Lovely Warren, mayor of the Upstate New York city, faces two charges while also contending with mismanagement of Daniel Prude’s death
An Upstate New York mayor, who is at the center of controversy over the police-involved death of a Black man earlier this year, has been indicted after being suspected of campaign finance fraud related to a past reelection bid.
Lovely Warren, the Democratic mayor of Rochester, New York, was indicted Friday, The New York Times reports. Two associates were also charged.
Warren, 43, who has been the mayor since 2013, is already embroiled in an investigation into the mishandling of the death of Daniel Prude, a Black man who was killed by police in March after his brother called for a mental health check.
Rochester Mayor Lovely A. Warren addresses members of the media during a press conference related to the ongoing protest in the city on September 06, 2020 in Rochester, New York. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
As reported by theGrio, Prude was nude and unarmed when he was handcuffed and place in a “spit hood” by police, which officers allege was used to protect them against the novel coronavirus. After an officer applied force to hold down his head, Prude was rendered unconscious and died a week later in the hospital.
Prude’s death did not become public knowledge until September when his family was finally granted access to the body cam video of his arrest. They allege that the details of the arrest were covered up. The Rochester police chief has stepped down, and there have been calls for Warren to do the same. New York Attorney General Leticia James announced in September she will convene a grand jury in the case.
Now, she may be the next to step down. If convicted, it would lead to her vacating the position.
Daniel Prude arrest (Credit: screenshot)
The indictment says that Warren, her campaign treasurer and the city’s finance director “knowingly and willingly” attempted to evade campaign contribution limits and were involved in a “systemic and ongoing” attempt to defraud “more than one person.”
“We all want our elections to be run fairly, and these are laws on the books to allow and ensure that people who are entering political office follow the rules,” Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley said at a press conference on Friday. “We all want fair campaigns.”
The mayor and her co-defendants, Rosiland Brooks Harris, the finance director, and Albert Jones, Jr., the campaign treasurer, are scheduled to be arraigned on Monday.
Warren has denied any wrongdoing, blaming the financial irregularities on what Doorley described as a “substantial sum” on bookkeeping errors.
“Her position has not changed one bit, and that is, she’s innocent,” her lawyer Joseph Damelio told the Times. “She is anxious to get this process started and she’s ready to go to trial.”
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The talents of the well-decorated MLB pitcher, who at his peak was considered the best starter in league history, inspired a rule change in the late 1960s
Hall of Famer Bob Gibson, the dominating St. Louis Cardinals pitcher who won a record seven consecutive World Series starts and set a modern standard for excellence when he finished the 1968 season with a 1.12 ERA, died Friday. He was 84.
The Cardinals confirmed Gibson’s death shortly after a 4-0 playoff loss to San Diego ended their season. He had long been ill with pancreatic cancer in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska.
Bob Gibson quite literally changed the game of baseball.
He was a fierce competitor and beloved by Cardinal Nation.
Gibson’s death came on the 52nd anniversary of perhaps his most overpowering performance, when he struck out a World Series record 17 batters in Game 1 of the 1968 World Series against Detroit.
One of baseball’s most uncompromising competitors, the two-time Cy Young Award winner spent his entire 17-year career with St. Louis and was named the World Series MVP in their 1964 and ’67 championship seasons. The Cards came up just short in 1968, but Gibson was voted the National League’s MVP and shut down opponents so well that baseball changed the rules for fear it would happen again.
Gibson died less than a month after the death of a longtime teammate, Hall of Fame outfielder Lou Brock. Another pitching great from his era, Tom Seaver, died in late August.
“I just heard the news about losing Bob Gibson and it’s kind of hard losing a legend. You can lose a game, but when you lose a guy like Bob Gibson, just hard,” Cardinals star catcher Yadier Molina said. “Bob was funny, smart, he brought a lot of energy. When he talked, you listened. It was good to have him around every year. We lose a game, we lose a series, but the tough thing is we lost one great man.”
At his peak, Gibson may have been the most talented all-around starter in history, a nine-time Gold Glove winner who roamed wide to snatch up grounders despite a fierce, sweeping delivery that drove him to the first base side of the mound; and a strong hitter who twice hit five home runs in a single season and batted .303 in 1970, when he also won his second Cy Young.
Baseball wasn’t his only sport, either. He also starred in basketball at Creighton University and spent a year with the Harlem Globetrotters before totally turning his attention to the diamond.
Averaging 19 wins a year from 1963-72, he finished 251-174 with a 2.91 ERA, and was only the second pitcher to reach 3,000 strikeouts. He didn’t throw as hard as Sandy Koufax, or from as many angles as Juan Marichal, but batters never forgot how he glared at them (or squinted, because he was near-sighted) as if settling an ancient score.
Gibson snubbed opposing players and sometimes teammates who dared speak to him on a day he was pitching, and he didn’t even spare his own family.
