It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Saturday, July 16, 2022
In London, Ont., site of alleged sex assault, Hockey Canada's reopening of 2018 case is welcome news
Thu, July 14, 2022 Some interests in London are reacting to Hockey Canada's announcement Thursday it will reinvestigate an alleged sexual assault in 2018, said to have happened at a function in the Ontario city, in a case involving some members of Canada's gold-medal winning world junior team. (Albert Leung/CBC - image credit)
Hockey Canada had quietly settled a lawsuit in May, prompting Ottawa to freeze its funding, after a woman claimed she was assaulted in London that June, at a gala and golf function, by some members of Canada's 2018 gold-medal winning world junior hockey team.
"I think for me, looking at this whole situation, someone has to step up," said Trevor Gallant, owner of TAG Hockey, an organization that offers training for youth in the London area.
He believes Hockey Canada is "taking the right steps."
"Maybe they mishandled it a bit at the beginning, but reopening it tells me that, hey, you know, it's a positive step," said Gallant, a former Ontario Hockey League player.
In June, federal Minister of Sport Pascale St-Onge announced the organization's access to public funds had been put on hold over its response to the alleged sexual assault and subsequent out-of-court settlement.
In an open letter published Thursday, the federation made a series of announcements to Canadians, including that it is reopening the third-party investigation into the alleged sexual assault.
Hockey Canada said the players in question must participate in the investigation, and anyone who declines would immediately be banned from all federation activities and programs. Previously, the organization had said it "strongly encouraged" players take part in the investigation into the alleged incident, which was said to have occurred at a Hockey Canada function.
"Nothing can fix what happened a hundred per cent," said Gallant. "But the fact that reopening and investigating, and looking at what went wrong and how can they make it better, is really what hockey's all about.
"Nothing is perfect in the world and things are going to happen," he added. "It's how we react from those that are going to really set the tone for the future of the game, and help people understand what is right and wrong and what's going to be expected of a young athlete and all that."
The 'right call'
Anna Lise Trudell is a manager with London-based Anova, which provides shelter, counselling and other services to people affected by gender-based violence.
She said while Hockey Canada deciding to reinvestigate the alleged sexual assault was the "right call," it only happened after the organization faced financial and public pressure.
"They've had a rude awakening through lots of public pressure around this and hopefully a real shaking within the organization that this is no longer acceptable behaviour, that the prioritizing of sexual violence prevention, and holding players accountable and all transparency is what we expect now in this society."
The complainant in the 2018 sex assault case will be helping in the Hockey Canada reinvestigation, her lawyer confirmed in an email statement to CBC News.
INSTITUTIONAL RACISM
Inuit family furious to learn brother died 4 years ago in Montreal, was buried and no one told them
CBC,Thu, July 14, 2022 Three of Daniel Saunders's 14 siblings are pictured at his grave site at the Laval Cemetery. From left to right: Joan Saunders, Tim Saunders and Elizabeth Adams. They're demanding to know why authorities failed to notify them that their brother had died and was buried in 2018. (Chloë Ranaldi/CBC News - image credit)
Joan Saunders didn't find it particularly alarming when four years passed without hearing from her youngest brother, Daniel (Danny) Saunders — an Inuk man living in Montreal.
As Danny had had some run-ins with the law over the years, Joan thought her unanswered "Happy Birthdays" and "Merry Christmases" could be the result of an incarceration. Her other theories included a lost phone or a precarious living situation that prevented him from answering her.
What she never imagined was what actually happened: that her brother had died and been buried in a Laval, Que. cemetery back in 2018 without anyone telling her family.
"It took four years for us to realize that our brother was gone and already buried," Joan said in an interview with CBC News.
There is no headstone at the grave where the 43-year-old father of three is buried. Only the number 212 written in orange spray paint marks the plot.
"Who gives permission for these people to do what they do? To bury our brother like that and not get in touch with anybody?" Daniel Saunders/Facebook
According to the Quebec coroner's office, it's up to the police officers assigned to the file — in Danny's case, the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) — to find the contact information for the deceased's family and inform them of the death.
While there is a process in place in Quebec to search for the next of kin, the Saunders family said it failed them as they had to find out about their brother's death via a complete stranger on social media.
The family is now demanding answers and accountability from Montreal police and the Quebec government. Learned of death through Facebook
The last time any Saunders sibling saw Danny was on Nov. 12, 2017 at his housing unit in Montreal's Saint-Léonard borough, where he'd been living as part of a social reintegration program and was supported by a social worker.
