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babylonsister
babylonsister's Journal
babylonsister's Journal
June 15, 2020
7 mins ago
The Supreme Court’s Landmark LGBTQ Civil Rights Ruling Will Extend Far Beyond Employment Law
Experts say the decision has implications for everything from housing to health care.
Laura Thompson
The Supreme Court's decision to protect gay and transgender Americans from employment discrimination comes in the midst of the Trump Administration's attack on the LGBTQ community.Kevin Wolf/AP
For indispensable reporting on the coronavirus crisis and more, subscribe to Mother Jones' newsletters.
On Monday, the Supreme Court handed LGBTQ Americans one of their biggest civil rights victories yet. In a 6-3 decision, the court ruled that gender identity and sexual orientation were protected under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act’s prohibition on sex discrimination in employment. The decision means LBGTQ folks can no longer lose their jobs simply for being queer.
The ruling provides some much-needed clarity for lower courts and state officials, who are currently working with a hodgepodge of different (and sometimes conflicting) nondiscrimination policies. Until Monday, the 10th Circuit Court has maintained that transgender people are not protected by prohibitions on sex discrimination under Title VII. And Mark Horton, the gay man from Illinois I wrote about last year who says he had a job offer rescinded after his future employer found out he was married to a man, will finally get his day in court.
And though the case was specific to employment discrimination, the implications beyond the workplace are huge. The ruling won’t directly overturn discriminatory policies outside the realm of employment, says Sharon McGowan, Legal Director for Lambda Legal—which argued one of the Title VII cases before the Second Circuit Court—but it does set a precedent that makes it incredibly difficult to exclude gay and transgender people from other laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex.
more...
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/06/supreme-court-lgbtq-ruling-trans-gay-employment-discrimination/
The Supreme Court's Landmark LGBTQ Civil Rights Ruling Will Extend Far Beyond Employment Law
7 mins ago
The Supreme Court’s Landmark LGBTQ Civil Rights Ruling Will Extend Far Beyond Employment Law
Experts say the decision has implications for everything from housing to health care.
Laura Thompson
The Supreme Court's decision to protect gay and transgender Americans from employment discrimination comes in the midst of the Trump Administration's attack on the LGBTQ community.Kevin Wolf/AP
For indispensable reporting on the coronavirus crisis and more, subscribe to Mother Jones' newsletters.
On Monday, the Supreme Court handed LGBTQ Americans one of their biggest civil rights victories yet. In a 6-3 decision, the court ruled that gender identity and sexual orientation were protected under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act’s prohibition on sex discrimination in employment. The decision means LBGTQ folks can no longer lose their jobs simply for being queer.
“In our time, few pieces of federal legislation rank in significance with the Civil Rights Act of 1964,” writes Justice Neil Gorsuch, a Trump appointee, in the majority opinion. “There, in Title VII, Congress outlawed discrimination in the workplace on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Today, we must decide whether an employer can fire someone simply for being homosexual or transgender. The answer is clear. An employer who fires an individual for being homosexual or transgender fires that person for traits or actions it would not have questioned in members of a different sex. Sex plays a necessary and undisguisable role in the decision, exactly what Title VII forbids.”
The ruling provides some much-needed clarity for lower courts and state officials, who are currently working with a hodgepodge of different (and sometimes conflicting) nondiscrimination policies. Until Monday, the 10th Circuit Court has maintained that transgender people are not protected by prohibitions on sex discrimination under Title VII. And Mark Horton, the gay man from Illinois I wrote about last year who says he had a job offer rescinded after his future employer found out he was married to a man, will finally get his day in court.
And though the case was specific to employment discrimination, the implications beyond the workplace are huge. The ruling won’t directly overturn discriminatory policies outside the realm of employment, says Sharon McGowan, Legal Director for Lambda Legal—which argued one of the Title VII cases before the Second Circuit Court—but it does set a precedent that makes it incredibly difficult to exclude gay and transgender people from other laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex.
“There are lots of places where this should just be plug and play,” she says. “And individuals should be able to continue to have their rights vindicated or be able to start having their rights vindicated if they were not in a place where that law was clear previously.”
more...
