OR-54 WHERE ARE YOU?
Endangered Gray Wolf Found Dead in California After Traveling Nearly 8,000 Miles Without a Pack

Madeleine Carlisle, Time•February 8, 2020


MANY OF US IN THE WOLF SUPPORT NETWORKS KNEW OF HER 

An endangered gray wolf known as OR-54 was found dead on Wednesday, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) announced in a statement. She had traveled over 7,646 throughout California since she broke from her pack in 2018.

The female wolf was collared by biologists on October 2017 and was between 3 and 4 years old when she died, according to officials. She was found dead in Shasta County, Calif.

The CDFW is investigated the cause of her death. Gray wolves are covered under both the Federal Endangered Species Act as well as the California Endangered Species Act, and killing one is punishable for up to one in jail and a $100,000 fine. Another gray wolf, OR-59, was found reportedly shot to death in Northern California in 2018, and his death is still unsolved. Wolves are tagged and tracked to help scientists monitor the endangered species.

Officials said they believe OR-54 was born in Oregon in 2016, but broke from her pack on Jan. 23, 2018. The CDFW said in a February 2018 statement that “[h]er departure from the pack’s territory suggests that she may now be dispersing, or exploring new ground in search of a mate or another pack.”

Since then, she spent most of her time in Northeastern California, traveling over 7,646 miles, per authorities. According to a report, she covered 1,013 miles between October and December of 2019, average 13 miles per day. Her collar reportedly appeared to stop working in December.

“Her travels represent the southernmost known wolf locations in the state since wolves returned to California in 2011,” the CDFW said in a statement on Thursday.

According to the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), fewer than a dozen confirmed gray wolves now live in California. Wolves were repeatedly killed in the state throughout 20th century in an attempt to defend livestock. When a gray wolf named OR-7 entered California from Oregon in 2011, he was the first confirmed wild wolf in the state in nearly 90 years. According to the CBD, OR-54 was believed to be one of OR-7’s children.

“This is a tragic development for the early stages of wolf recovery in California,” said Amaroq Weiss, a West Coast wolf advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity, in a statement. “Like her dad, the famous wolf OR-7 who came to California years ago, OR-54 was a beacon of hope who showed that wolves can return and flourish here. Her death is devastating, no matter the cause.”

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Mike Bloomberg called trans women a 'man wearing a dress' and implied equality 'makes no sense' to Midwesterners

SO WHAT DO YOU CALL A TRANS MAN THEN, MIKE? 
AND WHEN HE PULLS IT OUT IN FRONT OF YOU IN THE MEN'S ROOM WILL YOU KNOW THE DIFFERENCE?

Business Insider•February 7, 2020

FILE PHOTO: Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg visits the Dollarhide Community Center for a campaign event in Compton, California, U.S. February 3, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Cullen

Reuters

In 2016, Michael Bloomberg brought up transgender people using the bathroom when he was asked a question about Brexit.

The current presidential hopeful referred to a hypothetical transgender woman as a "man wearing a dress" and implied people in the Midwest couldn't understand social issues.

A statement from the Bloomberg campaign insists he is dedicated to protecting the rights of the transgender community.

A spokesperson for the National Center for Transgender Equality Action Fund told Business Insider that the former mayor should be allowed to grow, and said his past comments indicated an issue with his education on trans issues.

Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg came under fire Thursday after a recently surfaced 2016 video showed him referring to transgender women as a "man wearing a dress," and suggesting that people in the US Midwest are not intelligent enough to understand social issues.

While speaking at a University of Oxford event in England, Bloomberg, 77, brought up the topic of transgender people using the bathroom, which at the time was a controversial issue in the U.S.

"We, the intelligentsia, the people who could make it into this room, we believe a lot of things in terms of equality and protecting individual rights that make no sense to the vast bulk of people," the former New York City mayor and billionaire business mogul said while responding to a question about Brexit.

Medical treatments for transgender people in the US can cost over $100K, even with insurance. Here's why they're so expensive.

Many transgender people seek medical treatments such as breast augmentation to align their bodies with their gender identities. Doctors say these procedures can help alleviate emotional distress linked to suicidal thoughts, but some patients can't access them in the US because of the cost. About 14% of transgender people are uninsured. But even those who have insurance are often stuck with enormous bills because some public and private insurance providers have exemptions in their policies for certain transgender-related procedures. Insurance providers also categorize many surgeries like facial feminization as cosmetic and won't pay for them.

Bloomberg pointed to the issue around trans rights and bathrooms to support his argument that there is "a fundamental disconnect between us believing the rights of the individual come first and the general belief around the world — I think it's fair to say — that the rights of society come first."

In 2016, nearly 20 states pursued "bathroom bills" to block transgender people from using public facilities. Around the time Bloomberg made his comments, 60% of transgender people said they avoided using the restroom in public over fears of harassment.

"If you want to know if somebody is a good salesman, give them the job of going to the Midwest and picking a town and selling to that town the concept that some man wearing a dress should be in a locker room with their daughter," Bloomberg said. "If you can sell that, you can sell anything."

The presidential hopeful, who came in tenth place in the Iowa caucus, then pivoted to explain a policy in New York prisons requiring inmates "drop their trousers" to determine whether they are sent to a men or women's correctional facility.

"You can't sit there, you can't mix things in a jail," Bloomberg said. "That's a practical case of when you have to make a decision."

Democratic presidential candidate and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg speaks at a campaign rally at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. (Tom Gralish/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)More

Associated Press

Partisan stances on trans rights and bathroom policies intensified amid former President Barack Obama's 2016 guidance to public schools, stating trans students were protected by Title IX and could use the bathroom of their identified gender. A year later, the Trump administration rescinded this directive, arguing that transgender status was not protected by the decades-old statute.