His family, comprised of 14 siblings, is originally from Happy Valley-Goose Bay, N.L. and part of the Inuit community in the Nunatsiavut region. Some of the siblings, several that now live in Dryden, Ont., came to see Danny for a visit.
After that, he fell off the grid.
"It was the way Danny was, that's the way we grew up," said Tim Saunders, Danny's older brother.
But sometime last week, a Saunders sibling still living in Labrador received a Facebook message from a neighbour of Danny's, who said it had been a while since he'd seen him, and after he did some digging, he found out he had died four years ago.
Chloë Ranaldi/CBC News
Concerned, the family did their own research. A call between Joan's daughter and the Quebec coroner's office confirmed Danny's death, which is estimated to have occurred March 1, 2018. He was buried almost three months later.
"I found out that my brother wasn't on earth here anymore through social media, and that's pretty bad," Tim said.
According to the coroner's investigation into the man's death, Danny's social worker, smelling a foul odour outside his apartment during a visit on March 14, 2018, asked a concierge to accompany her to his unit. Through the patio door, they saw the man, lying dead on his bed.
The report concluded that Danny died of coronary heart disease, precipitated by poorly controlled diabetes and severe obesity. He did not appear to use alcohol or drugs.
Police made 'no effort' to find them, family claims
The Saunders family says it shouldn't have been all that hard to find them. All 14 siblings share the same mother and father, hence many share the same last name.
"All they had to do was even look up on Facebook and find his Facebook page. They could've found me. They could've found most of our siblings that way," said Elizabeth Adams, Danny's eldest sister, whose last name is "Saunders Adams" on Facebook.
Danny's jail and court records should have also been able to lead police to the family, says Joan, who lives in Montreal. She says police clearly knew where to find her, because whenever they were looking for Danny when he was in trouble, they'd turn up at her house.
"He wasn't in trouble this time because he was dead. How come they didn't come knock on the door?" she said.
"They didn't care enough, the police or the social worker, to get in touch with [the] family. He had a lot of family and he had friends, too."
The Saunders siblings say it's unacceptable that they weren't contacted in this age of technology. They accuse the SPVM of not doing its job.
"It seems like there was no effort, no nothing whatsoever was done to find [us]," Tim said.
Montreal police respond
When asked who decides whether a reasonable effort had been made to find the next of kin, the Quebec coroner's office said that responsibility falls to the police department in charge. In Danny's case, that's the Montreal police.
Contacted multiple times by CBC News to explain the police service's role in finding Danny's family, the SPVM initially redirected all questions to the government's Directeur de l'état civil, or registrar of civil status — the agency responsible for registering births, marriages and death.
Finally, the service said that SPVM investigators dedicated to these types of cases "inform the family of the death when it is possible to reach them."
"Unfortunately, all the efforts made by the SPVM to locate members of Mr. Saunders's family have not been successful," it said in an emailed statement.
The service would not comment further on Danny's case.
In a situation where no family member can be found by police, the coroner's office publishes the name of the deceased in the "Unclaimed Bodies" section of its website for a minimum of 30 days, to give the family a chance to come forward, the coroner's office said in a statement.
After 30 days or more have passed without a family member coming forward, the body is buried at the expense of the coroner's office.
Danny's name was added to the list on April 20, 2018 — more than a month after his death. He was buried May 31.
In 2021, 31 people were buried after no family members were found, the coroner's office said. So far in 2022, 18 people have been laid to rest after no family members came forward.
'System is failing Indigenous people,' says brother
Danny's siblings say they can't help but think their brother's death was taken lightly because he is Inuk and had a criminal record. They believe something like this would never have happened to a non-Indigenous family.
"They didn't care because he was a so-called criminal and because he was an Aboriginal. They didn't give a shit about him," Joan said through tears.
Amid the Every Child Matters movement, Elizabeth wonders how in 2022 something like this can still happen.
"We need closure, we need answers ... my brother's life matters, too," she said.
The family is calling on the Quebec government to pay for their brother's exhumation, as well as his repatriation to Happy Valley-Goose Bay so he can be buried next to his parents, where his three daughters can visit him.
Submitted by Tim Saunders
Until then, they say they can only hope they're the last of a string of Indigenous families to have to go through this. In February, an Indigenous woman named Tara Niptanatiak died and was buried in Calgary the next month, unbeknownst at the time to her family in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut. In December, a similar situation happened to another Indigenous woman named Courtney Wheeler, again in Calgary.
"The system is failing Indigenous people of Canada, and [it] failed my brother big, big time," said Tim, looking out toward the unmarked grave under which his brother lies.
"I will never, ever forgive them for it."
