate on 4 February in New Hampshire, hosted by the New Hampshire Union Leader and MSNBC.

Three more debates would then follow this spring, in a development that was first reported on Saturday by Buzzfeed.

The Clinton campaign’s chairman, John Podesta, said in a statement on Saturday one of the debates should be held in Flint. The Michigan city is still in the grip of a crisis over lead pollution in drinking water that has brought great pressure to bear on the state’s Republican governor, Rick Snyder.

Podesta said: “We should use the spotlight of the presidential campaign to keep the focus on Flint, and to lift up the historic underlying issues that Flint and too many other predominantly low-income communities of color across America are struggling with every day.

“We want their voices to be heard in this campaign, and holding a debate in Flint would go a long way toward achieving that goal.”

The Sanders campaign proposed adding the four events – one each in February, March, April and May – after criticizing the DNC for scheduling thus far low-rated debates on weekends and holidays.

The third remaining Democratic candidate, Martin O’Malley, has also strongly criticised the DNC for what he says is an attempt to limit the number of debates, thereby tilting the Democratic primary in favour of Clinton.

The addition of four more debates would bring the total of Democratic contests up to 10. The Republicans are due to hold 12 debates.

On Saturday, both campaigns said a final deal had not yet been reached and the DNC had not signed off on the agreement.

A New Hampshire debate on Thursday would give Clinton and Sanders a high-profile encounter before the nation’s first presidential primary.

The next scheduled debate will be held Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on 11 February, two days after the New Hampshire primary and less than two weeks before the South Carolina Democratic primary. A debate is also scheduled for Miami on 9 March.

Clinton and Sanders are in a tight race before Monday’s Iowa caucuses. Clinton trails the Vermont senator in New Hampshire but leads healthily nationally.

ABOVE IS FROM:  http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jan/30/hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders-democratic-presidential-debates

Koch brothers convene donor retreat as dark money spending set to soar

 

Billionaire Republican backers host retreat with other super-rich conservatives as secret donations are forecast to break records in the 2016 election

Republican candidates

The leading Republican presidential candidates, minus Donald Trump, at a debate in Des Moines, Iowa, on Thursday night. Photograph: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images

The billionaire Koch brothers are set to convene one of their famed retreats this weekend for several hundred of their fellow super-rich conservatives in Palm Springs, California, as observers forecast a record year for secret donations, dubbed dark money, to Koch-backed groups and other outfits from the NRA to the League of Conservation Voters.

Dark Money review: Nazi oil, the Koch brothers and a rightwing revolution

New Yorker writer Jane Mayer examines the origins, rise and dominance of a billionaire class to whom money is no object when it comes to buying power

“Given the trends we’re seeing, we wouldn’t be surprised if dark money spent on direct advocacy [in the US 2016 election] hit half a billion dollars,” said Viveca Novak, the editorial director of the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. “Spending by these groups in the 2016 cycle is way ahead of previous cycles, and [dark money groups] are more integrated into campaigns than we’ve seen in the past.”

In 2012, the center has reported, dark money groups spent over $300m, of which more than 80% came from Republican-leaning outfits.

Dark money is the name for cash given to nonprofit organizations that can receive unlimited donations from corporations, individuals and unions without disclosing their donors. Under IRS regulations these tax-exempt groups are supposed to be promoting “social welfare” and are not allowed to have politics as their primary purpose – so generally they have to spend less than half their funds directly promoting candidates. Other so-called “issue ads” paid for by these groups often look like thinly veiled campaign ads.

The boom in dark money spending in recent elections came in the wake of the supreme court’s 2010 Citizens United decision, which held that the first amendment allowed unlimited political spending by corporations and unions. That decision and other court rulings opened the floodgates to individuals, corporations and unions writing unlimited checks to outside groups, both Super Pacs and dark money outfits, which can directly promote federal candidates. Dark money spending rose from just under $6m in 2006 to $131m in 2010 following the decision, according to the CRP.