The reversal was just one move in a series of actions that targeted the trans community, and why, despite Bloomberg's comments, the National Center for Transgender Equality Action Fund Executive Director Mara Keisling told Business Insider her organization would support any candidate trying to prevent Trump's reelection.

"This year everybody needs to understand, and our community needs to understand, we really have a choice between four more years of this heartless, thoughtless, dangerous agenda of President Trump, or whoever his opponent is," Keisling said Friday. "And whoever his opponent is, they are most certainly going to need some education."

While Kiesling did not approve of the way Bloomberg had addressed transgender issues in 2016, she referred to his current pro-equality policy proposals, saying, "We have to allow people to change and grow and embrace them when they come around and become more educated and more respectful."

"Almost every Democratic candidate, including Mayor Bloomberg," she continued, "really has a strong pro-equality agenda on paper, and we're just going to need to make sure that they are individually sufficiently educated so that they respect us, and they work to make things better for us," Keisling told Business Insider.

Kiesling called Bloomberg's framing of the Midwest "geographic bias," and "cliche," adding she thought it was "equally true of people in Brooklyn and in the South."

Bloomberg's campaign did not directly address the candidate's 2016 comments, but in a statement said he "understands" the transgender community and pointed to some of his past efforts to support them, such as providing "comprehensive healthcare" to his transgender employees while he was mayor of New York City.

"Mike is running to defeat Donald Trump and reverse the many policies he has implemented that attack the rights of the transgender community," the statement read.

Last month, Bloomberg released a plan pledging to sign the Equality Act into law, reverse the Trump administration's LGBT policies, and reduce violence against transgender people.

"As president, I will work to protect every member of the LGBTQ+ community from hatred, violence, and discrimination," Bloomberg said on January 28. "We will close disparities in health care access and quality, stop violence against transgender people, and advocate for equal rights across the world. We cannot settle for anything less – and I won't."

Israel blocks Palestinian agricultural exports, escalating trade spat

AFP•February 9, 2020



Israel has imposed a ban on Palestinian agriculture exports (AFP Photo/Jaafar ASHTIYEH)More

Jerusalem (AFP) - Israel on Sunday imposed a ban on Palestinian agricultural exports, in a move the Palestinians blasted as a "dangerous" escalation in a five-month trade war.

"Starting from today... export abroad of Palestinian agricultural product through the Allenby crossing will not be allowed," COGAT, the Israel defence ministry unit that oversees civilian activities in the Palestinian territories, said in a statement.

The Israeli-controlled Allenby border crossing between Jordan and the occupied West Bank is the only route through which Palestinian goods can reach foreign markets.

COGAT said the measure was in response to a Palestinian decision in October to stop importing calves from Israel

That boycott "dramatically hurt Israeli cattle breeders", COGAT said.

The Palestinians said at the time that they wanted to decrease their dependence on the Israeli market.

Sunday's export ban came a week after Israel's defence ministry halted all imports of agricultural products from the West Bank to Israel.

The Palestinian Authority responded to that move by banning the import of Israeli produce, soft drinks and mineral water.

Palestinian agriculture minister Reyad Attari told AFP that Israel's block on goods crossing the Allenby Bridge "violated all the agreements" between the two sides.

"It's a very dangerous action," he said.

COGAT stressed that its action would be reversed "the moment the Palestinian Authority took back its decision to harm cattle trade with Israel and the free market".Israel blocks Palestinian agricultural exports, escalating trade spat

Jehovah's Witnesses reportedly under investigation by Pennsylvania attorney general

Marisa Kwiatkowski, USA TODAY,
USA TODAY•February 8, 2020

The Pennsylvania attorney general's office reportedly is investigating whether the Jehovah's Witnesses repeatedly failed to report child sexual abuse allegations to authorities in what is believed to be the first wide-scale examination by a U.S. law enforcement agency.

The attorney general's office told USA TODAY it "cannot confirm or deny the existence of investigations."

But Mark O'Donnell, a former Jehovah's Witness who left the religion when he was 46, said the Pennsylvania attorney general's office interviewed him last summer at his home in Baltimore. Then he was subpoenaed to testify before a statewide investigating grand jury in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

O'Donnell provided USA TODAY a copy of his subpoena.

A copy of the subpoena Mark O'Donnell said he received from the statewide investigating grand jury.

O'Donnell said he first testified before the grand jury for more than two hours on Aug. 22 about his experiences as a Jehovah’s Witness and the structure of the governing body and congregation.

A former Jehovah's Witness elder testified next, O'Donnell said. O'Donnell said he testified again in December. He also outlined the chain of events in a new post he wrote Saturday for JW Survey, a website critical of the Jehovah's Witnesses.

O'Donnell said he doesn't want to destroy anyone's faith; He wants transparency.

"Witnesses believe that they’re obeying God, that they’re putting God’s law ahead of man's law," he said. "And the reality is that they’re harming people."

Nov. 2018: Jehovah's Witnesses culture shrouds child sexual abuse in Pennsylvania

The Jehovah's Witnesses U.S. Branch in WallKill, New York, provided a statement to USA TODAY, saying the organization "care(s) deeply about children" and always tries to follow the law.

"Any suggestion that Jehovah’s Witnesses foster or enable abuse is false," the statement continued. "We welcome an opportunity to explain our beliefs and practices to government officials and look forward to any recommendations they may have as we continue to focus on educating and equipping parents to protect their children from the horrible crime of abuse."

Lawsuits filed across the country since the 1990s have accused the Jehovah's Witnesses and their legal corporations — including the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania and the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York Inc. — of failing to report child abuse.

In 2018, a Montana jury awarded $35 million to Alexis Nunez, who said she was sexually abused for years by a member of the Thompson Falls Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Two others told elders in 2004 that they had been abused by the same man, according to court records, but the elders never reported it to authorities.

The elders expelled the abuser from the congregation but then reinstated him, court records state. The man continued to abuse Nunez until 2007, according to the lawsuit.