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/06/supreme-court-lgbtq-ruling-trans-gay-employment-discrimination/
June 15, 2020
30 evangelical leaders beg Christians to rethink their support for Trump in new book
Published 36 mins ago
on June 15, 2020
By Sky Palma
A new book released this Monday is compiled of 30 essays written by evangelical leaders imploring white evangelicals to rethink their support for President Trump, The Christian Post reports.
The book, titled, The Spiritual Danger of Donald Trump: 30 Evangelical Christians on Justice, Truth, and Moral Integrity, also warns of the damage done to how Americans perceive evangelicals as a result of their alliance with Trump’s messaging.
Read more at The Christian Post.
30 evangelical leaders beg Christians to rethink their support for Trump in new book
https://www.rawstory.com/2020/06/30-evangelical-leaders-beg-christians-to-rethink-their-support-for-trump-in-new-book/30 evangelical leaders beg Christians to rethink their support for Trump in new book
Published 36 mins ago
on June 15, 2020
By Sky Palma
A new book released this Monday is compiled of 30 essays written by evangelical leaders imploring white evangelicals to rethink their support for President Trump, The Christian Post reports.
The book, titled, The Spiritual Danger of Donald Trump: 30 Evangelical Christians on Justice, Truth, and Moral Integrity, also warns of the damage done to how Americans perceive evangelicals as a result of their alliance with Trump’s messaging.
“Our plea is to white evangelicals to please take another look and ask, ‘Does this person measure up to biblical norms?’” Evangelicals for Social Action’s Ron Sider, who is also the book’s editor, told The Christian Post. “We are not telling you what to include. But please prayerfully think about that. Even if you think the book will make you mad, given the title, I challenge you to read it and decide for yourself if there are any valid points that we are making there.”
“The book is not a book to tell people how to vote,” Sider continued. “It is a book to call people to think biblically about this election and about the character of candidates.”
“We’re not just left-wing Democrats,” he said. “We are a whole range of views begging American white evangelicals to ask this simple question: ‘Does Donald Trump’s behavior and policies fit with or contradict biblical norms?’”
“The book is not a book to tell people how to vote,” Sider continued. “It is a book to call people to think biblically about this election and about the character of candidates.”
“We’re not just left-wing Democrats,” he said. “We are a whole range of views begging American white evangelicals to ask this simple question: ‘Does Donald Trump’s behavior and policies fit with or contradict biblical norms?’”
Read more at The Christian Post.
June 15, 2020
1 hour ago - Politics & Policy
Supreme Court declines to hear gun-rights cases
Fadel Allassan
The Supreme Court on Monday denied petitions for appeals of 10 cases involving gun rights, CNBC reports.
Why it matters: The decision is a blow to gun rights advocates who have sought to expand the rights of gun owners through the conservative-majority court. The court has long been reluctant to weigh in on battles over Second Amendment rights.
Details: The cases that were denied include questions concerning whether some laws banning interstate gun sales violate the Second Amendment, whether people have a constitutional right to carry a gun for self-defense, and whether states can limit gun-carrying permits to people who can show a specific need for self-defense.
Supreme Court declines to hear gun-rights cases
https://www.axios.com/supreme-court-gun-rights-cases-1cfd6fcf-1139-4cd2-bb52-295183a06085.html1 hour ago - Politics & Policy
Supreme Court declines to hear gun-rights cases
Fadel Allassan
The Supreme Court on Monday denied petitions for appeals of 10 cases involving gun rights, CNBC reports.
Why it matters: The decision is a blow to gun rights advocates who have sought to expand the rights of gun owners through the conservative-majority court. The court has long been reluctant to weigh in on battles over Second Amendment rights.
The court has not litigated the reach of the Second Amendment since rulings in 2008 and 2010 struck down gun regulations in D.C. and Chicago.
Details: The cases that were denied include questions concerning whether some laws banning interstate gun sales violate the Second Amendment, whether people have a constitutional right to carry a gun for self-defense, and whether states can limit gun-carrying permits to people who can show a specific need for self-defense.