In this March 1968 file photo, St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Bob Gibson is pictured during baseball spring training in Florida. (AP Photo, File)
“I’ve played a couple of hundred games of tic-tac-toe with my little daughter and she hasn’t beaten me yet,” he once told The New Yorker’s Roger Angell. “I’ve always had to win. I’ve got to win.”
Equally disciplined and impatient, Gibson worked so quickly that broadcaster Vin Scully joked that he pitched as if his car was double-parked.
Ball in hand, he was no nonsense on the hill. And he had no use for advice, scowling whenever catcher Tim McCarver or anyone else thought of visiting the mound.
“The only thing you know about pitching is you can’t hit it,” Gibson was known to say.
His concentration was such that he seemed unaware he was on his way to a World Series single game strikeout record (surpassing Sandy Koufax’s 15) in 1968 until McCarver convinced him to look at the scoreboard.
During the regular season, Gibson struck out more than 200 batters nine times and led the National League in shutouts four times, finishing with 56 in his career. In 1968, thirteen of his 22 wins were shutouts, leading McCarver to call Gibson “the luckiest pitcher I ever saw. He always pitches when the other team doesn’t score any runs.”
He was, somehow, even greater in the postseason, finishing 7-2 with a 1.89 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 81 innings. Despite dominating the Tigers in the 1968 Series opener, that year ended with a Game 7 loss — hurt by a rare misplay from star center fielder Curt Flood — and a rewriting of the rules that he would long resent.
Gibson’s 1.12 ERA in the regular season was the third lowest for any starting pitcher since 1900 and by far the best for any starter in the post-dead-ball era, which began in the 1920s.
His 1968 performance, the highlight of the so-called “Year of the Pitcher,” left officials worried that fans had bored of so many 1-0 games. They lowered the mound from 15 to 10 inches in 1969 and shrank the strike zone.
“I was pissed,” Gibson later remarked, although he remained a top pitcher for several years and in 1971 threw his only no-hitter, against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Gibson had a long major league career even though he was a relatively late bloomer and was in his early 30s in 1968. Signed by the Cards as an amateur free agent in 1957, he had early trouble with his control, a problem solved by developing one of baseball’s greatest sliders, along with a curve to go with his hard fastball. He knew how to throw strikes and how to aim elsewhere when batters stood too close to the plate.
In this Oct. 12, 1964, file photo, St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Bob Gibson throws to a New York Yankees batter during Game 5 of the World Series, in New York. Gibson went all the way for a 5-2 win. (AP Photo, File)
Hank Aaron once counseled Atlanta Braves teammate Dusty Baker about Gibson.
“Don’t dig in against Bob Gibson; he’ll knock you down,” Aaron said, according to the Boston Globe. “He’d knock down his own grandmother if she dared to challenge him. Don’t stare at him, don’t smile at him, don’t talk to him. He doesn’t like it. If you happen to hit a home run, don’t run too slow, don’t run too fast. If you happen to want to celebrate, get in the tunnel first. And if he hits you, don’t charge the mound, because he’s a Gold Glove boxer.”
Only the second Black player (after Don Newcombe) to win the Cy Young Award, he was an inspiration when insisting otherwise. Gibson would describe himself as a “blunt, stubborn Black man” who scorned the idea he was anyone’s role model and once posted a sign over his locker reading “I’m not prejudiced. I hate everybody.”
But he was proud of the Cards’ racial diversity and teamwork, a powerful symbol during the civil rights era, and his role in ensuring that players did not live in segregated housing during the season.
He was close to McCarver, a Tennessean who would credit Gibson with challenging his own prejudices, and the acknowledged leader of a club which featured whites (McCarver, Mike Shannon, Roger Maris), Blacks (Gibson, Brock and Flood) and Hispanics (Orlando Cepeda, Julian Javier).
“Our team, as a whole, had no tolerance for ethnic or racial disrespect,” Gibson wrote in “Pitch by Pitch,” published in 2015. “We’d talk about it openly and in no uncertain terms. In our clubhouse, nobody got a free pass.”
Cardinals pitcher Jack Flaherty, who is Black, grew close to Gibson in recent years. The right-handers would often talk, the 24-year-old Flaherty soaking up advice from the great who wore No. 45.
“That one hurts,” said Flaherty, the Cardinals’ losing pitcher Friday night. “He’s a legend, first and foremost, somebody who I was lucky enough to learn from. You don’t get the opportunity to learn from somebody of that caliber and somebody who was that good very often.”
“I had been kept up on his health and where he was at. I was really hoping it wasn’t going to be today. I was going to wear his jersey today to the field but decided against it,” he said.
Born Pack Robert Gibson in Omaha on Nov. 9, 1935, Gibson overcame childhood illness that nearly cost him his life. His father died soon before his birth, and he grew up in poverty. His mother was a laundry worker, trying to support Gibson and his six siblings.
“Growing up without a father is a hardship and deprivation that is impossible to measure,” Gibson wrote in “From Ghetto to Glory,” one of a handful of books he published.