The defense argued in court records that the elders were exempt from Montana's mandatory child abuse reporting law because of an exception that allows clergy members to keep certain communications confidential.

The Jehovah's Witnesses appealed the case. Last month, the Montana Supreme Court ruled in the organization's favor, finding that the lower court erred when it said Jehovah's Witnesses had a duty to report. In its opinion, the court said the Jehovah's Witnesses were exempt.

That was not the first time the organization argued it has no duty to report suspected abuse.

A sign marks the entrance of the Jehovah's Witness world headquarters in Tuxedo Park, New York.

In 2014, the state of Delaware sued a Jehovah's Witnesses congregation and two elders, accusing them of failing to report child sexual abuse to authorities. A female member of their congregation had raped a teenage boy, according to the Delaware Sex Offender Central Registry.

The Jehovah's Witnesses and elders initially argued they were exempt from Delaware’s child abuse reporting law. They later reached a settlement with state officials, agreeing to pay $19,500 to the Delaware Department of Justice, participate in child abuse prevention training and report such allegations to authorities, court records show.

New York's Child Victims Act: Boy Scouts, Catholic Church, more face new lawsuits as window to sue opens

Heather Steele sued several Jehovah's Witnesses entities in New York, claiming church leaders in 1982 tried to discourage her family from cooperating with a criminal investigation into an elder who had been molesting her for eight years.More

In August, Heather Steele sued several Jehovah's Witnesses entities in New York, claiming religious leaders in 1982 tried to discourage her family from cooperating with a criminal investigation there into an elder who had been molesting her for eight years. According to the lawsuit, the sexual abuse began when she was 2.

Steele worked with law enforcement anyway. Her abuser, Donald Nicholson, was convicted of sexual abuse and served 3 1/2 years in prison in New York, according to Department of Corrections and Community Supervision records. When he was released, Nicholson moved to New Jersey where, according to the lawsuit, he was reinstated as a Jehovah's Witness.

The scope of the Pennsylvania attorney general's office's investigation into the Jehovah's Witnesses is unclear.

But the office has significant experience investigating sexual abuse at religious organizations. In 2018, it released a report that detailed findings of a statewide investigative grand jury that had spent two years examining the Catholic Church's handling of child sexual abuse allegations.

The jury identified 301 "predator priests" and found that "senior church officials, including bishops, monsignors and others, knew about the abuse committed by priests but routinely covered it up to avoid scandal, criminal charges against priests, and monetary damages to the dioceses," according to the release.

The grand jury found that most of the allegations were now too old to be prosecuted. But some individuals did face criminal charges.

The attorney general's office charged the Rev. John Sweeney with sexually abusing a 10-year-old boy in the early 1990s. Sweeney pleaded guilty last year to indecent assault, court records show. He is currently in prison.

The Rev. David Poulson faced myriad charges, including corruption of minors and endangering the welfare of children, for repeatedly sexually assaulting one boy and attempting to assault another, according to court records and a release from the attorney general's office. Poulson pleaded guilty and was sentenced to up to 14 years in prison.

O'Donnell said when people speak out about their experiences, it becomes easier for others to share their stories.

"It takes a few people that are willing to come forward and do the right thing in order to get the ball rolling," he said, "and to provide sort of a safe landing place for those people who are suffering because of what an organization did."


This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jehovah's Witnesses face Pennsylvania grand jury investigation

Death of whistleblower ignites calls for political reform in China

AFP•February 9, 2020



The death of doctor Li Wenliang has sparked rare calls for greater freedom of speech in China (AFP Photo/STR)

The death of a whistleblowing doctor who was reprimanded for warning about the new coronavirus has sparked rare calls for political reform and free speech in China.

Li Wenliang, an ophthalmologist in Wuhan -- ground zero of China's virus epidemic which has killed more than 800 -- succumbed to the disease Friday over a month after he first raised alarm about the SARS-like virus.

He was among eight physicians punished by Wuhan police for "rumour-mongering".

But after his death struck a collective nerve, a number of academics have spoken up to demand more freedoms in China

At least two open letters demanding free speech have circulated on social media since the 34-year-old's death -- one signed by 10 professors in Wuhan.

Li's efforts "vigorously maintained the interests of the country and society", read that letter, which has since been censored on Weibo, China's Twitter-like social media site.

"Put an end to the restrictions on freedom of speech," it demanded, and "openly apologise" to Li and the seven other doctors punished for discussing the emergence of the virus in December.

The other letter -- signed on Friday by an anonymous group of alumni from the prestigious Tsinghua University in Beijing -- called on authorities to "guarantee the constitutional rights of citizens".

"Resolutely oppose making political security the top priority -- that is an extremely selfish goal of a small organisation!" it said.

The letters are a rare call for political reform in China, a country where dissidents are often jailed and criticism of the government is quickly scrubbed.

Many references to the two letters had been removed from Weibo by Sunday.

- 'Law-breaking actions' -

While the World Health Organization and other experts have heaped praise on China, saying it took decisive steps to try to contain the virus, critics say precious time was lost by early inaction from the local government.

Li -- diagnosed with the virus on February 1 -- said in a Weibo post in late January that local police had forced him to sign a statement agreeing not to commit any more "law-breaking actions".

He said police had summoned him after he saw test results from some patients suggesting a SARS-like virus and reminded colleagues in a group chat to take stronger precautions.

Since his death, Beijing has sought to quell public anger by positioning the doctor as a hero.

Criticism is being deflected towards local authorities in Hubei province who are taking the bulk of public anger over the handling of the epidemic.

China's anti-graft watchdog announced Friday it was sending a team to Wuhan where it would investigate "issues involving Dr Li Wenliang reported by the masses".

"It sends a clear message that the central authorities are determined to get to the truth and hold those responsible accountable," said the state-run China Daily newspaper in an editorial on Friday.