June 15, 2020
https://www.politicususa.com/2020/06/15/trump-claims-media-is-trying-to-covid-shame-us-on-our-big-rallies.html
Posted on Mon, Jun 15th, 2020 by Darragh Roche
Trump Claims Media Is “Trying to Covid Shame Us on Our Big Rallies”
Donald Trump has lashed out at the media amid concerns that his political rallies could contribute to the spread of Covid-19. The President took to Twitter to defend his campaign events.
Trump’s attack on the media and the protesters came shortly after he touted the large number of people who want to attend his upcoming rally in Tulsa.
“Almost One Million people request tickets for the Saturday Night Rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma!” he tweeted.
This is despite the fact that the venue only holds around 20,000 people and serious questions have already been raised about the numbers his campaign has been bragging about.
The President went on to falsely claim that U.S. testing for Coronavirus is the best in the world.
Trump Claims Media Is "Trying to Covid Shame Us on Our Big Rallies"
https://www.politicususa.com/2020/06/15/trump-claims-media-is-trying-to-covid-shame-us-on-our-big-rallies.html
Posted on Mon, Jun 15th, 2020 by Darragh Roche
Trump Claims Media Is “Trying to Covid Shame Us on Our Big Rallies”
Donald Trump has lashed out at the media amid concerns that his political rallies could contribute to the spread of Covid-19. The President took to Twitter to defend his campaign events.
“The Far Left Fake News Media, which had no Covid problem with the Rioters & Looters destroying Democrat run cities, is trying to Covid Shame us on our big Rallies,” Trump wrote.
“Won’t work!”
“Won’t work!”
Trump’s attack on the media and the protesters came shortly after he touted the large number of people who want to attend his upcoming rally in Tulsa.
“Almost One Million people request tickets for the Saturday Night Rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma!” he tweeted.
This is despite the fact that the venue only holds around 20,000 people and serious questions have already been raised about the numbers his campaign has been bragging about.
The President went on to falsely claim that U.S. testing for Coronavirus is the best in the world.
“Our testing is so much bigger and more advanced than any other country (we have done a great job on this!) that it shows more cases,” Trump said.
“Without testing, or weak testing, we would be showing almost no cases. Testing is a double edged sword – Makes us look bad, but good to have!!!”
“Without testing, or weak testing, we would be showing almost no cases. Testing is a double edged sword – Makes us look bad, but good to have!!!”
June 15, 2020
In landmark case, Supreme Court rules LGBTQ workers are protected from job discrimination
The decision said Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which makes it illegal for employers to discriminate because of a person's sex, also covers sexual orientation and transgender status.
Supreme Court rules existing federal law forbids discrimination based on sexual orientation
June 15, 2020, 10:05 AM EDT / Updated June 15, 2020, 11:15 AM EDT
By Pete Williams
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that existing federal law forbids job discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or transgender status, a major victory for advocates of gay rights and for the nascent transgender rights movement — and a surprising one from an increasingly conservative court.
By a vote of 6-3, the court said Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which makes it illegal for employers to discriminate because of a person's sex, among other factors, also covers sexual orientation and transgender status. It upheld rulings from lower courts that said sexual orientation discrimination was a form of sex discrimination.
Equally surprising was that the decision was written by President Donald Trump's first Supreme Court appointee, Neil Gorsuch, who was joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and the court's four more liberal members to form a majority.
more...
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-rules-existing-civil-rights-law-protects-gay-lesbian-n1231018
In landmark case, Supreme Court rules LGBTQ workers are protected from job discrimination
In landmark case, Supreme Court rules LGBTQ workers are protected from job discrimination
The decision said Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which makes it illegal for employers to discriminate because of a person's sex, also covers sexual orientation and transgender status.
Supreme Court rules existing federal law forbids discrimination based on sexual orientation
June 15, 2020, 10:05 AM EDT / Updated June 15, 2020, 11:15 AM EDT
By Pete Williams
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that existing federal law forbids job discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or transgender status, a major victory for advocates of gay rights and for the nascent transgender rights movement — and a surprising one from an increasingly conservative court.
By a vote of 6-3, the court said Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which makes it illegal for employers to discriminate because of a person's sex, among other factors, also covers sexual orientation and transgender status. It upheld rulings from lower courts that said sexual orientation discrimination was a form of sex discrimination.
