In photos: Louisville marks 1 year since police killing of Breonna Taylor

Laurin-Whitney Gottbrath  AXIOS  3/13/2021

Breonna Taylor's family leads a march as Louisville marks one year since her death. Photo: Laurin-Whitney Gottbrath

Hundreds marched in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday to mark one year since the police killing of Breonna Taylor, an unarmed Black woman.

The big picture: The families of other Black and Brown people shot by police, including Jacob Blake, Danny Ray Thomas and Sean Monterrosa, joined Taylor's family in Louisville to remember the 26-year-old and renew their calls for justice.

What they're saying: "It's a good day for the DOJ to arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor," Benjamin Crump, Taylor's family lawyer, told Saturday's crowd in Louisville.
Sadiqa Reynolds, president of the Louisville Urban League, said "this is bigger than me and you. This is about justice. ... This is so we make sure that not another person dies at the hands of the police."
President Biden tweeted, "Breonna Taylor’s death was a tragedy, a blow to her family, her community, and America. As we continue to mourn her, we must press ahead to pass meaningful police reform in Congress. I remain committed to signing a landmark reform bill into law.

Context: Police fatally shot Taylor on March 13, 2020, as they barged into the 26-year-old's home in plain-clothes while serving a search warrant.
Louisville Metro Department Police officers returned fire after Taylor's boyfriend, who said he believed someone was breaking into the home, fired a shot as officers broke down the apartment's door.
No officers were directly charged for Taylor's death. Three officers were fired and others were disciplined. One was charged for firing shots into neighboring apartments. An FBI investigation into the case is ongoing.
Louisville's Metro Council last year passed "Breonna's Law," which bans no-knock warrants, like the one used in the raid on Taylor's home. The state's Senate also passed a bill that would limit the use of no-knock warrants, though protesters have called for a complete ban

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Protesters march in Louisville to mark one year since the police killing of Taylor. Photo: Laurin-Whitney GottbrathTamika Palmer, Taylor's mother, and lawyer Ben Crump lead a march in Louisville. Photo: Laurin-Whitney Gottbrath

Protesters in Louisville chant, "hands up, don't shoot," as they march past police. Photo: Laurin-Whitney Gottbrath

Protesters in Louisville took to the streets for more than 180 consecutive days last year to demand justice for Taylor. Photo: Laurin-Whitney Gottbrath

Protesters have repeatedly called for the officers involved in Taylor's death to be charged. Photo: Laurin-Whitney Gottbrath

Protesters chant, "Breewayy," to honor Taylor on Saturday. Photo: Laurin-Whitney Gottbrath

Protesters call for justice for all Black people killed by police. Photo: Laurin-Whitney Gottbrath

Protesters chant, "no justice, no peace," as they march in downtown Louisville, on Saturday. Photo: Laurin-Whitney Gottbrath

Hundreds march in Louisville to remember Taylor on the first anniversary of her death. Photo: Laurin-Whitney Gottbrath

Protesters sign a banner to honor Taylor's memory. Photo: Laurin-Whitney Gottbrath

The Louisville park, known to protesters as "Injustice Square," has been the center of protests calling for justice for Taylor. Photo: Laurin-Whitney Gottbrath

A Year After Breonna Taylor's Killing, Family Says There's 'No Accountability'


By BRAKKTON BOOKER & RACHEL TREISMAN • 3/13/2021

A makeshift memorial in downtown Louisville, Ky., for Breonna Taylor in September 2020. Taylor was killed a year ago in her home during a botched narcotics raid carried out by Louisville police.
JASON ARMOND / LOS ANGELES TIMES VIA GETTY IMAGES

Originally published on March 13, 2021 

Before Breonna Taylor's name became synonymous with police violence against Black Americans, she was an emergency medical technician in Louisville, Ky.

The 26-year-old Black woman's friends and family say she was beloved, and relished the opportunity to brighten someone else's day.

Exactly one year ago, Louisville police gunned her down in her home. Now, her name is a ubiquitous rallying cry at protests calling for police reforms, and many social justice advocates point to her story as an example of how difficult it can be to hold police accountable for violent acts.

The Louisville incident unfolded during a botched narcotics raid, when officers forced their way into her apartment in the early morning hours of March 13, 2020. Taylor was not the target of the raid and the suspect police were searching for was not at Taylor's home.

A year after Taylor's death, none of the officers who fired their service weapons — a total of 32 rounds — face criminal charges directly over Taylor's killing. At least three officers with connections to the raid have been terminated from the force.

