Biden administration will revamp effort to put Harriet Tubman on $20 bill

Aarthi Swaminathan
·Reporter
Mon., January 25, 2021

The Biden administration is looking to revamp the effort to place Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill, replacing former president Andrew Jackson.

“I was here when we announced that, and it was very exciting and hasn’t moved forward yet,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, who also served in the Obama administration, told reporters during a briefing on Monday afternoon. “The Treasury Department is taking steps to resume efforts to put Harriet Tubman on the front of the new $20 notes. It’s important that our notes, our money... reflect the history and diversity of our country and Harriet Tubman’s image gracing the new $20 note will certainly reflect that.”

Psaki added that the administration is trying to find ways to “speed up that effort.”

The Obama administration had first proposed putting the iconic abolitionist on the paper currency in 2016. The goal was for the replacement of Jackson, the seventh U.S. president, to take place in 2020.

Tubman would be the first black woman and the first African American to appear on U.S. currency. Born around 1820, Tubman escaped slavery and later became a “conductor” for the Underground Railroad, where she led enslaved people to freedom before the Civil War.

Obama-era Treasury Secretary Jack Lew first announced the change in 2016 after a viral online campaign to feature a woman on the currency.

In 2020, Trump administration Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced that the new $20 bill would not be released until 2030, and the next administration’s secretary would make the decision on the change.—

Aarthi is a writer for Yahoo Finance. She can be reached at aarthi@yahoofinance.com. Follow her on Twitter @aarthiswami.

Union Lauds Biden Action on Slaughter Speeds Industry Calls Safe

Michael Hirtzer
Mon., January 25, 2021

(Bloomberg) -- A major food workers’ union praised President Joe Biden for withdrawing a rule that would have permanently allowed U.S. poultry producers to kill more chickens per minute. Industry trade groups said the speeds were safe.

Donald Trump’s administration in its waning days had pushed to install the rule, which would have upped potential chicken-slaughter rates to 175 birds per minute from 140. Just three days after Trump lost his re-election bid in November, the U.S. Department of Agriculture submitted its proposal to speed chicken lines by 25%.

Critics have said elevated line speeds, which were already in place in some plants that were given waivers to do so, increased already high rates of injuries for meat plant workers and also potential Covid-19 infection rates. Social distancing would require fewer workers on each line, which means it takes longer to process the animals.

The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union supported the move by Biden while the trade groups National Chicken Council and North American Meat Institute said plants operating at faster speeds were safe and effective.

“This policy change is a critical step to putting worker safety ahead of industry profits as these plants continue to face elevated risks while Covid-19 cases surge nationwide,” the UFCW, which represents 1.3 million workers in food plants, grocery stores and other front line industries, said in a statement Monday.

The National Chicken Council said not allowing the elevated line speeds would be ignoring science.

“The modernized system has been studied, debated, and reviewed in depth for 25 years to assure its effectiveness in further modernizing chicken inspection while improving food safety and protecting workers,” Ashley Peterson, senior vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs of the NCC, said in a statement. “While the poultry industry has been safely increasing line speeds over the past 25 years, our injury and illness rate has fallen 86% and is now at an all-time low.”

The meat institute said that it’s customary for a new administration to withdraw proposed rules so they can be reviewed.

“In this case, FSIS will have plenty of data from decades of experience that show establishments can operate at lines speeds of up to 175 birds per minute while maintaining exceptional food and worker safety standards,” Sarah Little, a spokeswoman for NAMI, said in a statement.

©2021 Bloomberg L.P.

New Video Makes Powerful Case That Trump Incited His Followers To Storm The Capitol


Mary Papenfuss
·Trends Reporter, HuffPost
Mon., January 25, 2021, 

A dramatic new video makes a strong case that then-President Donald Trump incited the deadly storming of the U.S. Capitol, using his own words and featuring rioters convinced they were following Trump’s orders as they breached the building.

The 10-minute video, posted by Just Security, an online forum hosted by the Reiss Center on Law and Security at the New York University School of Law, is a compilation of scenes, many taken from the right-wing social media platform Parler.