Equally surprising was that the decision was written by President Donald Trump's first Supreme Court appointee, Neil Gorsuch, who was joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and the court's four more liberal members to form a majority.
"An employer who fired an individual for being homosexual or transgender fires that person for traits or actions it would not have questioned in members of a different sex," Gorsuch wrote for the court. "Sex plays a necessary and undisguisable role in the decision, exactly what Title VII forbids."
"Those who adopted the Civil Rights Act might not have anticipated their work would lead to this particular result," he wrote, adding, "But the limits of the drafters' imagination supply no reason to ignore the law's demands."
"Only the written word is the law, and all persons are entitled to its benefit," he wrote.
"Those who adopted the Civil Rights Act might not have anticipated their work would lead to this particular result," he wrote, adding, "But the limits of the drafters' imagination supply no reason to ignore the law's demands."
"Only the written word is the law, and all persons are entitled to its benefit," he wrote.
more...
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-rules-existing-civil-rights-law-protects-gay-lesbian-n1231018
June 15, 2020
Why Liberals Are Wrong About Trump
Older piece from 2017 but no less relevant.
https://extranewsfeed.com/why-liberals-are-wrong-about-trump-c865b12c72a7
Why Liberals Are Wrong About Trump
Glenn Rockowitz
Feb 16, 2017 · 2 min read
Why are the liberals completely overreacting to Trump’s unique style of governing?
They’re not. He’s a fucking sociopath. And here’s a recipe for raspberry scones:
Preheat oven to 400.
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (from 1 medium lemon)
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into 1/2-inch cubes and then chilled
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 cup frozen raspberries, kept in the freezer until ready to use
Combine measured flour, 1/4 cup of the sugar, the baking powder, lemon zest, and salt in a large bowl and whisk to break up any lumps. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture until small, pea-sized pieces remain.
Pour in 3/4 cup of the cream and, using your finger, mix until just incorporated and a rough, slightly sticky mound has formed (not all of the flour will be incorporated). Turn the dough and loose flour out onto a work surface and knead until most of the flour is incorporated and the dough just holds together (be careful not to overwork it). Lightly flour a rolling pin and the work surface. Using your hands, roughly form the dough into a rectangle, keeping the long edge toward you. Roll the dough into an 8-by-10-inch rectangle (if the dough cracks, push it back together), again keeping the long edge toward you.
Remove the raspberries from the freezer, evenly arrange them in a single layer over the lower two-thirds of the rectangle, and press them into the dough (it’s OK if some break).
Starting with the top, berryless third, fold the dough lengthwise into thirds, pressing on the layers as you go (use a spatula or pasty scraper if the dough sticks to the work surface).
Flour the rolling pin again and gently roll the dough into an even 1-inch-thick block. If the ends become tapered, square them with your hands. Slice the dough crosswise (do not saw back and forth) into 4 equal pieces. Cut each piece diagonally to form 2 triangles.
Transfer the scones to the floured plate and place in the freezer for 5 minutes.
Remove the scones from the freezer and transfer to the prepared baking sheet, setting them 2 inches apart. Brush a thin layer of the remaining 1 tablespoon cream over the tops of the scones and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake until golden brown on the top and bottom, about 20 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (from 1 medium lemon)
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into 1/2-inch cubes and then chilled
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 cup frozen raspberries, kept in the freezer until ready to use
Combine measured flour, 1/4 cup of the sugar, the baking powder, lemon zest, and salt in a large bowl and whisk to break up any lumps. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture until small, pea-sized pieces remain.
Pour in 3/4 cup of the cream and, using your finger, mix until just incorporated and a rough, slightly sticky mound has formed (not all of the flour will be incorporated). Turn the dough and loose flour out onto a work surface and knead until most of the flour is incorporated and the dough just holds together (be careful not to overwork it). Lightly flour a rolling pin and the work surface. Using your hands, roughly form the dough into a rectangle, keeping the long edge toward you. Roll the dough into an 8-by-10-inch rectangle (if the dough cracks, push it back together), again keeping the long edge toward you.
Remove the raspberries from the freezer, evenly arrange them in a single layer over the lower two-thirds of the rectangle, and press them into the dough (it’s OK if some break).