In September, the city of Louisville announced a $12 million settlement in the wrongful death lawsuit filed by Taylor's family, which also included several police reforms.

"Her death has ignited a movement in Louisville and the nation for racial justice, sending thousands into our streets and cities all across the country and the world all crying out for justice for Breonna," Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said at a press briefing announcing the settlement.

City officials have also banned no-knock warrants.

The push for justice continues

But many advocates believe justice has not been done, citing the lack of criminal charges and saying they want to see broader criminal justice reform.

Demonstrators plan to gather in downtown Louisville on Saturday to mark the anniversary of Taylor's death, member station WFPL reported. Activists say they hope to keep her memory alive and renew calls for justice, after the winter dampened on-the-ground protests.

Some advocates are calling for Kentucky's Republican-controlled legislature to pass "Breonna's Law," which would ban no-knock warrants statewide.

The Kentucky Senate passed a bill late last month restricting such warrants in certain situations, which many activists and Democratic lawmakers say does not go far enough. They had introduced a similar bill in the House in August, called "Breonna's Law," but the House Judiciary Committee voted on Wednesday to move forward with the Republican-sponsored proposal, according to WFPL.

Louisville Democratic Rep. Attica Scott, the primary sponsor of Breonna's Law, told NPR's All Things Considered on Friday that committee officials have said they will consider proposed amendments that would bring the two bills further into alignment.

She also said she had written a letter to newly-confirmed Attorney General Merrick Garland this week, asking him to fully investigate Taylor's killing.

"Justice has not been served," Scott said. "Folks on the front line have been very clear that they're continuing to call for all of the officers involved in Breonna Taylor's murder to be fired, arrested and charged for her murder. They have not wavered from those demands."

She said she will be attending the gathering on Saturday, describing it as one of "love, community and solidarity." Local activists have characterized it similarly.

"To the LMPD and the mayor and everyone involved, we're still going to keep applying pressure," protest leader Rosie Henderson told WFPL. "But as a whole in the movement, we want to unify. That's a day that we're going to come together and unify as one."

A year later, the pain is still fresh for Taylor's loved ones.

Ju'Niyah Palmer, Taylor's sister, wrote on Instagram earlier this year that her heart was "heavy because we are only 2 months away from me not hearing, seeing or cuddling you for a whole year."

Her mother, Tamika Palmer, recently filed complaints with the police department's professional standards unit against six officers for their role in the investigation that included the raid. In an Thursday interview with a Louisville CBS affiliate, Palmer expressed her frustration with the lack of accountability in the case and called on the community to continue demanding justice.

"I can't believe it's a year later and we're still just asking people to do the right thing," she said. "Not to say all officers are bad, but there's no accountability."

No criminal charges in Taylor's death

Last September, after months of protests in and around Louisville, the city was braced to hear whether a grand jury would hand down criminal indictments for LMPD officers Brett Hankison, Jonathan Mattingly and Myles Cosgrove.

At a press briefing Sept. 23, Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron announced no charges directly tied to Taylor's death. The grand jury handed down three criminal counts of wanton endangerment to Hankison, over shooting through Taylor's apartment into a neighboring residence.

The grand jury did not charge Mattingly, who shot six times, and Cosgrove, who fired a total of 16 rounds, including what federal investigators determined to be the round that ultimately killed Taylor.

Cameron, whose office took over as special prosecutor in the case in May, said at the press conference that both Mattingly and Cosgrove "were justified in their use of force."

After the two officers forced their way into Taylor's apartment, her boyfriend Kenneth Walker fired on them. Walker, a licensed gun owner, has maintained that he did not hear the officers announce themselves before entering and mistook them for intruders. He fired a shot, which hit Mattingly in the leg.

After Mattingly was struck, officers returned fire, according to officials.

Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron speaks during a press conference to announce the grand jury's decision in the Breonna Taylor case last September in Frankfort, Ky.
JON CHERRY / GETTY IMAGES

Complicating matters is the absence of video evidence in the case.

Cameron, Kentucky's first Black attorney general, told reporters that "evidence shows that officers both knocked and announced their presence at the apartment."

He cited the officers' statements and one additional witness as evidence, but also acknowledged there is no video or body camera footage of the officers executing the search warrant.

Cameron's announcement sparked fresh outrage and demonstrations in Louisville, Atlanta, Denver, and Portland, among other cities.

It added fuel to an already tense period in American society, where national protests focusing on racial justice inequities became a near-daily occurrence following high-profile police incidents with Black Americans, including George Floyd, Rayshard Brooks, Jacob Blake, Daniel Prude and others who were killed or seriously injured.