USA EXPLAINER: How gestational age plays a role in abortion laws By KIMBERLEE KRUESI
July 14, 2022 An operating room technician performs an ultrasound on a patient at an abortion clinic in Shreveport, La., Wednesday, July 6, 2022. The abortion bans taking effect after the nation's highest court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022 vary greatly in how they define when a pregnancy can be ended.
(AP Photo/Ted Jackson)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The abortion bans taking effect after the nation’s highest court overturned Roe v. Wade vary greatly in how they define when a pregnancy can be ended.
Some laws prohibit abortion at the point of the “first detectable heartbeat” while others restrict abortion at 15, 22 or 24 weeks of pregnancy. This means determining how far along someone is in pregnancy — gestational age — has become more important, because there is a smaller window of time to secure the procedure in about half of the states in the U.S.
Here’s a look at how gestational age is determined and how states use that metric to restrict abortion:
WHAT IS GESTATIONAL AGE?
Gestational age is the term used to describe how far along a pregnancy is.
Pregnancy begins when the fertilized egg implants itself into the uterus, but the timing for any individual pregnancy can’t be precisely determined.
The most common method for determining gestational age: how much time has passed since the first day of the last menstrual period.
For those who have irregular menstrual periods or can’t remember, determining gestational age can sometimes be difficult. Doctors can use ultrasounds to estimate gestational age.
HOW DOES GESTATIONAL AGE APPLY TO ABORTION BANS?
Republican-led states have attempted to chip away at abortion access for decades, but a renewed push to ban abortion at various gestational ages began to take hold in 2019. Many of those laws are just now being allowed to go into effect now that the Supreme Court has ended the constitutional right to abortion.
To date, more than 40 states limit some abortions after a certain point in pregnancy, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights. These statutes generally require a doctor to determine the gestational age in order to determine if they can perform an abortion.
States including Ohio, South Carolina and Tennessee have outlawed abortions once cardiac activity is detected, which can happen around six weeks into pregnancy — leading to the measures to be commonly called “six-week abortion bans.”
Meanwhile, states such as Florida and Arizona ban abortion at 15 weeks gestational age, though Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich has since declared that a 1901 law that bans all abortions may now be enforceable.
Other states have enacted abortion bans relying on the estimated date of fertilization. The exact day of fertilization is often unknown, but it’s generally considered to happen around two weeks into the last menstrual cycle. For example, states such as Indiana, Iowa and Georgia specifically ban abortion at 20 weeks probable postfertilization — which is 22 weeks gestational age.
GESTATIONAL AGE ISN’T A FACTOR IN SOME STATES
Currently, 13 states have enacted so-called trigger laws that immediately banned abortion when Roe was overturned. Since the Supreme Court ruled last month, states including Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia have said they were beginning work on trigger bans.
These laws generally ban all abortions at any point in the pregnancy, with limited exceptions that vary state to state.
Sadr supporters mass in Iraq prayer rally amid political deadlock
Hundreds of thousands of supporters of Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr rally in Baghdad on Friday
BAGHDAD - Hundreds of thousands of Muslim worshippers loyal to Iraqi Shiite leader Moqtada Sadr attended a Friday prayer service in Baghdad, in a display of political might to revive stalled talks on government formation.
The huge turnout came despite scorching heat and the Shiite cleric not being there in person -- an indication of his status as a political heavyweight, as well as a key religious authority.
"Thanks to God for this great victory... Thank you to Friday's faithful," Sadr said on Twitter.
The midday prayer, on Al-Falah Avenue in Sadr City, was led by a Sadr ally, while the mercurial cleric's sermon took aim at rivals from other Shiite factions, including a powerful ex-paramilitary network.
"We are at a difficult... crossroads in the formation of the government, entrusted to some we do not trust," said Sheikh Mahmud al-Jayashi, reading Sadr's speech.
Some factions have shown they are "not up to the task", he added.
Sadr's bloc won 73 seats in the October 2021 election, making it the largest faction in the 329-seat parliament.
But since the vote, talks to form a new government have stalled and the oil-rich country remains mired in a political and socioeconomic crisis, despite elevated global oil prices.
The various Shiite political factions, representing Iraq's largest community, remain unable to agree on a new prime minister.
Sadr initially supported the idea of a "majority government" which would have sent his Shiite adversaries from the pro-Iran Coordination Framework into opposition.
The former militia leader then surprised many by compelling his deputies to resign from parliament in June, a move seen as seeking to pressure his rivals to fast-track government formation.
But a month later the process has not advanced. - Taking aim at Hashed -
Sadr's sermon took particular aim at the Hashed al-Shaabi, a Shiite former paramilitary force that has been integrated into the army, but is seen by many Iraqis as an Iranian proxy.