Starting with the top, berryless third, fold the dough lengthwise into thirds, pressing on the layers as you go (use a spatula or pasty scraper if the dough sticks to the work surface).
Flour the rolling pin again and gently roll the dough into an even 1-inch-thick block. If the ends become tapered, square them with your hands. Slice the dough crosswise (do not saw back and forth) into 4 equal pieces. Cut each piece diagonally to form 2 triangles.
Transfer the scones to the floured plate and place in the freezer for 5 minutes.
Remove the scones from the freezer and transfer to the prepared baking sheet, setting them 2 inches apart. Brush a thin layer of the remaining 1 tablespoon cream over the tops of the scones and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake until golden brown on the top and bottom, about 20 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
June 15, 2020
Why Trump Is Right To Worry About That Glass of Water
Even if it’s baseless and unfair, few things stick to a modern president like images of physical frailty.
By JEFF GREENFIELD
06/14/2020 06:17 PM EDT
Jeff Greenfield is a five-time Emmy-winning network television analyst and author.
What to call it—“Photo-oops”? “Glass of Watergate?”
Whatever the label, when the videos appeared on Saturday of President Trump shuffling down that ramp at West Point, a general walking attentively by his side, and using two hands to guide a water glass to his lips, the response on liberal Twitter threatened to deplete America’s Strategic Schadenfreude Reserve.
The same man who ran for office by mocking the height and stamina of his rivals, who celebrates dominance as the cardinal virtue of leadership, whose 2016 campaign compiled similar slips by Hillary Clinton into a dark TV commercial accusing her of lacking the strength to serve as president, found himself looking like a longtime resident of Shady Grove Home For the Weary.
The images led to some elaborate online speculations and diagnoses, and for Trump, the attention clearly struck a nerve. Why else would the president take to Twitter to offer the excuse that the ramp was “very slippery” (a claim that a New York Times story labeled highly dubious)?
He might well be revealing his own insecurities. But he’s also right about one important thing: just how damaging such a picture of weakness can be. It may sound trivial, and it’s often unfair, but when a modern president, or even a candidate, exhibits physical weakness, it comes with a political cost.
snip//
Yes, it may seem absurd to argue that in a time of pandemic, economic catastrophe, demands for racial justice, and a president often at war with the norms of a Constitutional republic, that a couple of video images should really preoccupy either the president or his critics. But Donald Trump has a native instinct for knowing what matters—not what the pundits say, or what civics classes tell you, but what really sticks with people. And history says he’s right to be concerned about this one.
Why Trump Is Right To Worry About That Glass of Water
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/06/14/trump-right-worry-glass-of-water-318695Why Trump Is Right To Worry About That Glass of Water
Even if it’s baseless and unfair, few things stick to a modern president like images of physical frailty.
By JEFF GREENFIELD
06/14/2020 06:17 PM EDT
Jeff Greenfield is a five-time Emmy-winning network television analyst and author.
What to call it—“Photo-oops”? “Glass of Watergate?”
Whatever the label, when the videos appeared on Saturday of President Trump shuffling down that ramp at West Point, a general walking attentively by his side, and using two hands to guide a water glass to his lips, the response on liberal Twitter threatened to deplete America’s Strategic Schadenfreude Reserve.
The same man who ran for office by mocking the height and stamina of his rivals, who celebrates dominance as the cardinal virtue of leadership, whose 2016 campaign compiled similar slips by Hillary Clinton into a dark TV commercial accusing her of lacking the strength to serve as president, found himself looking like a longtime resident of Shady Grove Home For the Weary.
The images led to some elaborate online speculations and diagnoses, and for Trump, the attention clearly struck a nerve. Why else would the president take to Twitter to offer the excuse that the ramp was “very slippery” (a claim that a New York Times story labeled highly dubious)?
He might well be revealing his own insecurities. But he’s also right about one important thing: just how damaging such a picture of weakness can be. It may sound trivial, and it’s often unfair, but when a modern president, or even a candidate, exhibits physical weakness, it comes with a political cost.
snip//
Yes, it may seem absurd to argue that in a time of pandemic, economic catastrophe, demands for racial justice, and a president often at war with the norms of a Constitutional republic, that a couple of video images should really preoccupy either the president or his critics. But Donald Trump has a native instinct for knowing what matters—not what the pundits say, or what civics classes tell you, but what really sticks with people. And history says he’s right to be concerned about this one.