Days after Cameron's press conference, Taylor's mother, Palmer, said she was "reassured ... of why I have no faith in the legal system, in the police, in the law. ... They are not made to protect us Black and brown people."

"It's kind of ironic when you think about the message that is being sent from this grand jury ruling," Taylor family attorney Benjamin Crump said in September.

"It's like they charged the police for missing shooting bullets into Black bodies. But not charging the police for shooting bullets into Black bodies," Crump said.

In that same press conference, Crump raised questions about what evidence Cameron presented on behalf of Taylor to the grand jury.

He also publicly called for the release of the transcripts of the proceedings, something that is extremely rare in grand jury cases. The court did so several weeks later, after some jurors took issue with Cameron's explanation for why no officer was directly charged in Taylor's death.

Officer says Taylor shooting was "not a race thing"

In October, Mattingly characterized the Taylor incident as tragic, but said it was different from other recent killings of Black Americans.

"It's not a race thing like people try to make it to be," Mattingly said in an interview with the ABC News and Louisville's Courier Journal. "This is not relatable to George Floyd, this is nothing like it. It's not Ahmaud Arbery. It's nothing like it."

"These are two totally different type incidences. This is not us going, hunting somebody down, this is not kneeling on a neck. This is nothing like that," he said.

Mattingly also vehemently denied that he is racist.

Three LMPD officers fired, Mattingly exonerated

Hankison was terminated from LMPD in June, after the department found he fired "wantonly and blindly" into Taylor's apartment.

In January, some nine months after Taylor's killing, the department formally terminated Cosgrove and another officer connected to the incident.

Both Cosgrove and Detective Joshua Jaynes, who secured the warrant for the raid on Taylor's home, were found to have violated department protocols, according to the termination letters made public on Jan. 6.

LMPD officials said that for Jaynes, "the evidence in this case revealed a sustained untruthfulness violation based on information included in an affidavit completed by you and submitted to a judge."

LMPD said Cosgrove violated the department's protocols on use of deadly force and failed to activate his officer-worn body camera.

"The shots you fired went in three different directions, indicating you did not verify a threat or have target acquisition," the letter to Cosgrove stated. "In other words, the evidence shows that you fired wildly at unidentified subjects or targets located within the apartment."

In that same batch of documents, LMPD also said that Mattingly, who was shot during the raid, was exonerated on both counts of violating department procedures on use of deadly force and de-escalation. It added, "no disciplinary action taken and the complaint will be dismissed."

The disciplinary documents were released the same day Fischer, the Louisville mayor, formally announced that Erika Shields would be the city's next permanent police chief.

Shields resigned her post as Atlanta's police chief in the immediate aftermath of the killing of Rayshard Brooks, a Black man who was shot in the back during an encounter with white officers in a Wendy's parking lot in June.

UK

A COPPPER KILLED SARAH

London police criticised for ‘deeply disturbing’ clashes at Sarah Everard vigil

STUPID COPPERS

While the vigil in Clapham, south London, was largely peaceful, scuffles broke out at the front of a crowd of hundreds as police surrounded a bandstand covered in floral tributes to the 33-year-old

THE LADS PROTECT THEIR OWN

.
(Victoria Jones/PA)

SAT, 13 MAR, 2021 - 

PA REPORTERS AND GREG MURPHY, IRISH EXAMINER

The London Metropolitan Police has faced intense criticism for its handling of a London vigil in memory of Sarah Everard, with officers accused of “grabbing and manhandling” women during clashes with the crowd.

While the vigil in Clapham, south London, was largely peaceful, scuffles broke out at the front of a crowd of hundreds as police surrounded a bandstand covered in floral tributes to the 33-year-old.

At one stage, male officers could be seen grabbing hold of several women before leading them away in handcuffs, to shouts and screams from onlookers.

In response, the crowd chanted “shame on you”, while during another confrontation a distressed woman could be heard telling officers “you’re supposed to protect us”

The clashes prompted a chorus of criticism from MPs, including Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, who described the scenes as “deeply disturbing”.

“Women came together to mourn Sarah Everard – they should have been able to do so peacefully,” he tweeted.

“I share their anger and upset at how this has been handled. This was not the way to police this protest.”

People talk to police as they gather at the band stand in Clapham Common, London, after the Reclaim These Streets vigil for Sarah Everard was officially cancelled. Picture: Victoria Jones/PA Wire

Hundreds of people converged on the south London park despite an official vigil being called off earlier in the day due to police warnings over coronavirus restrictions.