Gibson went to Omaha Tech High School and stayed in town, attending Creighton from 1954-57, and averaging 20.2 points during his college basketball career. The roughly 6-foot, 2-inch Gibson, who seemed so much taller on the mound, spent the 1957-58 season with the Globetrotters before turning his full attention to baseball.
At Omaha in the minor leagues, he was managed by Johnny Keane, who became a mentor and cherished friend, “the closest thing to a saint” he would ever know in baseball.
Gibson was often forced to live in separate hotels from his white teammates and was subjected to vicious taunts from fans, but he would remember Keane as “without prejudice” and as an unshakeable believer in his talent.
His early years with the Cardinals were plagued by tensions with manager Solly Hemus, who openly used racist language and was despised by Gibson and other Cardinals. Hemus was fired in the middle of the 1961 season and replaced, to Gibson’s great fortune, by Keane.
The pitcher’s career soon took off. He made the first of his eight National League All-Star teams in 1962, and the following year went 18-9 and kept the Cardinals in the pennant race until late in the season.
In 1964, a year he regarded as his favorite, he won three times in the last 11 games as the Cardinals surged past the collapsing Philadelphia Phillies and won the National League title. Gibson lost Game 2 of the World Series against the New York Yankees, but he came back with wins in Games 5 and 7 and was named the MVP.
The series was widely regarded as a turning point in baseball history, with the great Yankee dynasty falling the following year and the Cardinals embodying a more modern and aggressive style of play. Keane stuck with Gibson in Game 7 even after the Yankees’ Clete Boyer and Phil Linz homered in the ninth inning and narrowed the Cardinals’ lead to 7-5. He would later say of Gibson, who retired Bobby Richardson on a pop fly to end the series, that he had a commitment to “his heart.”
Gibson was also close to Keane’s successor, Red Schoendienst, who took over in 1965 after Keane left for the Yankees. Gibson enjoyed 20-game seasons in 1965 and 1966 and likely would have done the same a third straight year, but a Roberto Clemente line drive broke his leg in the middle of the season. (Gibson was so determined he still managed to finish the inning).
Gibson returned in September, finished 13-7 during the regular season and led the Cardinals to the 1967 championship, winning three times and hitting a home run off Red Sox ace Jim Lonborg in Game 7 at Boston’s Fenway Park. The final out was especially gratifying; he fanned first baseman George Scott, who throughout the series had been taunting Gibson and the Cards.
In this Oct. 12, 1967, file photo, St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Bob Gibson receives a congratulatory hug from catcher Tim McCarver after he pitched a three-hitter in the team’s 7-2 victory in Game 7 over the Boston Red Sox to win the World Series at Fenway Park in Boston, Mass. At left is third baseman Mike Shannon. (AP Photo, File)
But 1968 was on a level few had seen before. He began slowly, losing five of his first eight decisions despite an ERA of 1.52, and fumed over the lack of hitting support. (“Starvation fare,” Angell would call it).
But from early June to late August, Gibson was unbeatable. He won 15 straight decisions, threw 10 shutouts and at one point allowed just three earned runs during 101 innings. One of those runs scored on a wild pitch, another on a bloop hit.
He was at his best again in the opener of the World Series, giving a performance so singular that his book “Pitch by Pitch” was dedicated entirely to it.
On a muggy afternoon in St. Louis, facing 31-game winner Denny McLain and such power hitters as Al Kaline — who also died this year — Norm Cash and Willie Horton, he allowed just five hits and walked one in a 4-0 victory. Gibson struck out at least one batter every inning and in the ninth fanned Kaline, Cash and Horton to end with 17, the final pitch a slow breaking ball that left Horton frozen in place.
“I was awed,” Tigers second baseman Dick McAuliffe later said. “He doesn’t remind me of anybody. He’s all by himself.”
In this Oct. 2, 1968, file photo, St. Louis Cardinals ace pitcher Bob Gibson throws to Detroit Tigers’ Norm Cash during the ninth inning of Game 1 of the baseball World Series at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. (AP Photo, File)
In Game 4, Gibson homered as he led the Cards to a 10-1 romp over McLain and 3-to-1 advantage in the series. But the Tigers won the next two and broke through in the finale against Gibson, who had a one-hitter with two out in the seventh inning, and the score 0-0.
Gibson allowed two singles before Flood, a Gold Glove center fielder, misplayed Jim Northrup’s drive to left center and the ball fell, before the warning track, for a two-run triple. The Cardinals lost 4-1 and Gibson would grimace even decades later when asked about the game.
By the mid-1970s, his knees were aching and he had admittedly lost some of his competitive fury. On the last day of the 1974 season, with a 2-1 lead and a division title possible, he gave up a two-run homer to the Montreal Expos’ Mike Jorgensen in the eighth inning and the Cards lost 3-2.