The Hashed "must be reorganised and undisciplined elements must be removed", the preacher said, lamenting "foreign interventions" but without naming any country.
He also called for the Hashed -- whose political wing is part of the Coordination Framework -- to be kept at "a distance from politics and business".
Analyst Hamzeh Hadad said the main objective of Friday's rally was to demonstrate that while Sadr's lawmakers had resigned, "it does not mean that he is no longer relevant politically".
"He was flexing his muscles and showing the influence he still has on the street," Hadad said, adding that the points made in his sermon were "nothing new".
Before the prayer began, Sadr loyalists expressed support for the cleric with cries of "Yes, yes to reform! Yes, yes to the reformer!"
Some held prayer mats in hand or waved Iraqi flags.
"We obey Moqtada Sadr, as we obey God and his prophets," Sheikh Kadhim Hafez Mohammed al-Tai told AFP at the rally in Sadr city.
After the 2003 US invasion that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein, the district of the capital was named after Mohammad Sadr, Moqtada's father, a cleric who was assassinated in 1999 under Saddam's rule.
The Friday prayers were ostensibly organised as a tribute to Sadr's father.
Fans turn out to celebrate Tunisian trailblazer Ons Jabeur
Ons Jabeur may have missed out on the Wimbledon title but the trailblazing Tunisian was accorded a champion's reception on Friday as a crowd of hundreds celebrated the country's sporting pioneer.
Fans turn out to celebrate Tunisian trailblazer Ons Jabeur
wionnewsweb@gmail.com (Wion Web Team) - Yesterday
While she ultimately succumbed in three sets to Elena Rybakina, her achievement at becoming the first Arab and African woman to reach a Grand Slam final has seen her popularity soar.
The 27-year-old is visibly enjoying the affection she is getting from her fellow Tunisians.
"Tunisians' love is more important than no matter which title. I hope this is the start of lots more wins. I'm proud to be a Tunisian," she said as women and children carried the national flag, with music played at maximum volume on loud speakers adorned with photos of Jabeur and tennis racquets.
After spotting a banner in favour of a 'yes' vote on the upcoming referendum on the constitution she nodded: "Yes, everything is possible".
And from a big grandstand in front of the capital's national theatre she spelled out her next career objective "to be world number one and win (the French Open) at Roland Garros".
Autographed tennis balls were being thrown into the crowd for those fans lucky enough to get their hands on them.
One of those in the happy throng was Mongia Zaag, who told AFP: "We've come here to experience the joy with Ons Jabeur".
"She's made us happy. I'm very emotional, with everything that's going on (in the country), the morale of the Tunisian people is not at its highest," Zaag added, alluding to the political crisis in the country and global economic difficulties.
The teacher by profession suggested Jabeur "is an example not only for Tunisian girls but also the boys".
Friday's reception followed Thursday's presentation to Jabeur by President Kais Saied of the prestigious Grand Medal of the National Order of Merit.
She said she wanted to "give more hope" to the country's youngsters. Since she began her climb up the WTA rankings to her present fifth in the world her club's membership has doubled to 700.
Luxembourg's hospitality sector is experiencing a staffing crisis, as one pizzeria owner can testify.
"The sector is a catastrophe."
The crisis in the hospitality sector is certainly not new, but the pandemic has exacerbated staffing conditions across the board - even in the Grand Duchy, where salaries tend to skew higher than neighbouring countries.
RTL 5Minutes spoke to a pizza restaurant owner in his forties, who has been based in Luxembourg for seven years. In January, his pizza chef of five years chose to resign, and he has not been able to fill the position in the months that have passed.
"I paid €4,000 net, €3,980 to be exact," he explains. "I had increased it several times but I couldn't go any higher. He preferred to leave. However, he was housed for free, he had internet and when he wanted to eat or have a drink, he only had to visit the pizzeria. But during Covid, he saw that other people were staying at home and receiving unemployment, and that with a few extras, it was enough to live off." These days, people want comfort in the form of working hours, even in our sector. Everyone wants to work eight hours, then go home, all while being paid well. But I can't sell my pizzas for €20 or €25!
Is a good salary no longer enough?
The owner, who asked to remain anonymous, said he had contacted the National Employment Office, as well as Forem, the Belgian office for employment and professional training. But neither was able to offer any help.
He added that even when he found staff from abroad, the authorities were reluctant to grant work permits on the pretext that there were sufficient jobseekers in Luxembourg already.