“The videos, along with other information in the public record, provide strong evidence of a causal link between Trump’s messages to his supporters and their dangerous, illegal conduct,” Just Security noted in a statement on its website. They also demonstrate that “Trump placed the life of Vice President Mike Pence, among others, in grave danger,” it added. Five people, including a police officer, were killed in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by Trump supporters following his remarks at a rally near the White House.

“President Trump said we are not giving up the White House. He said we are going to fight,” said one supporter on the Just Security video. “We’re here to take our country back.” She added: “We’re not messing around.”

Trump urged the crowd to “fight like hell.”

The House has impeached Trump for “incitement of insurrection” and formally forwarded the charge Monday to the Senate for trial, which is scheduled to begin Feb. 9. Democratic lawmakers were studying the Just Security video to aid them in their trial strategy to highlight Trump’s incendiary comments and his supporters’ response, The Washington Post reported.

They believe such visuals will be the key to prosecuting Trump by clearly revealing his own compelling words, the violent response by his supporters and the peril lawmakers faced as they were trapped inside the Capitol during the insurrection.

Even Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Trump “provoked” the mob that moved on the Capitol with his words and his lies that the presidential election, which Democrat Joe Biden won, was rife with vote fraud.

'THIS IS ME': Rioters flaunt involvement in Capitol siege



Mon., January 25, 2021, 10:06 p.m.

WASHINGTON — These suspects weren't exactly in hiding.

“THIS IS ME,” one man posted on Instagram with a hand emoji pointing to himself in a picture of the violent mob descending on the U.S. Capitol. “Sooo we’ve stormed Capitol Hill lol,” one woman texted someone while inside the building. “I just wanted to incriminate myself a little lol,” another wrote on Facebook about a selfie he took inside during the Jan. 6 riot.

In dozens of cases, supporters of President Donald Trump downright flaunted their activity on social media on the day of the deadly insurrection. Some, apparently realizing they were in trouble with the law, deleted their accounts only to discover their friends and family members had already taken screenshots of their selfies, videos and comments and sent them to the FBI.

Their total lack of concern over getting caught and their friends' willingness to turn them in has helped authorities charge about 150 people as of Monday with federal crimes. But even with the help from the rioters themselves, investigators must still work rigorously to link the images to the vandalism and suspects to the acts on Jan. 6 in order to prove their case in court. And because so few were arrested at the scene, the FBI and U.S. Marshals Service have been forced to send agents to track suspects down.

“Just because you’ve left the D.C. region, you can still expect a knock on the door if we find out that you were part of criminal activity inside the Capitol,” Steven D’Antuono, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Washington office, said earlier this month. “Bottom line — the FBI is not sparing any resources in this investigation.”

In the last few weeks, the FBI has received over 200,000 photos and video tips related to the riot. Investigators have put up billboards in several states with photos of wanted rioters. Working on tips from co-workers, acquaintances and friends, agents have tracked down driver’s license photos to match their faces with those captured on camera in the building. In some cases, authorities got records from Facebook or Twitter to connect their social media accounts to their email addresses or phone numbers. In others, agents used records from license plate readers to confirm their travels.

More than 800 are believed to have made their way into the Capitol, although it's likely not everyone will be tracked down and charged with a crime. Federal prosecutors are focusing on the most critical cases and the most egregious examples of wrongdoing. And they must weigh manpower, cost and evidence when charging rioters.

A special group of prosecutors is examining whether to bring sedition charges against the rioters, which carry up to 20 years in prison. One trio was charged with conspiracy; most have been charged with crimes like unlawful entry and disorderly conduct.

Many rioters posted selfies inside the Capitol to their social media accounts, gave interviews to news outlets describing their experience and readily admitted when questioned by federal investigators that they were there. One man created a Facebook album titled “Who’s House? OUR HOUSE” filled with photos of himself and others on Capitol grounds, officials said.

“They might have thought, like so many people that work with Trump, that if the president tells me to do it, it’s not breaking the law,” said Michael Gerhardt, an expert on impeachment and professor at the University of North Carolina School of Law.