He retired after 1975, humiliated in his final appearance when he gave up a grand slam home run to the Chicago Cubs’ Pete LaCock. (When the two faced off a decade later, at an old-timers game, Gibson beaned him).
Gibson was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1981, and the Cards retired his uniform number. He had a far less successful career as a coach, whether for the New York Mets and Braves in the 1980s, or for the Cardinals in 1995.
In this Oct. 2, 2005, file photo, St. Louis Cardinals Hall-of-Famer Bob Gibson waves to the crowd during ceremonies following the Cardinals’ last regular-season game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, against the Cincinnati Reds. (AP Photo/Bill Boyce, File)
He was married twice, most recently to Wendy Gibson, and spent much of his retirement at his longtime home in the Omaha suburb of Bellevue. He was active in charitable causes and hosted a popular golf event in Omaha that drew some of the top names in sports.
Gibson worried that young people were forgetting about baseball history, and he spoke with dismay about a Cardinal player who knew nothing about Jackie Robinson. But in 2018, Gibson himself was honored when the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra commissioned a rap song in his honor.
The lyrics inspired by “From Ghetto to Glory” — “He was a game changer The complete gamer Throw a pitch so fast It’ll rearrange ya He’s no stranger He’s Bob Gibson been on a mission He changed the game forever The pitcher was his position.”
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Warren Pegram and his stepson, Charlston Austin, have opened an Ace Hardware franchise in their neighborhood in the city of South Fulton, Georgia. It is one of the first hardware stores in their community.
According to the City of South Fulton Observer, the new store is a great addition to the current retail lineup at the Old National Marketplace. Its opening came right on time as the city has been encouraging more small businesses to do business in the area.
The Ace Hardware franchise promises to particularly offer home improvement products that are most needed in the community. Pegram said that unlike other franchises, they will also sell party rental equipment such as commercial grade snow cone machines, inflatables, popcorn machines, and many more.
Austin, who used to work as a former retail account executive, is making sure to connect with the community to know the products they need and to be able to provide it in their hardware store. His father, on the other hand, is ensuring the high level of customer service so everyone who comes to the store will have an awesome shopping experience.
Because of the newest hardware store in the area, residents in the community don’t have to go further away for their home improvement needs. They are also hoping to inspire the younger generations to become entrepreneurs.
To keep their customers safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, they are currently offering pick-up and delivery options. They are located at 6385 Old National Hwy Suite 120, South Fulton, GA.
Caleb Anderson, a 12-year old gifted boy from Georgia, has already finished his first year in college and has just started his second year. He is majoring in Aerospace Engineering at Chattahoochee Technical College.
Caleb was just 9-months old when he learned to sign more than 250 words. He eventually learned to speak and read when he turned 11-months old. Aside from the English language, he also learned Spanish, French, and Mandarin.
Caleb’s parents, Claire and Kobi, knew he was special and has been very supportive of him ever since.
“As we started to interact with other parents, and had other children, then we started to realize how exceptional this experience was because we had no other frame of reference,” Kobi told CBS News.
At the age of 3, Caleb qualified for MENSA. He joined at the age of 5, making him the youngest African-American boy to be accepted at that time.
Caleb has exceptional from elementary to middle and high school. His mother said Caleb thought those were boring and not challenging so he wanted to go to college already and he was enjoying it so far.
“It was exactly how I expected it to be like if I were 18 or something,” Caleb said.
Caleb has 2 other younger siblings, Aaron and Hannah, who are also gifted. Their parents are all proud of them and encourage other parents to nurture their children’s potential.
Moreover, Caleb is set to graduate at the age of 14. He says that he plans to continue his studies at Georgia Tech as well as MIT.
Trump announced in a tweet early Friday morning that he and the first lady tested positive for the coronavirus.
11 people involved in the planning and set-up of the presidential debate in Cleveland on Tuesday have tested positive for COVID-19.
The news coincides with the announcement that President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump are both COVID-positive.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, the majority of those infected (so far) are out of state residents, WKYC reports. The non-profit medical center issued a statement on Friday noting that everyone with access to the debate hall tested negative for the virus prior to entry. Moderator Chris Wallace revealed that Trump and his family arrived too late to take the test.
In a statement released on Friday, the clinic made clear that the individuals who tested positive were not permitted inside Samson Pavilion, where the debate was held.
“It’s important to clarify the 11 people who tested positive never accessed the debate hall. These individuals were either members of the media or were scheduled to work logistics/set-up the days prior to the event. Individuals did not receive credentials or tickets to enter the debate hall until they had a negative test, and all were advised to isolate while they awaited their test results,” Cleveland Clinic said.
“It is important to note that everyone affiliated with the debate – with credentials to be in the event perimeter – was tested upon arrival. Only those with negative test results were allowed within the pavilion. While CDPH was not on-site for the debate, we were in contact with organizers and those responsible for enforcing safety measures inside the venue,” the statement continued.