In order to adapt, the restaurant has reduced the number of covers per service. "I have to function with the staff available to me, which means halving my terrace and inside area. But the expenses are the same, the goods cost more, electricity and gas have increased. I don't know where to go from here, but winter is going to be difficult."
The pizzeria owner has already had to close another of his restaurants earlier this year, in June, due to a lack of staff. Since then, he has juggled older employees with extra staff and apprentices to keep his other establishment going, with two pizzaïolos from Liège working two to three days a week, while another part-time cook has joined from Bascharage.
"I pay their fuel costs and bonuses. I also have an apprentice coming from Thionville for training this summer. But I expect he will leave after the summer, it's very complicated. For me, it's a loss of time and money...so for now I'm trying to get by with family members," he told RTL 5Minutes. What is the issue? As far as the interviewee was concerned, salary alone is no longer enough to attract quality staff.
"These days, people want comfort in the form of working hours, even in our sector. Everyone wants to work eight hours, then go home, all while being paid well. But I can't sell my pizzas for €20 or €25! At this rate I would have to align myself with Swiss salaries!"
The owner said he resented the unemployment system, which he feels has been poorly organised. "If people manage to collect unemployment benefits while saving on time, commuting costs, insurance and so on...why would they need to work?"
COMMENTS Peterrr (New user) -16.07.2022 07:21 I have been working in the horesca for years, and one thing i can tell you. Even now when they cannot find employees, they wont pay you much more than a minimum salary... people with years of experience in a heavy and unhealthy environment work odd hours, extra hours without a decent salary. I mean a ridiculous minimum salary which is not even enough to get a 30 years mortgage to a 50 sqm ruine in the country. Not to mention that you will work on sundays, holidays, split shifts, probably wont have days off, and you wont have a decent compensation (thanks to the government who lets horesca do what it wants to enslave its employees... I hope who left already wont ever come back to the industry because its inhuman.
With a heatwave building towards a sweltering peak this weekend, Tour de France organisers are ready to pour tens of thousands of litres of cold water onto a route that risks melting at road temperatures of 60 degrees.
Riders suffered in Friday's heat as the peloton gave up its pursuit of an escape group.
The peloton had already been punished by the two days of monster mountain climbs, such as the Alpe D'Huez won by Tom Pidcock.
On Wednesday's dramatic stage to Col du Granon, two-time defending champion Tadej Pogacar, known to dislike heat, wilted and lost his lead in temperatures well over 30 degrees.
"It was horrible, a furnace," said French climber Thibaut Pinot.
His compatriot Romain Bardet said the following day had been worse.
"I was trembling and my pulse was racing," he said.
But with sizzling air temperatures of 38-40 degrees forecast over the weekend, as the race moves towards the Pyrenees, the situation will be even worse.
As a result, special measures are being readied.
French departments road safety organiser Andre Bancala told AFP at the foot of the Alps on Friday that record road temperatures of 63 degrees could be beaten.
"During a heatwave, such as the one we are expecting of over 38 degrees, the road temperature gets much higher than that, around 60 degrees," Bancala said.
"The absolute record for heat was in 2010 with a road temperature of 63 degrees when Sylvain Chavanel won in the Jura," he added.
"But this weekend we may even break that, so we are mobilising between us and the fire brigade, to combat that.
"In certain places, the asphalt is going to start melting, not everywhere of course, but it is going to get much softer. So you can imagine how that might end?
"The solution will be to pour water on it," he says explaining the Tour has a permanent truck for such demands.
The fire brigade will also be on hand to help execute the manoeuvres.
"We will have vehicles with 10,000 litres of water taken along the way, the regional departments are going to help us to cool the roads."
But the logistical nightmare doesn't end there.
"You have to do it at just the right moment, if you do it too early it just heats up again.
"If you do it too late the peloton rides onto wet surfaces. It has to be around 15 minutes before they get there," he says.
"Think about it. If the road surface is 55 or 60 degrees, and the pedal is ony 20cm above that, then the rider is subject to exposure to extreme temperatures."
Much has been made of how Jumbo team riders, including Tour de France leader Jonas Vingegaard, have been wearing cooling jackets ahead of the stages as the heatwave builds up.
They are the only team using such jackets for none time-trials.
After Friday's stage Vingegaard said the heat hadn't been a problem for him personally.
"Regular cold drinks and ice packs on the back as often as you can during the race to keep the body temperature down, that's what you do," said Vingegaard.
Red-state Donald Trump voters are now more likely to say they’d be personally “better off” (33%) than “worse off” (29%) if their state seceded from the U.S. and “became an independent country,” according to a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll.