Meanwhile Cui Tiankai, China's ambassador in the United States, said he was "really saddened" by the doctor's death.

"We are so grateful to him for what he has done in our joint efforts" fighting the virus, Cui tweeted.

The next Tiananmen Square? Chinese citizens are demanding increased free speech after the death of a coronavirus whistleblower doctor. China is censoring their calls.

Business Insider•February 7, 2020

Weibo doctor li wenliang coronavirus

Associated Press

The death of Li Wenliang, a doctor who was censored for trying to alert citizens about the dangers of the Wuhan coronavirus, has outraged Chinese citizens.

Chinese citizens expressed their anger and grief at his passing and the conflicting reports from state media outlets on social media.

Three viral hashtags — "The Wuhan government owes Li Wenliang an apology," "I want freedom of speech," and "We want freedom of speech" – were seen by millions before they were censored.

In the wake of his Li's death, Chinese authorities have been trying to control public opinion online by censoring social media posts critical of the Chinese government.

Following the death of a doctor Li Wenliang, a whistleblower who was censored for raising alarms about the Wuhan coronavirus in its early stages, Chinese citizens took to social media to express their grief — and demand for an apology and more free speech from the Chinese government.

The announcement of Li's death also came amid conflicting statements in which state media reported that he had died, then that he was still alive on life support, and then again that he had died. The inconsistent reporting related to his death ignited outrage among citizens, who expressed frustration about the credibility of information from state media outlets.

In the wake of his Li's death, Chinese citizens have accused authorities of trying to control public opinion online by censoring social media posts critical of the Chinese government and how they've handled the coronavirus.


"We are not allowed to mourn for Dr. Li Wenliang. We are not allowed to ask for liberty of speech. Our words has been deleted. And our mouths has been silenced," a Chinese user tweeted.

The Chinese government has censored protests in the wake of Li's death

As rumors spread of Li's death throughout Thursday evening and Friday morning, three hashtags went viral online seeking justice for the whistleblower doctor: "The Wuhan government owes Li Wenliang an apology," "I want freedom of speech," and "We want freedom of speech." The hashtags were seen by millions of users on a Chinese social media platform called Weibo before they disappeared without a trace, the South China Morning Post reported.

According to Nectar Gan, a reporter for CNN International, the hashtag "I want freedom of speech" had 1.8 million views around 5 a.m. before the entire phrase was censored from Chinese social media platforms. BBC also reported that "hundreds of thousands" of comments related to Li's death have been completely wiped, complying with government demands to censor politically sensitive content.

—Nectar Gan (@Nectar_Gan) February 6, 2020

Chinese authorities have replaced messages of dissent about Li's passing with posts from Weibo accounts with a blue "V," which are verified accounts for official government figures, agencies, media outlets and more. The posts trending about Li's death now report that he died from a "work injury."

Weibo Li Wenliang

Weibo

According to Manya Koetse, the editor in chief of a Chinese social media watchdog blog called "What's on Weibo, "a post acknowledging the Chinese governments' dishonesty with the public began trending under a "Li Wenliang" hashtag also became popular among Weibo users.


—Manya Koetse (@manyapan) February 7, 2020

Other citizens accused the Chinese government of trying to manipulate public opinion about Li's death and the coronavirus through censorship.


—韩连潮 (@lianchaohan) February 6, 2020


On WeChat, a popular Chinese messaging platform, the hashtag "Can You Manage, Do You Understand?" referencing the letter Li was forced to sign by Chinese authorities for "making false statements" also began to surface on the platform. The phrase has become a rallying cry for those wanting more free speech, according to Koetse.


—Frankie Huang 🐯 (@ourobororoboruo) February 6, 2020

In the country where political dissent is often stifled and punished, the clamorous calls from citizens demanding accountability and change from the Chinese government amounts to an online revolt. One Chinese citizen compared the online dissent to the demonstrations made by Chinese students in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, Gan reported.

"The last time so many people had been awakened was 1989. I want freedom of speech," a user wrote in a now-deleted post under the censored "I want freedom of speech" hashtag.

Despite attempts by authorities to quiet the political dissent, other Chinese citizens are encouraging each other to continue speaking up online.

—Alan Wong (@alanwongw) February 7, 2020
The Chinese government has been accused of covering up the virus

The Chinese government has been criticized for their reticence about the coronavirus in the early days of the outbreak. Chinese officials have been cracking down on citizens speaking out about the pandemic, arresting citizens accused of spreading rumors online and detaining journalists covering the virus.

Li was one of few to raise alarms about the virus before the Chinese government had officially announced the outbreak. On December 30, Dr. Li Wenliang warned some of his medical-school colleagues about the virus before the Chinese government had officially announced the outbreak on WeChat. Soon, screenshots of his message about the potential risks of the illness went viral. He was later reprimanded and silenced by the police in Wuhan, made to sign a letter for "disturbing public order."

Lil is now being hailed a hero in China for raising the alarm about the coronavirus and continuing to share information about the virus as he worked to treat patients at Wuhan Central Hospital. He contracted the coronavirus while treating patients and died from the virus at about 4 a.m. local time on Friday, state media outlets reported. He leaves behind his son, his pregnant wife, and his mother, who claimed she didn't even get to say goodbye.

Chinese citizens are honoring Li's death by blowing whistles and shining flashlights out windows across Wuhan, Hubei, the center of the coronavirus outbreak. However, even attempts to coordinate the commemoration to Li have been censored by authorities, according to Gan. 

—Nectar Gan (@Nectar_Gan) February 7, 2020


Chinese citizens are furious at the death of the whistleblower doctor censored for talking about the coronavirus. His mother said she couldn't even say goodbye.

Sanders lays out his 'radical dream' to solve climate change

At Friday’s Democratic presidential debate in Manchester, N.H., Sen. Bernie Sanders channeled Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., expounding on his “dream” for the world to come together to solve climate change.