Trump announced in a tweet early Friday morning that he and Melania tested positive for the coronavirus. The news followed confirmation that White House senior aide Hope Hicks is in quarantine amid her positive diagnosis, theGRIO reported.
The president was last seen by reporters returning to the White House on Thursday evening and looked to be in good health. At 74 years old and obese, the former reality TV star is at higher risk of serious complications from a virus that has now killed more than 200,000 people nationwide.
Cleveland Clinic putting out another statement, clarifying that the 11 people who tested positive for coronavirus according to City Of Cleveland never accessed the debate hall. City says they were mostly from out of state. pic.twitter.com/BrCyM5a9bg
During the first Trump-Biden detate, members of the president’s family were seen seated in the audience without wearing a mask.
“I don’t wear masks like him,” Trump said of Biden. “Every time you see him, he’s got a mask. He could be speaking 200 feet away from me, and he shows up with the biggest mask I’ve ever seen.”
Both Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris have tested negative, their campaign said. Vice President Mike Pence has also tested negative for the virus and “remains in good health,” his spokesman said.
Meanwhile, Cleveland city officials are working with the Ohio Department of Health (ODH), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and the Cleveland Clinic on its contact tracing process.
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The former counselor to the president attended last week’s White House nomination ceremony for Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett.
Kellyanne Conway, who served as President Donald Trump‘s longtime adviser, has tested positive for COVID-19.
Conway, 53, announced her positive test result on Friday night in a tweet just hours after President Trump was relocated to a military hospital to be treated after he too tested positive.
“Tonight I tested positive for COVID-19. My symptoms are mild (light cough) and I’m feeling fine. I have begun a quarantine process in consultation with physicians. As always, my heart is with everyone affected by this global pandemic,” she tweeted.
White House senior counselor Kellyanne Conway speaks to members of the media outside the West Wing of the White House October 25, 2019 in Washington, DC. Conway took questions from journalists after a TV interview. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Tonight I tested positive for COVID-19. My symptoms are mild (light cough) and I’m feeling fine. I have begun a quarantine process in consultation with physicians.
As always, my heart is with everyone affected by this global pandemic. ❤️
After serving as Trump’s campaign manager in 2016, Conway served as counselor to the president from 2017 until this past August when she resigned to “spend more time with her family.”
Conway’s teen daughter, Claudia Conway, hinted that her mother may have had coronavirus after telling her followers on TikTok that she was showing symptoms. “My mom coughing all around the house after Trump tested positive for covid,” she wrote on one video post.
Hours later, the teen posted another video, writing “update my mom has covid.” In another post, she said, “im furious. wear your masks. dont listen to our f**king idiot president piece of s**t. protect yourselves and those around you.”
Conway is one of multiple Republican figures — including two Republican U.S. senators and Trump adviser Hope Hicks — to announce that they have tested positive for COVID-19. It’s not clear where the spread within the GOP circuit began, however, early reports speculate that some may have contracted the virus last week at the Supreme Court nomination ceremony for Amy Coney Barrett, Trump’s nominee to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Conway also attended the ceremony. Photographs show that attendees were not wearing mask and not social distancing.
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‘We’re seeing already a lack of familiarity with the process.’
For Black voters in North Carolina, the rate of mail-in ballot rejections is 4 times higher than that of white voters.
Early voting is underway in the state, and many Black residents are seeing their mail-in ballots returned for inconsistencies, such as mismatched signatures or missing witness signature.
Many voters doubt that the ballot review lacks information about race, as state election officials insist.
FiveThirtyEight reporter Kaleigh Rogers notes that “the vast majority of these ballots were rejected because voters made a mistake or failed to fill out the witness information.” These ballots can still be counted, as Rogers writes “North Carolina allows for a process called ‘vote curing,’ where voters are notified that there’s a mistake and given a chance to fix their ballot.”
According to the article, “Black voters have mailed in 13,747 ballots, with 642 rejected, or 4.7 percent. White voters have cast 60,954 mail-in ballots, with 681 — or 1.1 percent — rejected,” Rogers writes.
In the swing state of #NorthCarolina, the mail-in ballots of Black voters are being rejected at 4x the rate of white voters.
If you live in NC, you have a right to CORRECT your ballot if missing a signature / witness signature.
It’s not uncommon for Black and Hispanic voters to frequently have their ballots rejected. Part of the reason is reportedly due to many being first-time voters or not familiar with the requirements.
“We’re seeing already a lack of familiarity with the process, whether it’s signing the ballot or having the witness information completed,” said Michael Bitzer, a political scientist at Catawba College in North Carolina. “There tends to be a greater number from voters who were previously in-person voters. If you look at the numbers [from Sept. 14], the ballots denied due to incomplete witness information, 55 percent of those voters had voted in person in 2016.”
The racial gap in rejected ballots is not unique to North Carolina.
An earlier article on theGRIO stated that research conducted by University of Florida professor Daniel Smith found Black and Hispanic voters in the state were twice as likely to have their ballots rejected as White voters. The data, gathered from the Florida Division of Elections, also found that young voters are also likely to have rejected ballots, CNNreported.
