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pbmus's JournalMINORITIES HEAR DIVISION IN TRUMP CALL FOR UNITY
President Donald Trump's call for American unity in his first State of the Union address struck an us-versus-them tone for many minorities, raising questions as to what extent Americans are put off by a leader who continually draws criticism as bigoted and xenophobic.
For many people of color, Trump's address before Congress on Tuesday night hardly reflected a shift in his ideology or his bruising style of governance. It was not lost on them that the president simply softened what he's been saying all along, particularly when it comes to immigration, and sought to add a veneer of tolerance by using the stories of people of color to illustrate his points.
"After more than a year of toxic policies and attacks on marginalized communities, the time for hoping Trump might change is long over," said Color of Change Executive Director Rashad Robinson. "Behaving like an adult for one speech doesn't change those facts."
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_STATE_OF_THE_UNION_RACE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Climate change threatens half of US bases worldwide, Pentagon report finds
Nearly half of US military sites are threatened by wild weather linked to climate change, according to a new Pentagon study whose findings run contrary to White House views on global warming.
Drought, wind and flooding that occurs due to reasons other than storms topped the list of natural disasters that endanger 1,700 military sites worldwide, from large bases to outposts, said the US Department of Defense (DoD).
“Changes in climate can potentially shape the environment in which we operate and the missions we are required to do,” said the DoD in a report accompanying the survey.
“If extreme weather makes our critical facilities unusable or necessitates costly or manpower-intensive workarounds, that is an unacceptable impact.”
The findings put the military at odds with Donald Trump, who has repeatedly cast doubt on mainstream scientific findings about climate change, including this week during an interview on British television.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jan/31/climate-change-threatens-us-military-bases-pentagon?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
'Traumatized and broken:' Victims of gymnastics doctor detail abuse in court
CHARLOTTE, Mich. (Reuters) - Jessica Thomashow was a 9-year-old gymnast who still liked playing with American Girl dolls when USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar first molested her, she said in a Michigan courtroom on Wednesday.
“You took advantage of my innocence and trust,” the 17-year-old high school student told Nassar, as he sat, eyes cast downward, in an orange prison jumpsuit. “Why? I ask myself that question all the time, especially when I am lying in bed, crying myself to sleep.”
Over and over, women and teenagers stood on Wednesday to recount similar stories of abuse: Nassar, the famous physician who treated Olympic stars, played the role of caring doctor before sexually assaulting them in his exam room under the guise of medical treatment, sometimes with their own parents present.
Nassar, 54, previously pleaded guilty to two sets of abuse charges in Michigan’s Ingham and Eaton counties. He was sentenced last week to 40 to 175 years in prison in the Ingham County case after more than 150 victims including Olympic gold medalists recounted abuse at his hands in an emotionally wrenching week-long hearing.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-gymnastics-usa-nassar/traumatized-and-broken-victims-of-gymnastics-doctor-detail-abuse-in-court-idUSKBN1FK1CS?
Fed leaves rates unchanged, sees inflation rising this year
Citing solid gains in employment, household spending and capital investment, the Fed said it expected the economy to expand at a moderate pace and the labor market to remain strong in 2018.
“Inflation on a 12-month basis is expected to move up this year and to stabilize” around the Fed’s 2 percent target over the medium term, the central bank said in a statement following a two-day policy meeting, the last under Fed Chair Janet Yellen.
It also said its rate-setting committee had unanimously selected Powell to succeed Yellen, effective Feb. 3. Powell, a Fed governor who has worked closely with Yellen, was nominated by President Donald Trump and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
Powell is expected to hew closely to the policies embraced by Yellen, who spearheaded the gradual move away from the near-zero interest rates adopted to nurse the economy back to health and spur job growth after the 2007-2009 recession.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-fed/fed-leaves-rates-unchanged-sees-inflation-rising-this-year-idUSKBN1FK0IQ?
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