Others made blunders, like a Houston police officer, who denied he went into the Capitol, then agreed to let agents look at the pictures on his phone. Inside his deleted photos folder were pictures and videos, including selfies he took inside the building, authorities said. Another man was wearing a court-ordered GPS monitor after a burglary conviction that tracked his every movement inside the building.

A retired firefighter from Long Island, New York, texted a video of himself in the Capitol rotunda to his girlfriend’s brother, saying he was “at the tip of the spear,” officials said. The brother happened to be a federal agent with the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, who turned the video over to the FBI. A lawyer for the man, Thomas Fee, said he “was not part of any attempt to take over the U.S. Capitol” and that “the allegation is that he merely walked through an open door into the Capitol — nothing more."

Another man who was inside the Capitol was willing to rat out another rioter who stole House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s lectern and emailed the video to an FBI agent, even signing his own name to it. “Hello Nice FBI Lady,” he wrote, “Here are the links to the videos. Looks like Podium Guy is in one of them, less the podium. Let me know if you need anything else.”

In another case, a man was on a flight leaving D.C. two days after the riot when he kept shouting “Trump 2020!” and was kicked off. An airport police officer saw the man get off the plane and the man was booked on another flight. Forty-five minutes later, the officer was watching a video on Instagram and recognized the man in a group of rioters. The man, who was wearing the same shirt as the day he stormed the Capitol, was arrested at the airport, authorities said.

Even defence attorneys have acknowledged that the evidence poses a problem for them.

“I’m not a magician,” said an attorney for the man seen in a photo carrying Pelosi's lectern. “We’ve got a photograph of our client in what appears to be inside a federal building or inside the Capitol with government property,” he told reporters.

Police at the Capitol planned only for a free-speech demonstration and were overwhelmed by the mob that broke through and roamed the halls of the Capitol for hours as lawmakers were sent into hiding. Five people died in the melee, including a Capitol police officer who was struck in the head with a fire extinguisher.

Trump was impeached after the riot on a charge of “inciting violence against the government of the United States.” Opening arguments will begin the week of Feb. 8. He is the first president to be twice impeached and the first to face a trial after leaving office.

Unlike criminal cases, impeachment trials do not have specific evidence rules so anything said and done that day can be used. And several of the people charged have said in interviews with reporters or federal agents that they were simply listening to the president when they marched to the Capitol.
___

Richer reported from Boston.

Michael Balsamo, Alanna Durkin Richer And Colleen Long, The Associated Press

Tractor rally: India farmers lead massive protest on Republic Day


Mon., January 25, 2021

Farmers say they want the government to roll back controversial farm reforms

Tens of thousands of protesting farmers have begun driving into capital Delhi on tractors on India's Republic Day.

They have been striking for months at the city's borders, demanding a roll back of recent market-friendly reforms.

They have been allowed to go ahead with the tractor rally on the condition that it will not disturb the official celebrations on Tuesday.

The government has offered to put the reforms on hold, but farmers say they want a repeal.

The rally was expected to begin from six entry points to Delhi and police barricaded all of them - farm groups were told to enter the city only after the Republic Day parade was over.

But farm groups at two different borders - Singhu and Tikri - have reportedly broken through barricades and and have begun their march, on foot and in tractors.

They have not been allowed in central Delhi where official celebrations are taking place. The annual parade involves armed forces showcasing their latest equipment and floats from several states presenting their culture on a national stage. The parade is shorter and more muted this year due to the pandemic.

Tractors carrying groups of farmers travelled to the city in the past few days, in addition to thousands that were already blocking several entrance points for more than a month.

How Narendra Modi misread the mood of India's angry farmers

India farmers: The viral image that defines a protest

Tuesday's rally is the latest episode in a months-long protest, one of the longest farmers' protest India has ever seen.

The laws, which seek to further open up agriculture to the free market, sparked protests even as they made their way through parliament in September. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party-led government defended the reforms, farmer groups likened them to a 'death warrant' that made them vulnerable to corporate companies.

The stand-off continued as tens of thousands of farmers from the northern states of Punjab and Haryana marched to Delhi in late November and began sit-ins at the border, many of which still continue.
What exactly do the laws propose?