“If you move, you may not even get your ballot, and we know younger voters, racial, ethnic minorities, lower-income voters tend to move more. That’s certainly been the case with the pandemic. That’s going to raise a problem with you getting your ballot in the first place,” Smith said to CNN.
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The president has spent much of the year downplaying the threat of the coronavirus.
Twitter will suspend accounts of users who openly hope President Donald Trump dies from the coronavirus.
Just a month before the presidential election, Trump tweeted early Friday morning that he and First Lady Melania Trump tested COVID-19 positive, theGRIO previously reported.
As the day progressed, the White House said Trump was “fatigued” and had been injected with an experimental antibody cocktail for the virus. By Friday evening, officials revealed he will spend the next few days at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, citing precautionary reasons. Trump will reportedly work from the hospital’s presidential suite, which is equipped to allow him to continue his official duties.
In the meantime, Twitter told Motherboard that users who call for the death of the president will have their accounts removed or put into a “read only” mode, per Vice.com.
“Content that wishes, hopes or expresses a desire for death, serious bodily harm or fatal disease against an individual is against our rules,” Twitter said in a statement.
The company noted that it “won’t take enforcement action on every Tweet” that violates Trump amid his health crisis.
“We’re prioritizing the removal of content when it has a clear call to action that could potentially cause real-world harm,” Twitter said.
Trump has spent much of the year downplaying the threat of the virus, rarely wearing a protective mask and urging states and cities to “reopen” and reduce or eliminate shutdown rules.
During Tuesday night’s debate, he mocked Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden for regularly wearing a mask in public.
“I don’t wear masks like him,” Trump said of Biden. “Every time you see him, he’s got a mask. He could be speaking 200 feet away from me, and he shows up with the biggest mask I’ve ever seen.”
Both Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris have tested negative, their campaign said. Vice President Mike Pence has also tested negative for the virus and “remains in good health,” his spokesman said.
In a tweet Friday morning, Biden said he and his wife “send our thoughts to President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump for a swift recovery. We will continue to pray for the health and safety of the president and his family.”
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More than 32,000 employees have been furloughed by American Airlines and United Airlines.
A flight attendant for American Airlines gave an emotional farewell speech to passengers onboard her final flight.
Breaunna Ross, 29, was travelling from Jacksonville, Florida, to her home city of Dallas, when she lost her composure while making the routine landing announcement during her final shift on September 27.
“As all of you know, the airline industry has been impacted greatly by this global pandemic,” she told passengers while wearing a mask. A colleague filmed her speech and shared it on Facebook.
“For myself and one other crew member on our flight today, this means we’ll be furloughed Oct. 1, and unfortunately, this is my last working flight before that day comes,” Ross continued. “I will never forget seeing your faces today. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the kindness shown on today’s flight.”
Ross has been working for the company for 2.5 years. She joins the more than 32,000 employees who have been furloughed by American Airlines and United Airlines, after talks for a $25 billion coronavirus aid package failed in Washington, CNBC reports.
Flight attendants across the country this week give tearful goodbyes on their final flights as more than 40,000 airline employees are furloughed today. pic.twitter.com/WQk7YwwpVA
American’s CEO Doug Parker told employees that the airline “will begin the difficult process of furloughing 19,000 of our hardworking and dedicated colleagues.”
In a message to staff, United said “We implore our elected leaders to reach a compromise, get a deal done now, and save jobs. The company will reportedly cut more than 13,000 jobs.
“I am extremely sorry we have reached this outcome,” Parker wrote. “It is not what you all deserve. It is a privilege to advocate on behalf of the hardworking aviation professionals at American and throughout the industry, and you have my assurance that we will continue to do so in the days ahead.”
Parker said American will reverse 19,000 furloughs and recall workers if Washington provides federal aid for airlines.
Flight crew members are hitting up social media to share reactions to the furloughs. Ross’ video has more than 130,000 views on Facebook.
“This job was an escape for me after being unhappy with my job after graduating college,” she said. “It was a job that awarded me many opportunities, a job that I fell in love with.”
In the clip, she also thanked her employer and co-workers.
“To my family at American Airlines, thank you for taking a chance on me two and a half short years ago,” Ross said. “Thank you for giving me the opportunity to see this big world. To my amazing crew, I wish each of you the best of luck. We were told in training to be like palm trees, and this is the perfect example: We may bend, but we never break.”
The airline industry has taken a hit amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis. American Airlines has reportedly lost $5 billion this year, while United Airlines lost $3.3 billion. Every airline has been negatively impacted by the pandemic and facing a grim financial future.
“We are real people,” said Ross in the viral video. “I personally have no kids and am not married, but I know so many of my coworkers who are … Who just bought homes. Who have small children. Who have children in college they have to support. We are a strong group of people and I know everyone will get through this.”