June 15, 2020
'We're Thinking Landslide'
I'm thinking delusional. 
https://politicalwire.com/2020/06/15/were-thinking-landslide/
‘We’re Thinking Landslide’
June 15, 2020 at 6:24 am EDT By Taegan Goddard
“By most conventional indicators, Donald Trump is in danger of becoming a one-term president. The economy is a wreck, the coronavirus persists, and his poll numbers have deteriorated,” Politico reports.
“But throughout the Republican Party’s vast organization in the states, the operational approach to Trump’s re-election campaign is hardening around a fundamentally different view. Interviews with more than 50 state, district and county Republican Party chairs depict a version of the electoral landscape that is no worse for Trump than six months ago — and possibly even slightly better. According to this view, the coronavirus is on its way out and the economy is coming back. Polls are unreliable, Joe Biden is too frail to last, and the media still doesn’t get it.”
Said Phillip Stephens, GOP chairman in Robeson County, N.C.: “The more bad things happen in the country, it just solidifies support for Trump. We’re calling him ‘Teflon Trump.’ Nothing’s going to stick, because if anything, it’s getting more exciting than it was in 2016. We’re thinking landslide.”
“But throughout the Republican Party’s vast organization in the states, the operational approach to Trump’s re-election campaign is hardening around a fundamentally different view. Interviews with more than 50 state, district and county Republican Party chairs depict a version of the electoral landscape that is no worse for Trump than six months ago — and possibly even slightly better. According to this view, the coronavirus is on its way out and the economy is coming back. Polls are unreliable, Joe Biden is too frail to last, and the media still doesn’t get it.”
Said Phillip Stephens, GOP chairman in Robeson County, N.C.: “The more bad things happen in the country, it just solidifies support for Trump. We’re calling him ‘Teflon Trump.’ Nothing’s going to stick, because if anything, it’s getting more exciting than it was in 2016. We’re thinking landslide.”
June 14, 2020
more...
https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/investigations/2019/04/24/usa-today-revealing-misconduct-records-police-cops/3223984002/
We found 85,000 cops who've been investigated for misconduct. Now you can read their records.
Tarnished Brass
We found 85,000 cops who’ve been investigated for misconduct. Now you can read their records.
In 2019, USA TODAY led a national effort to publish disciplinary records for police officers. George Floyd's death has renewed calls for transparency
John Kelly, and Mark Nichols, USA TODAY
Updated 9:48 a.m. EDT June 11, 2020
At least 85,000 law enforcement officers across the USA have been investigated or disciplined for misconduct over the past decade, an investigation by USA TODAY Network found.
Officers have beaten members of the public, planted evidence and used their badges to harass women. They have lied, stolen, dealt drugs, driven drunk and abused their spouses.
Despite their role as public servants, the men and women who swear an oath to keep communities safe can generally avoid public scrutiny for their misdeeds.
The records of their misconduct are filed away, rarely seen by anyone outside their departments. Police unions and their political allies have worked to put special protections in place ensuring some records are shielded from public view, or even destroyed.
Reporters from USA TODAY, its affiliated newsrooms across the country and the nonprofit Invisible Institute in Chicago spent more than a year creating the biggest collection of police misconduct records.
Obtained from thousands of state agencies, prosecutors, police departments and sheriffs, the records detail at least 200,000 incidents of alleged misconduct, much of it previously unreported. The records obtained include more than 110,000 internal affairs investigations by hundreds of individual departments and more than 30,000 officers who were decertified by 44 state oversight agencies.
USA TODAY Network has gathered discipline and accountability records on more than 85,000 law enforcement officers and has started releasing them to the public. The first collection published is a list of more than 30,000 officers who have been decertified, essentially banned from the profession, in 44 states. Search our exclusive database by officer, department or state.