Taken together, the laws loosen rules around sale, pricing and storage of farm produce - rules that have protected India's farmers from the free market for decades.

One of the biggest changes is that farmers will be allowed to sell their produce at a market price directly to private players - agricultural businesses, supermarket chains and online grocers.

More than 90% of India's farmers already sell their produce in the market - and only about 6% of them actually receive assured prices for their crops, guaranteed by the government.

Many farmers sell produce at large wholesale markets or mandis

But farmers are mainly concerned that this will eventually lead to the end of government-controlled wholesale markets (mandis) and assured prices, leaving them with no back-up option. That is, if they are not satisfied with the price offered by a private buyer, they cannot return to the mandi or use it as a bargaining chip during negotiations.

Most of the protesting farmers are from Punjab and Haryana, where the two biggest crops, wheat and rice, are still sold at assured prices in mandis.
Are these reforms necessary?

Most economists and experts agree that Indian agriculture desperately needs reform. But critics of the government say it failed to follow a consultative process and did not take farmers' unions into confidence before passing the laws.

For one, the bills were put to a hurried a voice vote in parliament, leaving little time for debate, which infuriated the opposition. And state governments, which play a crucial role in enacting such legislation, also appear to have been left out of the loop.

Hundreds of women farmers have joined the protests

Experts also point out that the reforms fail to take into account that agriculture still remains a mainstay in the Indian economy.

More than half of Indians work on farms, but the sector accounts for barely a sixth of the country's GDP. Declining productivity and a lack of modernisation have shrunk incomes and hobbled agriculture in India for decades. The government, meanwhile, provides farmers with generous subsidies, exempts them from income tax and crop insurance, guarantees a minimum price for 23 crops and regularly waives off debts.

"Now the government is saying, we will get out of the way, and asking us to deal directly with big businesses. But we didn't demand this in the first place! So why are they doing this to us?" Rakesh Vyas, a farmer, told BBC's Soutik Biswas recently.

Experts say any attempt to dismantle decades-old concessions must happen through dialogue because fear and suspicion will only derail the process.

Indian farmers ride caravan of tractors into capital ahead of Republic Day

FILE PHOTO: Rally to protest against the newly passed farm bills, on a highway on the outskirts of New Delhi


By Manoj Kumar
Mon., January 25, 2021

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Caravans of tractors clogged a key highway in northern India on Monday as tens of thousands of farmers protesting against agriculture reforms streamed into the capital ahead of Republic Day, and police said they were prepared to deal with the crowds.

India marks its founding as a republic on Tuesday with a military parade in the historic city centre, but the farmers, who are demanding a rollback of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's deregulation effort, plan their own peaceful show of strength.

Delhi's police said protesters have been told to use three main routes for the tractor procession, which had been agreed upon after six days of discussion with farmer leaders.

But there are lingering concerns that "anti-national people" may seek to foment trouble during the demonstration, Delhi Police Commissioner S.N. Shrivastava told reporters.

"We are aware of all this and we are taking whatever action is required," Shrivastava said, "I have trust that everything will go on peacefully."

On National Highway 44, loudspeakers blared anti-government songs as the lengthy procession of vehicles rolled down, fuelled by dozens of community kitchens that handed out hot meals and beverages in the winter cold.

"We will teach Modi a lesson that he will never forget," said one of the protesters, from the district of Ludhiana in Punjab, who drove his own tractor. The 35-year-old, who cultivates 10 acres (4 hectares), asked not to be identified.

Farmers mainly drawn from the breadbasket states of Punjab and adjoining Haryana have blockaded approaches into New Delhi for about two months to protest against three new farm laws they say will hurt their livelihoods and help big companies.

Their unions are pushing for repeal of the laws, after rejecting a government proposal to suspend the measures it says will usher in much-needed steps to boost farmer incomes.

Several rounds of talks with Modi's government have made little headway, and protesters now aim to up the ante with the procession set to follow Tuesday's military parade.

Top leaders and military officials attend the annual high-security parade to mark the day India's constitution took effect in 1950.