Several Republican congressional incumbents and candidates facing tough races are slated to attend the Koch retreat this weekend, and, if recent history is a guide, are expecting to gain support from Koch-backed dark money groups.

Florida congressman Ron DeSantis will be one of the lucky ones, according to conservative sources. DeSantis is seeking to replace senator and presidential candidate Marco Rubio – who is not running for re-election to the Senate in 2017 – and faces a GOP primary in August. As an invitee to the Koch confab, DeSantis has a good shot at benefitting from what the conservative network specializes in: hefty advertising support from the tax-exempt nonprofits that industrialists Charles and David Koch and their wealthy allies underwrite via unlimited and dark money.

DeSantis and other congressional guests are also hoping to see Super Pacs that support them receive checks that donors, thanks to the Citizens United decision, can write with no upper limit. Super Pacs are organizations independent of the candidates’ campaigns which, unlike the campaigns, may since Citizens United raise unlimited amounts of money from individual donors, corporations and unions. Unlike with dark money, these donations do require disclosure.

In recent years politicians attending Koch conferences have been the beneficiaries of considerable dark money support. In 2014, big ad spending by the Koch brothers-backed Americans for Prosperity group and other dark money allies proved instrumental in the Senate wins of Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Joni Ernst of Iowa and Cory Gardner of Colorado, all of whom attended a Koch retreat in mid 2014 and praised the donors for their help. And this election season AFP has already spent a few million dollars on ad blitzes to help endangered Republican incumbents including Rob Portman of Ohio and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire.

AFP and other Koch-network-backed dark money groups are widely expected to spend tens of millions of dollars more on advertising in some six Senate races to help GOP candidates, and will probably also spend money on ads to boost the Republican presidential nominee, despite concerns if the eventual nominee is Donald Trump, according to conservative sources. Charles Koch has stated that their donor network is aiming to spend at least $250m in this year’s elections and another $500m on conservative advocacy and research programs.

Several Koch network donors have voiced strong concerns about the rise of Trump, raising doubts about his conservative bona fides and his angry anti-immigrant rhetoric, which they fear could hurt efforts by the Koch network and the Republican party to appeal to Hispanics and minorities. “I hope he’ll moderate himself,” says Minnesota broadcasting billionaire Stan Hubbard. “He’s a great showman and knows how to get attention. He’s got to know when to turn that off and act like a potential president.”

Hubbard adds: “Trump wasn’t their choice,” referring to the Koch brothers network. “But they’re also realists. I believe you have to work with what you have.”

Historically, the bulk of the Koch network’s spending has flowed to AFP and another larger nonprofit, Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce, which serves as a vehicle to funnel funds to numerous outfits such as the National Rifle Association and the US Chamber of Commerce, and is the official host of this weekend’s Koch donor retreat. A Super Pac, Freedom Partners Action Fund, which spent $23.4m in the 2014 midterm elections, will also get a chunk of the Koch network’s $250m.

Some Republican presidential campaigns have also been boosted by dark money for this election.

Rubio’s presidential run has benefitted by almost $10m in dark money spending by the Conservative Solutions Project. This nonprofit has spent mainly on ads that feature the Florida senator and tout his stances on key issues such as the Iran nuclear deal and tax increases, both of which he opposes.

Three watchdog groups have filed complaints with the IRS or Justice Department against the pro-Rubio nonprofit, charging among other things that it is providing Rubio a “private benefit” contrary to IRS rules, undermining its “social welfare” status. Jeff Sadosky, a spokesman for the Conservative Solutions Project, has dismissed the complaints and stated that its ads are designed to promote conservative issues not Rubio’s candidacy.

Another dark money behemoth, Crossroads GPS, cofounded in 2010 by George W Bush’s former strategist Karl Rove, is expected to spend millions of dollars this year on research and ads to help whoever wins the Republican nomination, says Steven Law, the group’s president. In 2012, the nonprofit poured over $70m into ads to boost Mitt Romney’s campaign and help Republican congressional candidates, according to campaign finance records.

Law also leads another dark money outfit, One Nation, which last year spent millions to help embattled Republican Senate candidates including Ayotte and Portman.