While the Clapham clashes took place, many other peaceful vigils were held around the country in locations including Glasgow, Nottingham, Birmingham and Bristol – despite warnings over lockdown.

A virtual event was also held at 6pm in which campaigners called for more to be done to tackle violence against women.

Campaign group Sisters Uncut, which had representatives present at the demonstration, claimed that “male police officers waited for the sun to set before they started grabbing and manhandling women in the crowd”.

Campaign group Reclaim These Streets, which had planned to hold the Clapham vigil before it was cancelled, also urged people to take part in a doorstep vigil at 9.30pm on Saturday.

People in the crowd turn on their phone torches as they gather in Clapham Common, London, after the Reclaim These Streets vigil for Sarah Everard was officially cancelled. Picture: Victoria Jones/PA Wire

But crowds of people made their way to Clapham Common’s bandstand at around 6pm on Saturday, with many laying flowers in what has become a growing floral tribute.

Some held placards reading “we will not be silenced” and “she was just walking home”, while the crowd chanted: “Sisters united will never be defeated.”

There were boos, jeers and shouts of “shame on you” from the crowd as Metropolitan Police officers walked on to the bandstand where some demonstrators were chanting.

Officers later walked through the crowd as people dispersed, encouraging those who were left to move away from the area once they had finished paying their respects.

One video posted online showed police officers grabbing women standing within the bandstand before leading them away, to screaming and shouting from onlookers.

A woman holds up a placard as people gather in Clapham Common, London, after the Reclaim These Streets vigil for Sarah Everard was officially cancelled. Picture: Victoria Jones/PA Wire

A nurse who works in the Clapham area said she felt “conflicted” about attending the gathering because of pandemic restrictions, but decided she had to go.

Mel Clarke said: “I felt very conflicted (about coming) but I just felt that I needed to be here.

The 33-year-old added: “I’m really pleased that there are a lot of men here. I hope that this is kind of an opportunity for men to learn how women feel, how vulnerable we are.

“I hope that this is the start of justice being served for Sarah.”

Two friends who live locally said they attended to “show our respects”.

Megan Taylor, 23, said: “It’s a good sense of community, when it’s so scary in these times, seeing people come together like this.”

She said it was “quite nice to see so many“ men in attendance “who want to pay their respects as well”.

 

Police surround the band stand in Clapham Common, London, after the Reclaim These Streets vigil for Sarah Everard was officially cancelled. Picture: Victoria Jones/PA Wire

Twenty-two-year-old Sophie, who did not wish to give her surname, said people appeared to be following the coronavirus rules as best they could

She said: “It is difficult. Obviously everyone’s hopefully wearing masks and being sensible in terms of how long they’re staying in the proximity of people. I do think things like this (demonstration) are important

Eve James and her boyfriend Joe Webster, both aged 26, also attended.

Ms James said: “I was on the fence about whether to come or not because I have been following the rules as closely as possible but all week I have not been able to stop thinking about Sarah.

“I used to live in Clapham, I only moved to Fulham about a year ago and I just felt so strongly that it could have been any of us.”

Mr Webster said: “With Covid guidelines or whatever, it doesn’t matter. This is way more important than that.”

Asked if he felt it was important men attended the event, he said: “Of course.

“Men need to learn themselves how to make things better for women so if this is part of the process then yeah, let’s make it happen.”

A woman holds a candle at the band stand in Clapham Common, London, after the Reclaim These Streets vigil for Sarah Everard was officially cancelled. Picture: Victoria Jones/PA Wire

As emotions ran high at the gathering, police said it had become “unsafe” and urged people to go home.

A tweet from the Lambeth police account said: “The gathering at #ClaphamCommon is unsafe. Hundreds of people are tightly packed together in breach of the regulations and risking public health.

“We are urging people to go home and we thank those who have been engaging with officers and who are leaving.” The Metropolitan Police was criticised for its policing of the gathering, with one MP describing it as “heartbreaking and maddening to watch”.

Labour’s Sarah Owen added: “No one can see these scenes and think that this has been handled anything but badly by @metpoliceuk. It could and should have been so different.”

A woman holds a candle at the band stand in Clapham Common, London, after the Reclaim These Streets vigil for Sarah Everard was officially cancelled. Picture: Victoria Jones/PA Wire

Charlotte Nichols, shadow minister for women and equalities, tweeted: “If @metpoliceuk had put the resources into assisting @ReclaimTS to hold the covid-secure vigil originally planned that they put into stopping any collective show of grief and solidarity (both through the courts and a heavy-handed physical response), we’d all be in a better place.”