A farmers' group exhorted its members to refrain from violence in detailed instructions issued for Tuesday's event.

"Remember, our aim is not to conquer Delhi, but to win over the hearts of the people of this county," it said.

In the western state of Maharashtra, thousands of farmers were also on the move, flocking to a flag-hoisting ceremony on Tuesday in the heart of Mumbai, India's financial capital.

"We are here to support farmers in Delhi, to highlight that farmers across the country are against the farm laws," said Ashok Dhawale, a state protest leader.

(Reporting by Manoj Kumar; Additional reporting by Rajendra Jadav in Mumbai and Saurabh Sharma in Lucknow; Writing by Devjyot Ghoshal; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani, Clarence Fernandez and Bernadette Baum)

Angry Indian farmers prepare for massive Republic Day rally

SHEIKH SAALIQ
Mon., January 25, 2021

NEW DELHI (AP) — Thousands of tractors lined up on the outskirts of New Delhi on Monday, ready to swarm the Indian capital in a protest against new agriculture reform laws that have triggered a growing farmer rebellion that has rattled the government.

Tens of thousands of farmers have been blocking key highways connecting New Delhi with the country’s north for almost two months demanding a complete withdrawal of the laws. They plan to parade through the capital in a massive tractor rally on Tuesday, when India celebrates Republic Day.

The government “thought they would easily implement these laws and only a small amount of farmers would protest against it. But they had no idea that the entire country would come and occupy the borders of the capital," said Shailendra Choudhary, a farmer who traveled from Bijnor, a town in central Uttar Pradesh state.

Farmers say the legislation passed by Parliament last September will lead to the cartelization and commercialization of agriculture, make farmers vulnerable to corporate greed and devastate their earnings.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government insists the laws will benefit farmers and boost production through private investment.

Representatives of the government and farmers have failed to make progress in repeated negotiations over the farmers’ core demand that the laws be scrapped. The government has refused, but says it could make some amendments and suspend implementation of the legislation for 18 months.

Farmers insist they will settle for nothing less than a complete repeal.

A coalition of farmers’ unions urged participants to refrain from violence in Tuesday's tractor protest.

“Remember, our aim is not to conquer Delhi, but to win over the hearts of the people of this county,” Samyukta Kisan Morcha, or United Farmers’ Front, said in a statement.

Many of the protesting farmers are from the northern states of Punjab and Haryana, two of India’s largest agricultural areas. But the protests on the capital's outskirts — the biggest in years — have resonated with people elsewhere in the country.

In southwestern Maharashtra state, thousands of farmers joined a sit-in at a sports ground in Mumbai on Monday.

“I am opposed to these black laws introduced by Modi. They will spell doom for the farming community," said K. Prakash, a farmer who joined the sit-in with his family.

A day before, farmers in Maharashtra paraded on tractors and cars while waving flags of farmer unions and shouting slogans against Modi. Some rode in bullock carts or walked on foot for miles (kilometers).

Modi has tried to allay farmers’ fears about the legislation while dismissing their concerns. Some leaders of his party have called the farmers “anti-national,” a label often given to those who criticize Modi or his policies. Modi has repeatedly accused opposition parties of agitating the farmers by spreading rumors.

Farmers have long been seen as the heart and soul of India, and agriculture supports more than half of the country’s 1.4 billion people. But their economic clout has diminished over the last three decades. Once accounting for a third of India’s gross domestic product, farmers now account for only 15% of the country’s $2.9 trillion economy.

More than half of farmers are in debt, with 20,638 killing themselves in 2018 and 2019, according to the National Crime Records Bureau. Many factors are believed to contribute to the suicides, including poor crop yields, expensive farm chemicals and usurious money lenders.

___

Rafiq Maqbool in Mumbai and Rishabh R. Jain in New Delhi contributed to this report.