"Trump wants to build a wall around America," Sanders said. “Problem is, if we are going to deal with issues like climate change, not only do we in America have to take on greed of the fossil fuel industry, we have to lead the entire world. This is not an American issue, it’s a global issue.”

Sanders, one of the architects of the Green New Deal, which aims to transition America’s economy to a carbon-neutral economy and employ Americans in the process, laid out an ambitious vision of cooperation among the world’s nations.

Bernie Sanders at Friday night's debate. (Brian Snyder/Reuters)

“We’ve got to bring China and Russia and Brazil and Pakistan and India and every major country on Earth into the fight against climate change, and here is my dream — maybe it’s a radical dream, but maybe just maybe, given the crisis of climate change, the world can understand that instead of spending $1.8 trillion a year collectively on weapons of destruction designed to kill each other, maybe we pool our resources and fight our common enemy, which is climate change.”

CHRIS MATTHEWS RED-BAITER IN CHIEF 
GOES LOONEY TOONS OVER BERNIE SANDERS
DEMANDS HE ADMIT HE IS A SOCIALIST 
"Hardball" host Chris Matthews lashed out at Sen. Bernie Sanders and his presidential campaign following the Friday's Democratic debate, seemingly mocking Sanders in comments that he has been unclear about his support for socialism.
AND NOT A REAL DEMOCRAT
EQUATES BERNIE WITH CASTRO AND PUBLIC EXECUTIONS
 SERIOUSLY DERANGED RANT

WHAT'S YOUR AGENDA

MSNBC's Chris Matthews wants to know what Bernie Sanders thinks of Fidel Castro

February 8, 2020

MSNBC's Chris Matthews Isn't Sure What Agenda

 Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)Really Wants To Promote

In A Post-Democratic Debate Discussion Friday Evening,

Expressed Concern About Sanders' Politics,

Fearing He May Usher In A Socialist Revolution Akin

To The One Led By Fidel Castro. Matthews Said That

Sanders Generally Talks About Incorporating Elements

From Countries Like Denmark — Which Matthews

Acknowledged Is A Capitalist Country With

Strong Social Welfare Programs — He Isn't If That

 Was Where The Senator Really Falls On The Political Spectrum.

"I Don't Know Who Bernie Supports Over These Years,"

Matthews Said. "I Don't Know What He Means By Socialist."

Matthews Made His Worries Personal And A Bit Extravagant,

Arguing That Part Of The Reason He's Averse To Politicians

With Socialist Leanings Is That If The Soviets And Their Allies

 Like Castro Won The Cold War, He Likely Would've Been A

 Victim Of Those Regimes.

Soooooo, Here's Chris Matthews Saying He Would Have Been

 Executed In Central Park If Castro And The Reds Won

The Cold War And He's Just Not Quite Sure If Bernie Wouldn't

 Do The Same.

Just Some Very Normal And Cool Post-Debate Analysis.

Https://T.Co/Dpgu0rybev

— Justin Baragona (@Justinbaragona) February 8, 2020

For What It's Worth, Sanders Was Called Out In 2015 For

Praising Castro In The Past, Though He Attempted To

 Clarify By Explaining That He Considered Cuba's Regime

Authoritarian. Instead, He Said His Past Comments

Were About Disapproval Of U.S. Interference In Cuba And

Other Countries In The Region, Though He Does Appreciate

 Aspects Of Cuba's Health-Care System. It Remains To Be

 Seen If That Will Come Up Again This Primary Cycle, But

 Don't Be Shocked If It Does. Tim O'donnell

 

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Wants to Legalize Drugs (As in All Drugs)

GOOD FOR HER I AGREE AS SHOULD ANY LIBERTARIAN LEFT OR RIGHT

Hunter DeRensis,The National Interest•February 7, 2020


The New Hampshire primary on Tuesday will prove a make or break moment for Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii. After having collected no popular support from the questionable Iowa caucus results, the congresswoman is relying on what has been a consistent 4-5% base of support in the Granite State.

Gabbard, whose key platform issue is an overhaul of the U.S. foreign policy establishment and opposition to “regime change wars,” as also staked herself out as the most progressive 2020 Democratic candidate when it comes to drug legalization.

When asked by a New Hampshire voter what she would about the “unjust” War on Drugs, Gabbard agreed with the voter’s suggestion to “legalize and regulate narcotics.” To justify that position, Gabbard mentioned the country of Portugal, which legalized all drugs in 2001.

“I think that when you look at the statistics that come out of countries like Portugal that have taken that ‘extreme’ step…the fears, and the myths, and the stigma around taking that stuff should be set aside,” she said. “Because ultimately what you see is there are fewer and fewer people who are unnecessarily being incarcerated, and there are more people who need help who are actually getting the help that they need.”

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A family feud over a $400 million trust fund, a massive fortune that left one heiress with an inferiority complex, and a sprawling media empire. Meet the Disney family.
Hillary Hoffower
Feb 7, 2020,

Walt Disney with one of his grandchildren. Gene Lester/Getty Images

The Walt Disney Company is worth an estimated $130 billion.

The Disney family's fortune isn't known, but they own less than 3% of the company, according to Walt Disney's grand-nephew, Roy P.

Two of Walt Disney's grandchildren became embroiled in a feud over their trust funds.
Most of the Disney family members have stayed out of the business and have collectively donated millions to charity.
The Walt Disney Company has come a long way since it was founded by brothers Walt and Roy O. Disney nearly a century ago. What began as a cartoon studio is now a media powerhouse, complete with amusement parks and properties.

But for all its success, the family behind "The Happiest Place on Earth" has largely stayed out of the limelight and the business. While it's not known just how much the family is worth, GOBankingRates estimated the company's net worth to be $130 billion. Roy O.'s grandson, Roy P., previously said the family owns less than 3% of the company, but assuming it is about that amount would put their fortune around $3.9 billion (not counting any investments in addition to Disney holdings).
From a family-trust-fund feud to generous philanthropic endeavors, here's a look at the three generations of the Disney family. (The family didn't respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.)