Among the findings:
Most misconduct involves routine infractions, but the records reveal tens of thousands of cases of serious misconduct and abuse. They include 22,924 investigations of officers using excessive force, 3,145 allegations of rape, child molestation and other sexual misconduct and 2,307 cases of domestic violence by officers.
Dishonesty is a frequent problem. The records document at least 2,227 instances of perjury, tampering with evidence or witnesses or falsifying reports. There were 418 reports of officers obstructing investigations, most often when they or someone they knew were targets.
Less than 10% of officers in most police forces get investigated for misconduct. Yet some officers are consistently under investigation. Nearly 2,500 have been investigated on 10 or more charges. Twenty faced 100 or more allegations yet kept their badge for years.
Dishonesty is a frequent problem. The records document at least 2,227 instances of perjury, tampering with evidence or witnesses or falsifying reports. There were 418 reports of officers obstructing investigations, most often when they or someone they knew were targets.
Less than 10% of officers in most police forces get investigated for misconduct. Yet some officers are consistently under investigation. Nearly 2,500 have been investigated on 10 or more charges. Twenty faced 100 or more allegations yet kept their badge for years.
more...
https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/investigations/2019/04/24/usa-today-revealing-misconduct-records-police-cops/3223984002/
June 14, 2020
The most powerful person in the White House not named Donald Trump
Jared Kushner is Trump’s most trusted adviser. What exactly does he want?
By Sean Illing@seanillingsean.illing@vox.com Jun 13, 2020, 9:00am EDT
Jared Kushner’s portfolio of duties is already the stuff of legend — overseeing the US-Mexico border wall, ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, solving the opioid crisis, managing the nation’s medical stockpile amid the coronavirus crisis, overhauling the Republican Party platform, and on and on.
It would be an impressive list of responsibilities for President Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law — were it not for the fact that Kushner is manifestly unskilled and unsuited to take on any one of them.
But that hasn’t stopped the president from continuing to turn to him — and Kushner from answering the call. It’s a bewildering blend of confidence and ignorance that has unfortunately had real consequences on American lives.
snip//
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/6/13/21265067/jared-kushner-trump-white-house-andrea-bernstein
The most powerful person in the White House not named Donald Trump
The most powerful person in the White House not named Donald Trump
Jared Kushner is Trump’s most trusted adviser. What exactly does he want?
By Sean Illing@seanillingsean.illing@vox.com Jun 13, 2020, 9:00am EDT
Jared Kushner’s portfolio of duties is already the stuff of legend — overseeing the US-Mexico border wall, ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, solving the opioid crisis, managing the nation’s medical stockpile amid the coronavirus crisis, overhauling the Republican Party platform, and on and on.
It would be an impressive list of responsibilities for President Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law — were it not for the fact that Kushner is manifestly unskilled and unsuited to take on any one of them.
But that hasn’t stopped the president from continuing to turn to him — and Kushner from answering the call. It’s a bewildering blend of confidence and ignorance that has unfortunately had real consequences on American lives.
snip//
Sean Illing: Something that comes across pretty quickly in your writing is that Jared thinks very, very highly of Jared.
Andrea Bernstein: One of the overarching themes after talking to dozens, maybe hundreds, of people who knew Jared was that he was very, very confident in himself and his own abilities, even when he didn’t have information. I heard this over and over again. I heard it as it applies to his real estate business, to his work in the publishing industry, and to his work in politics.
People assumed, based on his demeanor, that they would go in and have a discussion with him, but that he was the one who always thought he was right, and he understood things and he knew how to do things even when he clearly didn’t.
Andrea Bernstein: One of the overarching themes after talking to dozens, maybe hundreds, of people who knew Jared was that he was very, very confident in himself and his own abilities, even when he didn’t have information. I heard this over and over again. I heard it as it applies to his real estate business, to his work in the publishing industry, and to his work in politics.
People assumed, based on his demeanor, that they would go in and have a discussion with him, but that he was the one who always thought he was right, and he understood things and he knew how to do things even when he clearly didn’t.
Sean Illing: I don’t know smart or dumb Jared Kushner is, so I’ll ask this question as charitably as I can: Is he as incompetent as he appears to be?
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https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/6/13/21265067/jared-kushner-trump-white-house-andrea-bernstein
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