Streatham MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy tweeted footage of the clashes, adding: “This could have been the socially distanced vigil the community needed to remember Sarah and all the women who have lost their lives to violence. We knew what was going to happen if the event was shut down.”

Meanwhile, more than 100 people defied a police request by turning up to a Birmingham city centre vigil.

The hour-long vigil, which was addressed by several speakers and included a minute’s silence for Ms Everard, passed off without incident and with no obvious sign of uniformed police.

Factbox: Energy firms seize on carbon tech, environmental goals to build new businesses

By Reuters Staff
MARCH 13, 2021

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Major energy companies are turning their carbon sequestration technologies and projects into business ventures, converting some efforts that help pump more oil and gas into profit-making ventures while burnishing their environmental reputations.

The efforts could help big greenhouse gas emitters reduce their carbon emissions intensity and move closer to Paris Agreement climate change targets. Energy giants view these efforts as balancing customer demands for more oil and gas while fitting in a lower-carbon energy world.

Carbon removal technologies will be necessary to limit the increase in planetary warming to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius, the goal of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, the United Nations has said.

KINDER MORGAN INC

Pipeline operator Kinder Morgan has formed a business unit to acquire assets and build new services around carbon storage, renewable gas and diesel, hydrogen and power generation and transmission.

Its Energy Transition Ventures unit aims to broaden low-carbon projects already in development, the company said. The operation will have its own financial, commercial and engineering staff to develop and commercialize new projects.

BAKER HUGHES CO

The oilfield equipment and services firm acquired Norwegian technology firm Compact Carbon Capture (3C) and plans to commercialize its solvent-based products. 3C says its scalable designs can be as little as a quarter of the footprint of other carbon-capturing systems.

Baker Hughes will market the rotating 3C equipment alongside its products and services to industries including oil and gas, liquefied natural gas, shipping and pipeline operators. 3C’s industrial-scale unit designs could capture up to 250,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year.

EXXON MOBIL CORP

Exxon Mobil formed Low Carbon Solutions LLC, offering to make available its technologies and projects that Exxon deployed to sequester its planet-warming CO2 emissions. The business also aims to leverage Exxon’s experience in producing hydrogen gas.

The Low Carbon business will leverage Exxon’s CO2 storage caverns along the U.S. Gulf Coast and under the North Sea. It also will market emissions-reduction credits from the use of its sequestration projects.


OCCIDENTAL PETROLEUM CORP

Occidental formed Oxy Low Carbon Ventures to marshal its carbon capture, utilization and emissions reduction operations. It and private equity investor Rusheen Capital Management formed 1PointFive, a Texas business that aims to capture CO2 directly from the air and bury it underground.

United Airlines pledged a multimillion dollar investment in 1PointFive and will become a customer of the business, aiming to absorb the equivalent annual carbon emissions of 10% of its aircraft.

TOTAL SE

Total has pledged to put 10% of its research and development budget to advance carbon capture, utilization and storage technology. It invested in a project to study the costs of capturing CO2 generated by a LafargeHolcim cement plant in Colorado and bury the emissions underground.

CHEVRON CORP

Chevron invested in Blue Planet Systems, a startup commercializing a technology that makes a substitute for limestone in concrete and building materials from CO2. The two firms are planning pilot projects that commercialize the Blue Planet carbon capture process.


Reporting by Gary McWilliams; Editing by Marguerita Choy and Dan Grebler

RIP

Boxing legend Marvelous Marvin Hagler 

dead at 66

The former undisputed middleweight champion of the world’s widow announced his death on social media

By Bloody Elbow Mar 13, 2021

Marvin Hagler has passed away at age 66

 Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images

Marvelous Marvin Hagler, the former undisputed middleweight boxing champion of the world, has passed away at age 66. His wife Kay Hagler posted the sad news on Facebook today.

“I am sorry to make a very sad announcement. Today unfortunately my beloved husband Marvelous Marvin passed away unexpectedly at his home here in New Hampshire. Our family requests that you respect our privacy during this difficult time. With love, Kay Hagler.”

Hagler reigned over boxing’s middleweight division from 1980 to 1987, successfully defending his title 12 times. He lost his titles in a controversial decision to “Sugar” Ray Leonard. Hagler retired with a 62-3-2 record featuring 52 K0s.

Hagler defeated Thomas “Hitman” Hearns in April, 1985 in one of boxing’s most celebrated bouts. He also earned victories over Roberto Duran, John Mugabi, and Mustafa Hamsho.