Many passengers reportedly thanked Ross on their way off the plane. In a message on Facebook, she said an individual gave her a handwritten note claiming she inspired them donate to the Make A Wish foundation.
“I don’t know your name, but I know a child’s day will be made better because of you,” the note said.
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“Chad was gifted,” said his brother, Pastor Derrick Boseman, 54, who said when his youngest sibling was a child, he could sit and draw anyone. “He’s probably the most gifted person I’ve ever met.”
Boseman passed away from cancer in August at just 43 years old. He was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer in 2016 and still went on to play the lead in one of the biggest films in history, Black Panther. The actor also played legacy characters like James Brown in Get On Up, Jackie Robinson in 42, and Thurgood Marshall in Marshall.
His last movie role in will be in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom debuting on Netflix Dec. 18.
Chadwick as Levee in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)
“A lot of people think making it means becoming an A-list movie star,” said his other brother, Kevin Boseman, 48. “I didn’t force that. I just knew that if Chad wanted to work in the arts, he would find a way and take care of himself.”
Boseman, who hailed from Anderson, S.C, was raised in the church along with his brothers by his parents Leroy and Carolyn in a large, God-fearing, close-knit family. He was always interested in the arts. Kevin was a dancer for Alvin Alley and other dance troupes, inspiring his younger brother who eventually started to pursue theater. Chadwick was initially interested in writing and directing but it was his Howard University professors that encouraged him to act.
Thinking back on his brother’s work ethic, Kevin said, ”His best was incredible.”
Pastor Bosman was praying with his brother in his final days. Chadwick never publicly revealed he was sick, just continued on with his career while keeping up a pace that would have challenged someone 100% healthy.
His brother said he was praying for Chad to get better until he said something that changed his focus.
“Man, I’m in the fourth quarter, and I need you to get me out of the game,” Chadwick told his oldest brother.
“When he told me that, I changed my prayer from, ‘God heal him, God save him,’ to ‘God, let your will be done,’” said Pastor Boseman. “And the next day he passed away.”
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Barack Obama wished Trump a speedy recovery after his coronavirus diagnosis
Former President Barack Obama extended his well wishes to the current commander in chief Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump after their coronavirus diagnosis.
The 44th president offered his words of support for the Trumps late Friday during a virtual fundraiser with Democratic vice-presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris for the Biden-Harris campaign, according to CNN. He also shared the declaration on social media.
“Let me start by the way, by just stating that we’re in the midst of a big political fight. And we take that very seriously,” Obama said.
“We also want to extend our best wishes to the President of the United States, the first lady … Michelle and I are hopeful that they and others who have been affected by Covid-19 around the country are getting the care that they need, that they are going to be on the path to a speedy recovery.”
Obviously, we’re in the midst of a big political battle right now, and while there’s a lot at stake, let’s remember that we’re all Americans. We’re all human beings. And we want everyone to be healthy, no matter our party.
The sentiment came after Trump was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for treatment for what officials described as “mild symptoms.” Trump, wearing a mask, was seen walking on his own power from the White House to Marine One. He will be hospitalized the next “few days,” on the advice of doctors.
The president released a prerecorded 18 second video on social media before he left for Walter Reed and thanked Americans for their support.
“I want to thank everybody for the tremendous support,” Trump said.
“I think I’m doing very well but we’re going to make sure that things work out,” he added. “The first lady is doing very well. So thank you very much. I appreciate it. I will never forget it.”
Democratic nominee Joe Biden and his running mate Harris also extended their sympathies to Trump and his wife. Biden, who participated in the first presidential debate with Trump earlier in the week, has thus far tested negative for COVID-19 after being in close contact.
theGrioreported that Trump shocked the country when he announced in the early hours of Friday that he and the first lady tested positive for COVID-19. The infection came months after the president has flouted social distancing guidelines as he has continued to host rallies and mocked wearing masks.
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Utility shut offs are imminent around the country because COVID-19 shutoff moratoriums are expiring
More than 179 million people around the United States could soon lose their basic necessities like water and electricity due to unpaid utility bills according to The Washington Post.
The publication released a report detailing how the pandemic impacted the blooming crisis, how families are coping, and what the government is doing about it.
When the coronavirus first hit back in the spring, though many folks lost their jobs, states stepped in to help to make sure residents weren’t without basic utilities. But after almost seven months, most of that aid has come to an end. According to the report, only the District of Columbia and 21 other states have continuing bans on disconnecting utilities.
(Adobe stock photo)
“The people who were struggling before are struggling even more,” said the National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association executive director, Mark Wolfe. According to the NEADA, electric and gas debt alone is at risk of exceeding $24.3B by the end of the year.
Kenneth Parson, 62, of Griffin, Ga. is a diabetic who lost power in July after falling behind on his payments. Parson needs power in order to refrigerate the insulin he uses to treat his diabetes but his wife says that still didn’t stop the power company from turning off his service.
“They said they couldn’t do nothing for him,” said his wife, Cheryl, 65. “It peeved me off.”