Meanwhile, a few Democratic allied nonprofits including one tied to David Brock, the ex-Clinton foe turned staunch ally, are poised to bolster Hillary Clinton’s campaign, while others like Patriot Majority USA are aimed at helping Democrats regain the Senate majority.

Over the last two years, American Bridge Foundation, the group founded by Brock, has funneled $3.7m into an allied Super Pac American Bridge 21st Century, according to the nonpartisan Sunlight Foundation. Brock is also on the board of the pro Clinton Super Pac Priorities USA Action which boasts an allied dark money outfit, Priorities USA.

This tsunami of dark money donations and spending by nonprofit groups does not seem to have been anticipated by the Citizens United decision. Justice Anthony Kennedy, in his majority opinion, envisioned a campaign finance system where all spending would be instantly disclosed via the internet, and outside groups would be completely independent from campaigns, thus limiting potential corruption.

In a recent speech at Harvard Law School, Kennedy acknowledged that disclosure was “not working the way it should”.

Some election law specialists fault the FEC and the IRS for failing to properly oversee the fast growing role of dark money. Ken Gross, a former counsel at the FEC who is now a partner with Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom in Washington said: “The difficulties that the FEC and the IRS have had investigating the activities of these groups, has given them a fairly wide berth for operating,” which has led some dark money groups to exploit loopholes in order to circumvent political spending limit.

ABOVE IS FROM: http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jan/29/koch-brothers-donor-retreat-dark-money-2016-election

The United States should consider reparations to African-American descendants of slavery, a United Nations working group said Friday

 

image

 

By JESSE J. HOLLAND, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States should consider reparations to African-American descendants of slavery, establish a national human rights commission and publicly acknowledge that the trans-Atlantic slave trade was a crime against humanity, a United Nations working group said Friday.

The U.N. Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent released its preliminary recommendations after more than a week of meetings with black Americans and others from around the country, including Baltimore, Chicago, New York City, the District of Columbia and Jackson, Mississippi.

After finishing their fact-finding mission, the working group was "extremely concerned about the human rights situation of African-Americans," chair Mireille Fanon Mendes-France of France said in the report. "The colonial history, the legacy of enslavement, racial subordination and segregation, racial terrorism and racial inequality in the U.S. remains a serious challenge as there has been no real commitment to reparations and to truth and reconciliation for people of African descent."

For example, Mendes-France compared the recent deaths of unarmed black men like Michael Brown and Eric Garner at the hands of police to the lynchings of black men in the South from the post-Civil War days through the Civil Rights era. Those deaths, and others, have inspired protests around the country under the Black Lives Matter moniker.

"Contemporary police killings and the trauma it creates are reminiscent of the racial terror lynchings in the past," she told reporters. "Impunity for state violence has resulted in the current human rights crisis and must be addressed as a matter of urgency."

Some of the working group's members, none of whom are from the United States, said they were shocked by some of the things they found and were told.

For example, "it's very easy in the United States for African-Americans to be imprisoned, and that was very concerning," said Sabelo Gumedze of South Africa.

Federal officials say 37 percent of the state and federal prison populations were black males in 2014. The working group suggests the U.S. implement several reforms, including reducing the use of mandatory minimum laws, ending racial profiling, ending excessive bail and banning solitary confinement.

"What stands out for me is the lack of acknowledgement of the slave trade," said Ricardo A. Sunga III, who lives in the Philippines.

The working group suggests monuments, markers and memorials be erected in the United States to facilitate dialogue, and "past injustices and crimes against African-Americans need to be addressed with reparatory justice,"

The group will suggest several U.S. changes to improve human rights for African-Americans, which also include establishing a national human rights commission, ratifying international human rights treaties, asking Congress to study slavery and its aftereffects and considering reparations .

The Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent was established in 2002 by the then-Commission on Human Rights, following the World Conference against Racism in 2001.