It’s a striking rejection of national unity that dramatizes the growing culture war between Democratic- and Republican-controlled states on core issues such as guns, abortion and democracy itself. And an even larger share of red-state Trump voters say their state as a whole would be better off (35%) rather than worse off (30%) if it left the U.S.
Former President Donald Trump at a "Save America" rally in support of Republican candidates on July 9 in Anchorage, Alaska. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)
The survey of 1,672 U.S. adults, which was conducted from July 8 to 11, comes as a series of hard-line conservative decisions by the Supreme Court — coupled with continued gridlock on Capitol Hill — have shifted America’s center of political gravity back to the states, where the parties in power are increasingly filling the federal void with far-reaching reforms of their own.
The further apart they push their states — on voting rights, on misinformation, on post-Roe regulations, on gun-safety measures — the more the country morphs into what one political analyst has described as “a federated republic of two nations: Blue Nation and Red Nation.”
“[This] is a defining characteristic of 21st-century America,” the Atlantic’s Ron Brownstein recently argued. “The result through the 2020s could be a dramatic erosion of common national rights and a widening gulf — a ‘great divergence’ — between the liberties of Americans in blue states and those in red states.”
Regardless of where they live, most Americans are hardly ready to dissolve the union (even though, in a previous Yahoo News/YouGov poll, a majority of Republicans [52%] did predict that “there will be a civil war in the United States in [their] lifetime”).
Overall, just 17% of Americans actually want their state to “leave the U.S. and become an independent country,” a number that is remarkably consistent across party lines. Only slightly more (19%) favor the U.S. eventually becoming “two countries — one consisting of ‘blue states’ run by Democrats and one consisting of ‘red states’ run by Republicans.”
But dig a little deeper and it becomes clear that this level of consensus is, in part, an illusion.
For the purposes of the survey, Yahoo News defined red states as those with consistent Republican control on the state level in recent years, and blue states as those with consistent Democratic control. Divided states were excluded.
Yet despite obvious and expected differences in party composition, neither red nor blue states consist of anywhere near monolithically Republican or Democratic populations. In fact, across all Yahoo News/YouGov polls conducted so far this year, more than a third of red-state respondents (34%) identify as Democrats or Democratic-leaning independents; likewise, more than a quarter of blue-state respondents (26%) identify as Republicans or Republican leaners.
In other words, there are a lot of blue-state and red-state residents who have more in common with their political brethren elsewhere than with their governors or state legislatures.
To truly gauge the gap between red states and blue states, then, it helps to set aside these mostly powerless political minorities and focus instead on the dominant voters who are actually steering state leaders to the left or the right.
Among red-state Trump voters, 92% trust their state government more than the federal government to do “what’s best.” Almost as many (86%) say the federal government is “not working well”; a full two-thirds (67%) insist it’s not working well “at all.”
In contrast, nearly 8 in 10 red-state Trump voters (79%) say their state government is working well, with huge majorities approving of how state leaders are handling guns (78%), democracy (73%), COVID-19 (71%), race (69%), the economy (68%), crime (65%) and abortion (63%).
Trump supporters at a rally in Commerce, Ga., on March 26. (Megan Varner/Getty Images)
As a result, red-state Trump voters are alone in saying that it’s more important for “individual states to make their own laws with minimal interference from the federal government” (56%) than it is for “the federal government to protect people’s constitutional rights when violated by state laws” (33%).
And red-state Trump voters divide roughly down the middle on the question of whether things would be better (37%) or worse (40%) if the country as a whole actually split into a Blue Nation and a Red Nation. No other cohort views disunion so favorably.
Blue-state Joe Biden voters, for instance, are only slightly more inclined (27%) than Americans as a whole (21%) to say things would be better if America broke in two. Just 14% want their own state to secede, versus 29% of red-state Trump voters. And only slightly more blue-state Biden voters (21%) think they themselves would be better off in such a scenario; a full 47% say they’d be worse off.
Given that Democrats generally trust Washington, D.C., more than Republicans do — and currently control it — this may not come as a surprise. But much like red-state Trump voters, blue-state Biden voters also prefer their state government to the federal government by sizable margins.
In fact, blue-state Biden voters (75%) are actually more likely than red-state Trump voters (65%) to say America as a whole would be better off if it “did things more like [their] state.” They’re also more likely to say their state government is working well (84%) — and nearly as likely to say they trust their state government (80%) over the federal government (20%) to do “what’s best.”
Frustrated by the 60-vote threshold to defeat a filibuster, most Biden voters everywhere (53%) say the U.S. Senate has “too much power”; more than three-quarters (76%) say the same of the 6-3 conservative Supreme Court. Nearly half of Biden voters (48%) say they’ve “considered moving to a different country because of politics.” And nearly 6 in 10 blue-state Trump voters say they’ve considered moving to another state for the same reason.