Hagler took the middleweight title from Alan Minter in September, 1980.

He was born in New Jersey and raised in Massachusetts. He was a member of both the International Boxing Hall of Fame and World Boxing Hall of Fame. Hagler legally changed his named to Marvelous Marvin Hagler from Marvin Nathaniel Hagler in 1982.

Hagler was one of the first superstars of boxing’s pay cable era and helped make HBO a leader in the sport. He will be remembered by fight fans for his skill and ferocity.

Mark Madden's Hot Take: Tom Brady's contract shows why salary cap is a sham

MARK MADDEN | Saturday, March 13, 2021 


AP
Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski, left, and quarterback Tom Brady celebrate after defeating the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021, in Tampa, Fla.

 the news you want and information you need, right to your inbox.

Tom Brady reconfigured his contract to ignite the latest barrage of “Tom Brady makes less so his team can win more” propaganda.

Like most propaganda, it’s primarily fiction.

Brady’s wife is supermodel Gisele Bundchen. She has earned more than a half-billion dollars. Brady has earned $263 million playing football. When you’ve made over a quarter-billion and your missus nearly doubles that, it’s a lot easier to be selfless for the sake of the team.

Not that Brady necessarily is.

Brady’s new restructuring clears $19 million cap space, quite opportune given that Tampa Bay has a few key free agents to re-sign, mostly notably outside linebacker Shaq Barrett and tight end Rob Gronkowski. Ex-Steelers receiver Antonio Brown also needs a new deal.

But Brady’s four-year extension makes it possible for him to get paid approximately the same as last year, $25 million. Most of that will be in a roster bonus, enabling the Buccaneers to spread out Brady’s cap hit over those four seasons, three of which he likely won’t play.

Brady is making the same, but Tampa Bay gets major cap relief. So, what the heck is the point of the salary cap? So much about the cap is a sham.

Every time Brady “does right by his team,” it’s good PR for him and bad PR for every other quarterback in the NFL.

That includes Ben Roethlisberger of this parish, whom Yinzer Twitter lambasted in the immediate aftermath of Brady’s new perceived good deed. “Ben should have done more, like Brady!” This despite Roethlisberger actually taking a pay cut of $5 million for this season, while Brady will be making roughly the same as he was originally set to.

But Brady has won seven Super Bowls. That’s the best PR of all. Roethlisberger has won “only” two.

The last time Congress created a new state

March 12, 2021 

On March 12, 1959, Congress approved Hawaii for admission to the union as the 50th state, marking the last time statehood was subject to votes in the House and Senate.



President Dwight Eisenhower signed the Hawaii Admissions Act a week later on March 18, 1959, and Hawaii officially became the 50th state on August 21, 1959, after Hawaiians voted to become a state in June 1959 under terms specified in the Admissions Act.

The Constitution grants general state-creation powers to Congress in Article IV, Section 3, under the Admissions Clause, which reads: “New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new State shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or Parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress.”

Since 1789, states have joined the union in various ways. The usual process has been for Congress to grant territorial status as a precursor, with a territory creating a local constitution for its citizens that conforms to the federal Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. In other cases, such as Texas, West Virginia, Vermont and Kentucky, the admission process differed. But since West Virginia’s admission to the union in 1863, the state admission process has been restricted to territories.

On the Interactive Constitution, Eric Biber and Thomas B. Colby describe the general evolution of the statehood process in recent times:

“The Admissions Clause provides that admission of a state requires at least one Act of Congress. However, Congress has often followed a more complicated process. For many admitted states, Congress first passed an Enabling Act, which authorized the population of a territory to convene a constitutional convention to draft a constitution for the new proposed state, and to apply for admission to Congress,” they explain.

“Often in the Enabling Act, Congress specified a range of conditions that the proposed state had to meet in order for admission to occur. … Once the proposed state constitution was drafted, it was sent to Congress, which then decided whether to pass an additional act or resolution admitting the state. One variation in the Enabling Act process involved Congress delegating the final approval process to the President.”

Efforts to add Alaska and Hawaii as states with “an equal footing with the other States” had picked up in their intensity after World War II when the strategic importance of both territories became more urgent. However, politics played a role in the statehood process in a divided Washington.

The admission of a state brings with it new electoral votes and new representatives in Congress. The Democrats during the 1950s favored Alaska as the 49th state, while the Republicans wanted Hawaii admitted by itself, with both sides believing there was a political benefit to the admissions process.