Disney cofounder Walt Disney wanted to be a cartoonist since high school, taking extracurricular art classes at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts.

General Photographic Agency/Getty Images

He later worked at a film ad company in Missouri, where he learned animation and went on to form his first animation studio, Laugh-O-Grams, according to the Walt Disney website. But a bad business deal led to the downfall of the studio: A small theatrical company called Pictorial Clubs reportedly offered Laugh-O-Gram $11,000 for six small films, but it only gave Disney a $100 down payment before Pictoral went bankrupt.

Walt then left for Hollywood. In 1923, he cofounded the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, which became Walt Disney Studio, with his older brother, Roy O. Disney. The two had a close relationship: Walt controlled the creative aspects of the company, while Roy ran the business side.

Five years later, "Steamboat Willy" was the first media production to debut Mickey Mouse. In 1937, Disney's first feature-length film, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," debuted and became a box office hit, taking the company from being in debt to being worth millions of dollars.


By the late 1950s, Walt had created a family entertainment world complete with movies, TV shows, and an amusement park.

Getty Images

In 1953, Walt self-funded a private company, WED Enterprises — now known as Walt Disney Imagineering and opened Disneyland two years later. Roughly a decade later, in 1964, Walt and Roy kicked off the development of Walt Disney World in Florida.

That same year, Walt launched one of the most important projects of his career, according to the Walt Disney website: "Mary Poppins," which received 12 Academy Award nominations.


Today, Disney is one of the biggest media companies in the world, with an estimated net worth of nearly $130 billion. It was named the No. 1 best-regarded company in 2018 by Forbes.

Associated Press

GOBankingRates' Sean Dennison evaluated the company's net worth to be $130 billion based on its revenue and profits from the past three years. In 2019 alone, Disney was on the upswing. It announced a new streaming service, Disney+, which caused Disney shares to hit a record high, Arjun Reddy of Business Insider reported.

In March 2019, Disney acquired Fox's entertainment business for $71 billion as part of its plan to compete with technology companies like Amazon and Netflix. It got a controlling stake in streaming service Hulu in the process. It was Disney's 23rd acquisition.

Overall, Disney has four key business segments, according to Forbes: media networks, parks and resorts, studio entertainment, and consumer products and interactive media.


It's unknown how much the Disney family is worth today, but Walt has been described as a "family man" who tried to provide a normal life for his family.

Diane, Walt, Lillian, and Sharon. PA Images/Getty Images

In 1925, Walt married Lillian Bounds, a studio inker. Eight years later, Lillian gave birth to Diane, and the couple later adopted their daughter Sharon as an infant. Walt drove the girls to school every day and barely brought his work home.

"We weren't raised with the idea that this is a great man who is doing things that no one else had ever done," Sharon had said. "He was Daddy. He was a man who went to work every morning and came home every night."

Walt reportedly adored his 10 grandchildren.

Walt died in 1966 of lung cancer, leaving a network of trusts and family foundations for his family.

Walt and Lillian had two main residences, both in California.

Walt Disney's Palm Springs home. Google Maps

Their main residence was an estate in Los Angeles' Holmby Hills, worth $8.5 million before being sold in 1998. A subsequent owner made renovations that put its value at $90 million.

They also owned a 2,433-square-foot weekend retreat in Palm Springs, up for sale at nearly $900,000 in 2016.

Walt's older daughter, Diane, married Ronald Miller in 1954 and had seven children, who were reportedly relatively quiet with their side of the family fortune.

Diane Miller. David Butow/Getty Images

Diane raised her children — Chris, Joanna, Tamara, Jennifer, Walt, Ron Jr., and Patrick — the same way she was raised, trying to give them a typical life. Tamara previously told People that their mother took a "hands-on approach to raising children," forgoing a nanny and taking them to tutors and soccer practice.

"We ... lived a very simple, traditional family life," Chris previously said in an interview. "So when people would confront us with 'your grandpa is Walt Disney,' it seemed like an odd affront to us," even though, he added, "we knew grandpa was world-renowned."

"Our parents and grandparents did a beautiful job of protecting us," Jennifer said in the same interview. "We really had such a normal life. They all made sure of it."

Diane died in 2013 at age 79. She was Walt's last surviving child.


Walt's younger daughter, Sharon, adopted one child, Victoria, with her first husband, Robert Brown. She then had twins, Brad and Michelle, with her second husband, Bill Lund.

Walt Disney, Sharon Disney, and Robert Brown. Bettmann/Getty Images

Like her sister, Sharon stayed out of the limelight and tried to protect her kids from Disney fame, reported Eriq Gardner of The Hollywood Reporter. Brad told Gardner he led a "very normal life." Sharon died from breast cancer in 1993 at age 56.

Michelle has never had a job and owns three homes, spending a lot of time in Newport Beach, California, according to Gardner.

Victoria was said to live quite lavishly, splurging on $5,000-a-night suites at the Royal Palms apartment homes in Las Vegas, Gardner wrote: "She once went on a Disney cruise ship and destroyed her suite in such spectacular fashion that Eisner, then-CEO of the company, had to call the trustees and make them pay for the damages. The family staged numerous interventions, to no avail."

Victoria's share of the family fortune was added to Brad's and Michelle's after she died in 2002 from health complications, Michael Lyons of National Post reported.


Sharon's twins later became embroiled in a multiple-year feud over their $400 million trust fund.

Michelle Lund, Walt Disney's granddaughter. Jason LaVeris/Getty Images

The inheritance was supposed to be distributed in annual payments and lump sums at five-year intervals at ages 35, 40, and 45, reported Gardner. However, the trustees dispersed the payments to Michelle, but withheld Brad's.