In short, America’s “great divergence” isn’t a one-sided phenomenon. It’s happening in both red America and blue America.
Why? The new Yahoo News/YouGov poll hints at two reasons. The first is pervasive — and not particularly partisan — disillusionment with America as a whole.
Exactly two years ago, a clear plurality of Americans (46%) told Yahoo News and YouGov that the nation’s “best days are still to come”; at the time, just 25% believed the United States’ best days were “behind us.”
Now those numbers are reversed, with 37% saying our best days are behind us and just 31% saying they’re still to come. Similarly, just 19% of Americans predicted two years ago that “their children” would be worse off than they are; today, a full 46% believe the “next generation” will be worse off than their own. That’s a stunning change.
Overall, two-thirds of Americans (65%) say the federal government is not working well. Just 23% say the opposite.
Abortion rights activists march to the White House on July 9 to denounce the Supreme Court decision to end federal abortion rights protections. (Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
It’s no wonder, then, that blue- and red-state residents who agree with the party in power there are retreating into their respective geographic corners. It’s no wonder, either, that they increasingly see each other as cautionary tales — the second factor that seems to be supercharging the “great divergence.”
When asked to compare red states with blue states on a host of issues, red-state Trump voters say by wide margins that blue states have more gun deaths (68%) and discrimination (56%) while red states have more economic growth (75%) and education (55%).
Blue-state Biden voters, in contrast, say it is red states that suffer more gun deaths (62%) and discrimination (75%) — and blue states that enjoy more economic growth (65%) and education (77%).
Obviously, both sides can’t be right. (According to Brownstein, blue-state Biden voters are closer to the mark; other analystsmight disagree.) But that isn’t stopping either side from thinking the worst of the other.
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The Yahoo News survey was conducted by YouGov using a nationally representative sample of 1,672 U.S. adults interviewed online from July 8 to 11, 2022. This sample was weighted according to gender, age, race and education based on the American Community Survey, conducted by the U.S. Bureau of the Census, as well as 2020 presidential vote (or nonvote) and voter registration status. Respondents were selected from YouGov’s opt-in panel to be representative of all U.S. adults. The margin of error is approximately 2.6%.
Texans reach settlement with 30 Deshaun Watson accusers
CHRIS CWIK
July 15, 2022,
ENABLED WATSON'S BEHAVIOR BY PROVIDING A NONDISCLOSURE AGREEMENT
The Houston Texans have reached settlements with 30 women who accused former Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson of various levels of sexual misconduct, according to attorney Tony Buzbee.
The Texans were sued in June for allegedly providing suites for Watson to meet with massage therapists and providing Watson with a non-disclosure agreement to be used in those sessions. Watson's accusers argued that the Texans enabled Watson's alleged misconduct.
Though one woman filed the lawsuit against the Texans, the team settled with 30 women. In a statement Friday, Buzbee said all 30 women either made claims against the Texans or "intended" to make claims against the Texans.
The woman who filed the lawsuit against the Texans will have her case dismissed with prejudice once the settlement is completed. A case that gets dismissed with prejudice cannot be filed again in the same court.
A total of 24 women have filed civil lawsuits against Watson, who settled 20 of those cases in June. The Texans settled with 30 women. Information about the additional six women in the Texans' settlement is not known. The terms of the Texans' settlement is confidential and will not be revealed, per Buzbee.
The Texans traded Deshaun Watson to the Browns in March.
(Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
Buzbee said there was a difference in the way the Texans handled the allegations compared to Watson's legal team.
"I will have no further comment on the allegations or the Texans' alleged role, other than to say that there is a marked contrast in the way in which the Texans addressed these allegations, and the way in which Watson's team has done so," he said.
The Texans issued a statement Friday saying they were unaware of the allegations against Watson when they first emerged. The team said the settlements were "not an admission of any wrongdoing, but instead a clear stand against any form of sexual assault and misconduct."
Deshaun Watson still faces lawsuits from four women
Watson, who was traded to the Cleveland Browns in March, still faces civil lawsuits from four women who alleged Watson engaged in sexual misconduct during massage sessions. Those four civil suits will proceed. Buzbee anticipates they will go to trial next spring. The NFL has yet to announce a suspension for Watson. The league held a three-day hearing in late June, though it concluded without a decision on a possible punishment for Watson.
Two Texas grand juries declined to indict Watson on criminal charges. Watson was traded to the Browns after the first grand jury declined to indict him. The Browns then signed Watson to a contract that will pay him the most guaranteed money in NFL history.