President Eisenhower had publicly supported Hawaiian statehood, but he had not supported Alaskan statehood until 1958 when it became clear that both territories would need to be admitted as states to keep a political balance in Washington.

In January 1959, Alaska became the 49th state, which accelerated the Hawaii statehood process. On March 11, 1959: the Senate voted 75-15 in favor of the Admissions Act, with the House approving the same bill in a 323 to 89 vote on March 12, 1959.

During the 1940s and 1950s, there was also a serious debate about the status of Puerto Rico as a potential state, or as an independent nation. Today, the statehood debate for Puerto Rico remains controversial. There is also a statehood movement in the District of Columbia.

Filed Under: Article I

The last time Congress created a new state - National Constitution Center

Ottawa funds development of First Nations-owned B.C. geothermal project

FORT NELSON, B.C. — Ottawa has committed more than $40 million to fund the development of geothermal power from a diminishing natural gas field in northern British Columbia.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

"It will serve as a model for other geothermal facilities across the country, particularly in the North and rural communities," Natural Resources Minister Seamus O'Reagan said Friday.

The money will be spent on the Clarke Lake field near the community of Fort Nelson, which is nearing depletion after nearly 60 years of production. That, combined with low natural gas prices, have reduced investment and employment from the resource.

The first full size geothermal well will be drilled early this year and commercial operation is expected by late 2024. The project is expected to generate up to 15 megawatts of green energy, which is enough to power up to 14,000 households and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25,000 tonnes.

The project is entirely owned by the Fort Nelson First Nation, with involvement from the Saulteau First Nation. Fort Nelson Chief Sharleen Gale said the project will use the skills local workers already have, redirecting them from fossil fuels to geothermal.

"We are accomplishing all of this by using existing skill sets," she said. "This is a fast-forward for us to lead the energy transition."

A government press release said the Clarke Lake project will be one of Canada's first commercially viable geothermal electricity production facilities.

ALBERTA DIVERSIFICATION 

O'Reagan said Ottawa is also involved in other geothermal projects.

It has invested more than $25 million in a five-megawatt geothermal power plant near Estevan, Sask., and about the same for a similar facility near Grande Prairie, Alta.

It has also spent nearly $7 million for a project in Alberta near Rocky Mountain House and about $5 million for another one near Swan Hills.

"It's a great opportunity," said O'Reagan.

"It provides almost a safe harbour for a lot of workers who are currently displaced by the ups and downs of the oil and natural gas industries. Their skills in drilling and exploration are almost perfectly transferable to geothermal."

— By Bob Weber in Edmonton.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 12, 2021

ALL THE GEOTHERMAL PROJECTS ARE TO COME ONLINE IN 2024

CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M

Men linked to Canada-based company indicted in major U.S. drug investigation

SAN DIEGO — A federal grand jury in San Diego has indicted two men linked to a Canadian company on racketeering and drug charges over allegations they helped import and distribute narcotics around the world through the sale of encrypted communications devices.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

The U.S. Justice Department says the indictment alleges that devices from Canada-based Sky Global are designed to prevent law enforcement from monitoring the communications between members of transnational criminal organizations involved in drug trafficking and money laundering.

The indictment alleges that Sky Global installs sophisticated encryption software in cellphones that allow users to communicate with each other in a closed network through encrypted servers in Canada and France.

It alleges that Sky Global used the system to facilitate the importation, exportation, and distribution of heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine into Australia, Asia, Europe, and North America, including the United States and Canada.

The indictment also alleges the system was used to help launder the proceeds of drug trafficking and obstruct investigations.

The U.S. Justice Department says Jean-Francois Eap, Sky Global’s chief executive officer, and Thomas Herdman, a former distributor of the devices, are charged with conspiracy to violate the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.

Warrants were issued for their arrests Friday following an investigation that included the RCMP.

"The indictment alleges that Sky Global generated hundreds of millions of dollars providing a service that allowed criminal networks around the world to hide their international drug trafficking activity from law enforcement," Acting U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman said in the release.

"Companies who do this are perpetuating the deadliest drug epidemic in our nation's history."

The U.S. Justice Department says on March 10, Europol announced that judicial and law enforcement authorities in Belgium, France and the Netherlands had wiretapped Sky Global’s servers and monitored hundreds of millions of messages by Sky Global’s users.

It says the investigation in Europe resulted in hundreds of arrests, the seizure of thousands of kilograms of cocaine and methamphetamine, hundreds of firearms, and millions of euros.

RCMP Assistant Commissioner Dwayne McDonald said in the release that technological advancements can lead to increased levels of criminal sophistication, but also new tools for police to combat crime.