Some states are trying to work with their residents offering payment plans in order to help them keep their utilities on. Lobbyists are calling for states like Pennsylvania to offer payment plans instead of just cutting off service. The state is currently $403M in arrears.
Pennsylvania ultimately decided to continue its scheduled disconnections.
“All the dominoes are about to fall,” said Elizabeth Marx, the executive director of the Pennsylvania Utility Law Project, a company that advocates for low-income residents in need. “When you lift the moratorium, those households that are struggling will be worse off.”
Utah senator Lee revealed today that he’s also tested positive for the virus after a trip to the White House
As the country grapples to respond to President Trump’s coronavirus diagnosis, it has now been confirmed that Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) has also tested positive for COVID-19.
Friday, Lee explained in a statement he took a coronavirus test on Thursday after experiencing symptoms similar to those he has previously experienced due to allergies.
“Unlike the test I took just a few days ago while visiting the White House, yesterday’s test came back positive. On advice of the Senate attending physician, I will remain isolated for the next 10 days,” read the statement.
Seventh U.S. Circuit Court Judge Amy Coney Barrett (L), President Donald Trump’s nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, meets with Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) as she begins a series of meetings to prepare for her confirmation hearing in the Mansfield Room at the U.S. Capitol on September 29, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Stefani Reynolds-Pool/Getty Images)
This now makes him the third senator confirmed to have tested positive for COVID-19, with his announcement coming just hours after the president disclosed that he and first lady Melania Trump had both tested positive for COVID-19.
Given the timing of their disclosures, many have noted that Lee was at the White House last Saturday. Tuesday, he also met with Judge Amy Coney Barrett, President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, attended several closed-door GOP caucus lunches, and was present at Thursday’s Senate Judiciary Committee’s business meeting.
Considering how active he’s been in the Capitol this week, Lee’s COVID diagnosis highlights a need for increased safety protocols for lawmakers.
The Judiciary Committee, which Lee is a part of, is expected to start its hearings for Barrett’s confirmation on Oct. 12. In his statement Lee stated he still planned to be in attendance, explaining, “I have spoken with Leader McConnell and Chairman Graham and assured them I will be back to work in time to join my Judiciary Committee colleagues in advancing the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett in the committee and then to the full Senate.”
Echoing the sentiments of pushing forward even in the face of illness, On Friday, Sen. McConnell made it clear that Coney Barrett’s nomination remains a priority.
“Just finished a great phone call with @POTUS. He’s in good spirits and we talked business — especially how impressed Senators are with the qualifications of Judge Barrett,” McConnell tweeted. “Full steam ahead with the fair, thorough, timely process that the nominee, the Court, & the country deserve.”
Just finished a great phone call with @POTUS. He’s in good spirits and we talked business — especially how impressed Senators are with the qualifications of Judge Barrett. Full steam ahead with the fair, thorough, timely process that the nominee, the Court, & the country deserve.
Covid-19's path through the president’s world is an epidemiological mystery. We know why it spread, but not if it spread via a single infectious event.
from Wired https://ift.tt/2SnMaJA
via Gabe's Musing's
DNA testing companies are rolling out algorithm updates, spotlighting the fickleness of ethnicity results, and perhaps reinforcing some troubling beliefs.
from Wired https://ift.tt/3inB1D8
via Gabe's Musing's
In 2020, we’re all pivoting business strategies, focusing on impact, and finding ways to “do it better and different” (coincidentally, a DataRobot core value.) Organizations across industries have needed to become more resilient and focus on reducing costs and risks, retaining customers, and finding new revenue streams.
In June, we held our first-ever virtual AI conference, AI Experience Worldwide to address these challenges. The conference was such a hit amongst attendees that we held another for our APAC audience. And now, we’re coming for EMEA.
November 10, 2020, join us for a full day of AI insights from our in-house experts and industry leaders from a wide range of industries.
This event is designed to bring together AI visionaries, creators and consumers of AI, partners, customers, and decision makers to:
Learn how pragmatic, value-focused AI is making a measurable impact on organizations.
Understand how to address the hyper-critical issues impacting your organization today, throughout the rest of 2020 and into 2021.
Hear AI-driven use cases from pioneers across a range of industries.
Network with industry peers facing the exact same challenges you are.
Trustworthy, impactful AI is an increasingly important priority for organizations. In the recently-released 2020 Gartner Hype Cycle for Artificial Intelligence, algorithmic trust, democratized AI, and AI governance were prominently featured. As you plan for 2021, it’s critical to derive the most value you can from your data.
Our goal is for you to walk away from the AI Experience EMEA Virtual Conference with actionable insights to take your organization to the next level of AI Success with trustworthy, impactful AI. Wherever you are on your AI journey, we’re committed to being your trusted partner every step of the way.
VIRTUAL CONFERENCE
AI Experience EMEA Virtual Conference: Accelerating Impact With Trusted AI