RETURN FROM EXILE
MLS Atlanta president Eales to become Newcastle United CEO Darren Eales, president of MLS side Atlanta United, has been hired
as the new chief executive officer of Newcastle United
(Photo: GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File/Paras Griffin)
16 Jul 2022
NEW YORK: Darren Eales, president of Major League Soccer's Atlanta United and a former executive director at Tottenham Hotspur, will become the new chief executive officer at Newcastle United, clubs announced Friday.
Eales, a 49-year-old Englishman, was hired by the US side in 2014. He will remain with Atlanta through August 8 and return to the English Premier League on August 22.
Newcastle went 13-15 with 10 drawn last season to finish 11th in the Premier League.
"Newcastle United is both a giant of a club, and the heartbeat of its community," Eales said in a statement. "Every time I have visited St. James' Park, I've been overwhelmed by the passion of the fans.
"This is a club with an amazingly rich heritage, and I am delighted to be joining for this new chapter in its long history.
"I am grateful for the opportunity, and look forward to working with the rest of the team to help this storied club fulfil its potential."
Eales, who also worked in the front office for West Bromwich Albion alongside Magpies' sporting director Dan Ashworth from 2006-2010, oversaw formation of Atlanta since its 2017 debut as an MLS expansion side.
"It has been the adventure and honor of a lifetime to help build Atlanta United," Eales said in a statement.
"I've been privileged to work with an amazing team of people who rolled up their sleeves and made a vision into reality."
Eales, who also worked in the front office for West Bromwich Albion alongside Magpies' sporting director Dan Ashworth from 2006-2010, oversaw formation of Atlanta since its 2017 debut as an MLS expansion side.
The club won the 2018 MLS Cup and the 2019 US Open Cup and ranks among the attendance leaders in the North American league.
"Darren Eales is one of the best hires I've made in my career and the strength and success of Atlanta United to date is a credit to him not only as a leader, but as a passionate footballer," Atlanta United owner Arthur Blank said in a statement.
"I'm thrilled for Darren to have this new opportunity to lead Newcastle and I see it as a very positive reflection of Atlanta United and what our club has achieved in such a short time.
"Darren is more than ready to lead Newcastle and I know he'll be an outstanding leader of that club."
Atlanta signed MLS's three most expensive incoming players in Argentine midfielders Thiago Almada, Ezequiel Barco and Pity Martinez, whose transfer fees reportedly were a combined $46.5 million.
A statement from the club's investment group -- PIF, PCP Capital Partners and RB Sports & Media -- praised Eales, calling him an exceptional leader in a statement.
"He has a deep understanding of the football industry and what it takes to achieve growth and success," the statement said. "And he will be a key member of the club's leadership team as we look to deliver on the club's potential on and off the pitch."
Newcastle confirm Eales as chief executive officer after agreeing Atlanta deal
Fri, 15 July 2022
Darren Eales has switched Atlanta United for Newcastle United to join as chief executive officer as the Magpies continue to assemble their boardroom staff.
Newcastle managed to convince Dan Ashworth to leave Brighton and Hove Albion to become their sporting director in May, seven months after their controversial Saudi-backed takeover.
Ashworth will now be joined by Eales, who he worked alongside at West Brom between 2006 and 2010, with the 49-year-old leaving MLS side Atlanta, where he was president and chief executive officer (CEO).
Eales heads to Tyneside with sizeable boardroom experience, having been named the MLS Executive of the Year on two occasions and the World Football Summit Executive of the Year in 2019.
"Newcastle United is both a giant of a club, and the heartbeat of its community," said Eales, who also has administrative experience with Tottenham.
"Every time I have visited St. James' Park, I've been overwhelmed by the passion of the fans.
"This is a club with an amazingly rich heritage, and I am delighted to be joining for this new chapter in its long history.
"I am grateful for the opportunity, and look forward to working with the rest of the team to help this storied club fulfil its potential."
Eales also has previous history with Newcastle, having sold Miguel Almiron to the Premier League side after the forward helped Atlanta become MLS Cup winners in 2018.
"We are delighted to announce Darren Eales as the club's new CEO," Newcastle's investment group added. "He is an exceptional leader and is a great fit for Newcastle United.
"We have conducted an exhaustive recruitment process to ensure we identified and secured the right individual for the CEO position, and we are confident we have found that person in Darren.
"He has a deep understanding of the football industry and what it takes to achieve growth and success, and he will be a key member of the club's leadership team as we look to deliver on the club's potential on and off the pitch."