"The RCMP will continue to adopt new technologies and strategies to keep our communities safe," he said.

"Collaboration with our international policing partners, such as in this case with the FBI and DEA, has become an integral part in the ever-evolving fight against organized crime."

Sky Global Inc. has corporate offices in Vancouver.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 12, 2021

The Canadian Press

USDA conservation program seen as way to help battle climate change

Alexandra Marquez 3/12/2021

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s administration passed its 50th day in power this week and, with just a few exceptions, the Senate confirmation process for his Cabinet is nearing completion. Now many federal agencies are turning their attention toward pursuing one of the president’s primary agenda items: battling climate change.

© Provided by NBC News

At the Department of Agriculture, a decades-old program could be key to engaging farmers in this fight, if Congress and industry groups can get on board.

The Conservation Reserve Program was established in 1985 to combat soil erosion and allows farmers to apply for funding in exchange for taking their land out of crop production and planting organisms that improve soil and air quality instead. Since its establishment, the program has been reauthorized in Congress’ federal farm bill every four or five years.

Last year, the program saw an under-enrollment by more than 4 million acres compared to the target established by Congress. But Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is confident that the department can bolster enrollment and use the program to tackle climate change, too.

“We think we can do some things that will increase the incentives and make it more likely that we can get farmers to enroll,” said Robert Bonnie, a senior adviser on climate and the deputy chief of staff for policy at the USDA.

Increasing the financial incentives is the best way to encourage farmers to sign up for the program, industry groups say.

“The incentive payments are probably going to have to be stronger, in order to get the farmers to sign up, and that’s what we would like to see,” said Chuck Conner, CEO of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives and a former deputy agriculture secretary.

But, not everyone thinks that more farmers should be enrolled in the program, even if incentives are increased.

The Conservation Reserve Program, or CRP, “encourages farmers to relinquish productive land while demand is not decreasing," and that "leads to higher costs for the consumer, hurts local agriculture suppliers and is an opportunity for foreign competitors to take our place in the market,” Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., said in a statement. “We should be focused on encouraging producers to join the market and expanding opportunities for them, not asking them to engage in a restrictive buyout they might later regret.”

Still, the environmental benefits of the CRP could be key to helping the USDA work toward the Biden administration’s climate goals, and Conner says farmers are eager to take on climate change with the existing program.

“My sense among our co-ops and their members who are farmers is that there’s becoming more and more of an awareness of their practices, particularly as they relate to climate,” Conner said. “And, you know, there is a desire, I think, to be proactive among many, many of the producers that we represent through cooperatives.”

One of the ways the CRP already helps mitigate the impact of climate change is by requiring farmers who take land out of agriculture production to plant cover crops on their land. These cover crops, often native trees and grasses, were originally intended to increase wildlife habitat and prevent soil erosion.

The climate benefits of the program are two-fold. First, the cover crops improve carbon sequestration, the process by which plants capture and hold onto carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This reduces the total amount of carbon in the atmosphere, which helps mitigate the effects of climate change.

Second, on CRP lands where cover crops are planted, farmers don’t use the same fertilizer or industrial machinery that they use on crop lands, which contribute heavily to climate change by emitting greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. In 2018, the USDA estimated that agriculture and forestry accounted for 10.5 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions that year.

“We think if we target the right lands and target those environmentally sensitive lands and put the right practices on those lands that have the most benefit for the public and to the environment, that there’s a lot more that this program can do,” Bonnie said.

It seems easy enough to increase incentive payments and enroll more land in the CRP to combat agriculture’s effect on climate change, but even those generally supportive of the program have their reservations about increasing enrollment.

“Our members recognize that if we take an acre of land out of production here in this country, there’s going to be an acre of land put into production somewhere else in the world that would produce the same food,” and increasing competition for U.S. farmers, said Don Parrish, the senior director for regulatory relations at the American Farm Bureau Federation, one of the agriculture industry’s largest trade groups.

Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., has some of his own farmland enrolled in the CRP. He applied to enroll 145 of his total 1,800 acres into the CRP in 1986 and that land remains in the program.

Tester says he recognizes the potential positive impacts of combating climate change from the program, but hopes that any increase in enrollment doesn’t adversely affect the local economies in his state like it did when the program began in the 1980s.

“What happened in the '80s was an unintended consequence, but it dried up rural America big time. And when that land came out of the CRP, most of it has either been farmed or bought up by the big guys,” Tester said. “So those little farms ain’t never coming back. We have to be careful not to do that again.”