Michelle and the trustees argued that Brad wasn't capable of managing his share because of a "chronic cognitive disability" and that Bill, their father, was taking advantage of this to gain money, according to NBC News.

Bill argued that the trustees were manipulating his daughter Michelle. According to Gardner, he was previously a trustee but resigned after an allegation that he used trust money to gain more than $3 million in kickbacks from a real-estate deal. He reportedly agreed to an annual settlement of $500,000.

While Michelle reportedly suffered from drug addiction and had a brain aneurysm that "left her with uncertain mental abilities," the trustees agreed with her about her brother, Gardner wrote. And the court ended up ruling in favor of the trustees, continuing to withhold Brad's payments while paying out Michelle's.


On the other side of the family, Roy O. and wife, Edna Francis, gave birth to Roy E. Disney in 1930, who later became a senior executive for The Walt Disney Company.

Roy E. Disney. Jim Smeal/Getty Images

Roy E. had four children of his own: Susan, Roy P., Tim, and Abigail.

About the time Michael Eisner became CEO of Disney, in the 1980s, and revived the company, Disney stocks increased and the family's net worth skyrocketed to 50 times what it was when Roy E.'s children were growing up, Abigail told Sarah McVeigh of The Cut.

In 2003, Roy E. announced plans to sell 7.5 million Disney shares — about 43% of his stake in the company, reported Randall Smith and Bruce Orwall of The Wall Street Journal. He died in 2009 of stomach cancer.


Roy E.'s daughter Abigail started feeling uneasy about her family's wealth by the time she reached her 20s.

Countess/Getty Images

Abigail told The Cut said she was embarrassed by her family's wealth, adding that it bred deep self-doubt and an "inferiority complex around people who have actually earned their money."

"We went from being comfortable, upper-middle-class people to suddenly my dad had a private jet," she said, referring to the family's private 737. "That's when I feel that my dad really lost his way in life. And that's why I feel hyperconscious about what wealth does to people. I lived in one family as a child, and then I didn't even recognize the family as I got older."

She's taught her four children that "money is morally neutral," she said. "It does not, in and of itself, make you a bad person. It also does not, in and of itself, makes you a good person. You are who you are and the least important thing about you is what you have."

Abigail is a documentary filmmaker and founded Fork Films, which focuses on international social issues. She added that the fortune she inherited would have made her a billionaire if she wanted to be one, and that she would outlaw private jets if she could.

She was one of 18 ultra-wealthy Americans to sign a letter asking presidential candidates to support a wealth tax in June 2019.


Abigail's brother, Roy P., said in an interview that by 1960, Walt and Roy O. owned about 20% of the company. Today, the family owns less than 3% of the company.

Tim, Abigail, and Susan. Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images

Roy P. is an investor, according to the interview.

His brother, Tim, is a screenwriter with a hefty real-estate portfolio. Tim reportedly bought Kristen Wiig's Los Angeles house for $5.2 million, according to Yolanda's Little Black Book. He also has a renovated Spanish estate in Los Feliz, which he bought for $6.4 million, and a weekend retreat in Joshua Tree. He previously sold a Hancock Park property for $4.45 million.

Their sister, Susan, also makes real estate moves: She previously owned a 4,883-square-foot beachfront house in Malibu, which she sold for $18 million after several price cuts, reported Mark David for Variety. She also runs the restaurant The Bel-Air, where grilled lamb chops go for $38.


While Walt and Roy O. kept their families in harmony, the two families were reportedly never close and drew even further apart after Roy O.'s death in 1971.

Walt and Roy O. Bettmann/Getty Images

Diane's husband and Walt's son-in-law, Ron, became CEO of Disney in the early 1980s. In 1984, Roy E. replaced him with Eisner, according to People. The move reportedly deepened the family divide, but the two families later patched things up.

Roy E. was the only heir to get involved in the family business, which Walt tried to steer his children and grandchildren away from, according to Gardner.

While Diane didn't get involved in corporate matters, she reportedly worked the hardest to preserve Walt's legacy, creating the Walt Disney Family Museum.


Most of the Disney family has shied away from corporate affairs, instead displaying their wealth and power philanthropically, according to Gardner.

Lillian and Walt Disney. Gene Lester/Getty Images

Disney family members — and the company itself — have donated millions to charity.

Lillian donated $274 million for a new concert hall in Los Angeles, according to The New York Times. Sharon was a trustee for CalArts, and got involved with the Marianne Frostig Center of Educational Therapy and the Curtis School Foundation, according to The Los Angeles Times. Her family has reportedly contributed nearly $100 million toward building Disney Hall on Bunker Hill.

According to Gardner, the Lund family is committed to the Sharon Disney Lund Foundation, donating money to cancer research and visiting the scientists. The Foundation has also donated $1 million to a nonprofit arts organization for teens.

So far, Abigail has donated about $70 million and plans to keep "giving a lot of money away" until her death, she told The Cut. She and her husband, Pierre Hauser, cofounded the Daphne Foundation, which supports programs to end poverty in New York City.

There's also the Roy + Patricia Disney Family Foundation, which focuses on three areas: equality, sustainability, and vibrant communities.

And in 2018, The Disney Company announced a five-year global commitment of $100 million to children's hospitals. It previously donated $1 million to UNICEF and most recently pledged $5 million to support the rebuilding of the Notre-Dame Cathedral.

The Disney Conservation Fund has also given out hundreds of grants worth $75 million toward wildlife organizations like The International Fund for Animal Welfare and The African People & Wildlife Fund.

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ICE sued over treatment of 5-year-old with head injury

Associated Press

HOUSTON (AP) — The mother of a 5-year-old Guatemalan boy sued U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement over the medical care he has received in detention for a head injury suffered before the family was arrested.

© ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE - In this July 8, 2019, file photo, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer looks on during an operation in Escondido, Calif. A sweeping expansion of deportation powers unveiled this week by the Trump administration has sent chills through immigrant communities and prompted some lawyers to advise migrants to gather up as much documentation as possible _ pay stubs, apartment leases or even gym key tags _ to prove they’ve been in the U.S.(AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)

The lawsuit filed late Friday in California asks a judge to order the child to be taken to a pediatric neurologist or pediatric neurosurgeon. It also seeks to prevent ICE from trying to immediately deport the family.


The boy fell out of a shopping cart in December, fractured his skull and suffered bleeding around his brain. About a month later, he and his family were detained by ICE during what they thought was a routine check-in. The boy, his 1-year-old brother and their mother were taken to ICE's family detention center at Dilley, Texas, while their father was taken to a detention center in California.

The child's relatives and advocates allege that ICE is not properly treating symptoms caused by the accident that began before he was detained. The boy has severe headaches and is hypersensitive to normal levels of sound, according to his aunt and Dr. Amy Cohen, an advocate working with the family. He is also starting to wet himself, according to his aunt. They allege the boy's mother has pleaded for medical care, but has been disregarded.

ICE has defended the care the boy has received at Dilley. The agency says medical staff at the detention center conducted multiple check-ups and found no lasting neurological issues. After The Associated Press first inquired about the case on Monday, ICE took the boy to the Children's Hospital of San Antonio on Tuesday and Wednesday, where he was found to have a normal MRI and no signs of continued bleeding in his skull.

The boy was not seen at the hospital by a pediatric neurologist, according to medical records obtained by his family's attorneys. According to the records, hospital doctors consulted the neurosurgery department and determined that no follow-up was necessary because the MRI was clear.

Cohen said the boy had an appointment to see a neurologist before the family was detained by ICE. The symptoms his family reported began before their detention and could be caused by a head injury even if the initial bleeding is gone, meaning that an MRI would not be enough, she said.

The San Antonio hospital also did not have the paperwork from the California hospital that first treated him, according to the latest records. Doctors at the first hospital determined that the boy needed a neurosurgery follow-up within four weeks.

In a statement Thursday, ICE said it was determined that “no issues were present that required the need to elevate the case to another neurological specialist.” It declined to comment Saturday on the lawsuit. The Children's Hospital of San Antonio declined to comment Friday on the case.

The AP is withholding the names of the boy and his family because they fear imminent deportation to Guatemala, where the boy’s mother says she was threatened.
Boy with a fractured skull faces deportation; family was detained after ICE check-in

A 5-year-old Guatemalan boy with a fractured skull and his parents and younger brother are in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody after a routine check-in.

© Jabin Botsford Image: Migrant women and children walk at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, on Aug. 23, 2019.

Relatives accuse ICE of negligence, saying the child, Mateo — who was put on a plane to a Texas detention center with his mother and his younger brother, has frequent headaches and cries in pain.


The child's father was separated from his family and sent to a detention center in California, where the family has lived while it sought asylum; they say they were threatened in their country. All family members now have deportation orders.

ICE said in a statement that Milda Rodríguez, the boy's mother, did not warn authorities of her child's condition at the time of the arrest and medical examinations revealed no problems.

Mateo fell from a supermarket cart Dec. 22 while playing with his 1-year-old brother, the family said. Two days later, the family visited two medical centers in the Los Angeles area after the boy kept crying from pain.

Doctors there performed an MRI and detected blood in the brain (epidural hematoma) and a fracture in the skull, according to medical records obtained by Telemundo News.

The family said they were unable to take their child to see a neurologist or a neurosurgeon because ICE detained them during a routine check-in last month after they missed a hearing in the immigration court processing their asylum case back in November.
"His head hurts a lot"

The children and their mother were sent to an immigration detention center in Dilley, Texas. The father, José Pedroza, was sent to a detention center in Adelanto, California, that only houses adult inmates.

The children's aunt, Leidy Rodas, said the family told the government about Mateo's health condition and showed officials the child's medical report. ICE denied this in a statement.

"My sister calls me every day very stressed and worried about what is happening with Mateo," the aunt said in Spanish. "We are very concerned that they are not giving her the medical care she's requesting for the child. With any noise, he covers his ears with his hands and starts screaming because his head hurts a lot. "

ICE told Telemundo News that health workers at the detention center visited the child Tuesday. The agency added that both on Jan. 23 and 27, routine examinations were performed on the child, which "revealed no apparent medical problems."

After the mother mentioned that her child was wetting his bed since the accident, ICE took Mateo to a hospital in San Antonio for further tests.

ICE said that an MRI done in the hospital found no signs of epidural hematoma, contradicting what the previous medical report showed.

Mateo was discharged from the hospital and returned to the family detention center in Texas on Wednesday.

Dr. Amy Cohen, who is working with the family, said that the child's treatment is "consistent with other observations of indifferent treatment" she has seen in ICE detention centers, as well as in Customs and Border Protection facilities.

"They are serious violations of human rights," Cohen, a member of Physicians for Human Rights, a group that investigates medical irregularities in detention centers, told Telemundo News.

A private company, CoreCivic, manages the Dilley family detention center where Mateo, his mother and his brother are being held. It is one of only two detention centers across the country that house families and is able to hold about 1,600 people, according to the latest ICE report published in November. At that time, more than 56 percent of the detainees were minors.


Mateo and his family have been in ICE custody for 17 days. The U.S. government is not allowed to hold detained families for more than 20 days.


Even though ICE said the detention of families should "generally be limited to 20 days," its own internal reports show that most families spend 35 days in the Dilley detention center. Others have been there for 91 days.

At least six children have died in immigration custody under the Trump administration. An 18-month-old girl died in 2018 after being detained with her mother at the Dilley detention center. The mother sued ICE for inadequate treatment after her child became ill while in detention, her lawyers said.

"My sister is very desperate and she's always crying," Rodas said. "And the boy tells me on the phone: 'Nana, I already want to be with you, come for us.'"

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