It also visited the United States in 2010, where its final report found similar problems, including blacks facing disproportionately high unemployment, lower income levels, less access to education, "problematic access to quality health-care services and the high incidence of certain health conditions, electoral disenfranchisement and structural issues in the administration of justice (in particular incarceration rates)."

The current panel will give its final findings to the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva in September.

___

Jesse J. Holland covers race, ethnicity and demographics for The Associated Press. Contact him at jholland @ ap.org, on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/jessejholland or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/jessejholland.

Above is from:  http://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2016-01-29/un-working-group-suggests-us-work-on-racial-reconciliation

Job Opportunity—Sheriff’s Office

image

Jobless rate in Boone, Winnebago counties at 7.2 percent for December

  •  

  • By Georgette Braun
    Staff writer

     

  • Posted Jan. 28, 2016 at 12:48 PM
    Updated Jan 28, 2016 at 6:10 PM

    ROCKFORD — The jobless rate in Boone and Winnebago counties in December was 7.2 percent, up from 6.9 percent in the same month in 2014, the Illinois Department of Employment Security said today.
    In November, the rate was 7.5 percent for the two counties.
    Statewide, the unemployment rate increased in 11 regions and stayed the same in three in December. The statewide rate was 5.9 percent.
    Boone and Winnebago counties had one of the highest unemployment rates in the state. Only Danville and Decatur, each at 7.4 percent unemployment, had a higher rate.
    Georgette Braun:
  • Above is from:  http://www.rrstar.com/article/20160128/NEWS/160129497/0/SEARCH

Letter: Cathy Ward will act in best interest of Boone County

  •  

  • image

 

    • Posted Jan. 24, 2016 at 9:01 AM

      I have attended many committee meetings as well as Boone County Board meetings and have observed firsthand the politics that have interfered with government for and by the people. The political influence is, if you do not join the political group, you are not loyal to your party.
      Well, we have an exception to that rhetoric with current board member Cathy Ward, who has been on the Boone County Board for over 13 years and is running for another term. I recommend that you vote for Cathy Ward so she can continue her excellent representation for District 2. Cathy does her own homework on any project and then votes accordingly in the best interest of Boone County and its taxpayers. She has only one concern, and that is to do what the people elected her to do.
      Please vote and get involved with local politics.
      — Bob Christianson, Belvidere

    Above is from:  http://www.rrstar.com/article/20160124/OPINION/160129803/0/SEARCH

    image

    • Letter: Please help Cathy Ward get re-elected

      • Posted Jan. 27, 2016 at 12:00 PM

        I am writing to ask Boone County District 2 voters to re-elect Cathy Ward to represent them on the Boone County Board.
        For four years, I have attended board meetings and zoning board of appeals meetings. I greatly admire Cathy Ward's servant attitude, her transparency and approachability, her persistence in researching an issue and her God-given gift of articulating both sides of an issue and arriving at the best solution for all Boone County residents.
        Cathy is not on the board to represent one group of people or one agenda. She is not on the board to be a bobblehead or a clone. She is not there just to get a paycheck or become popular. Cathy is on the board to serve and help all people in Boone County enjoy a higher standard of living, promote industry, reduce government taxes and improve government services to it's citizens.
        During a number of hot issues in 2015, I've seen Cathy faithfully and actively listening to people with strong opinions. She does not run away and, when possible, asks questions and offers astute remarks to their concerns.
        Cathy's persistence on researching an issue and her tenacity to often stand alone or almost alone speaks volumes. Too often at meetings, county board members appear bored and don't ask important questions. Meanwhile, Cathy is always engaged, thinking and looking at all perspectives of a problem and asking questions.
        Cathy's biggest gift she brings to the county board is her ability to articulate the problem and give a positive and fair solution. I've marveled at her words and watched others on the board marvel at her assessments and conclusions.
        In my opinion, Boone County has been very fortunate to have a servant like Cathy. Please help Cathy Ward get back on the board and represent all of Boone County.
        — LaVonne Wundrow, Poplar Grove
      • Above is from:   http://www.rrstar.com/article/20160127/OPINION/160129617/0/SEARCH