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India Farmer Protests
Indian farmers sit on their tractors after arriving at the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border for Tuesday's tractor rally in New Delhi, India, Monday, Jan. 25, 2021. Thousands of farmers gathered on the borders of Delhi for a massive tractor rally on Tuesday against the three contentious farm laws when India will celebrate its Republic day with a military and cultural parade. The two-month-old old blockade of highways connecting the capital with the country's north continues as the talks have remained deadlocked with the government refusing to scrap the new agricultural reform laws which the farmers say will benefit large corporations. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

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India Farmer Protests
Indian farmers sit on their tractors after arriving at the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border for Tuesday's tractor rally in New Delhi, India, Monday, Jan. 25, 2021. Thousands of farmers gathered on the borders of Delhi for a massive tractor rally on Tuesday against the three contentious farm laws when India will celebrate its Republic day with a military and cultural parade. The two-month-old old blockade of highways connecting the capital with the country's north continues as the talks have remained deadlocked with the government refusing to scrap the new agricultural reform laws which the farmers say will benefit large corporations. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

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India Farmer Protests
Indian farmers sit near their tractor after arriving at the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border for Tuesday's tractor rally in New Delhi, India, Monday, Jan. 25, 2021. Thousands of farmers gathered on the borders of Delhi for a massive tractor rally on Tuesday against the three contentious farm laws when India will celebrate its Republic day with a military and cultural parade. The two-month-old old blockade of highways connecting the capital with the country's north continues as the talks have remained deadlocked with the government refusing to scrap the new agricultural reform laws which the farmers say will benefit large corporations. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)



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India Farmer Protests
Indian farmers sit on their tractors after arriving at the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border for Tuesday's tractor rally in New Delhi, India, Monday, Jan. 25, 2021. Thousands of farmers gathered on the borders of Delhi for a massive tractor rally on Tuesday against the three contentious farm laws when India will celebrate its Republic day with a military and cultural parade. The two-month-old old blockade of highways connecting the capital with the country's north continues as the talks have remained deadlocked with the government refusing to scrap the new agricultural reform laws which the farmers say will benefit large corporations. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

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India Farmer Protests
An Indian farmer erects the Indian flag after arriving at the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border for Tuesday's tractor rally in New Delhi, India, Monday, Jan. 25, 2021. Thousands of farmers gathered on the borders of Delhi for a massive tractor rally on Tuesday against the three contentious farm laws when India will celebrate its Republic day with a military and cultural parade. The two-month-old old blockade of highways connecting the capital with the country's north continues as the talks have remained deadlocked with the government refusing to scrap the new agricultural reform laws which the farmers say will benefit large corporations. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

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India Farmer Protests
Indian farmers rest after arriving at the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border for Tuesday's tractor rally in New Delhi, India, Monday, Jan. 25, 2021. Thousands of farmers gathered on the borders of Delhi for a massive tractor rally on Tuesday against the three contentious farm laws when India will celebrate its Republic day with a military and cultural parade. The two-month-old old blockade of highways connecting the capital with the country's north continues as the talks have remained deadlocked with the government refusing to scrap the new agricultural reform laws which the farmers say will benefit large corporations. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)



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India Farmer Protests
Indian farmers sit on their tractors after arriving at the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border for Tuesday's tractor rally in New Delhi, India, Monday, Jan. 25, 2021. Thousands of farmers gathered on the borders of Delhi for a massive tractor rally on Tuesday against the three contentious farm laws when India will celebrate its Republic day with a military and cultural parade. The two-month-old old blockade of highways connecting the capital with the country's north continues as the talks have remained deadlocked with the government refusing to scrap the new agricultural reform laws which the farmers say will benefit large corporations. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

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India Farmer Protests
Indian farmers sit on their tractors after arriving at the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border for Tuesday's tractor rally in New Delhi, India, Monday, Jan. 25, 2021. Thousands of farmers gathered on the borders of Delhi for a massive tractor rally on Tuesday against the three contentious farm laws when India will celebrate its Republic day with a military and cultural parade. The two-month-old old blockade of highways connecting the capital with the country's north continues as the talks have remained deadlocked with the government refusing to scrap the new agricultural reform laws which the farmers say will benefit large corporations. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

White people least likely to wear masks consistently, study finds

Abby Haglage
Fri, January 22, 2021

A year into the COVID-19 pandemic, the virus continues to wreak havoc on the U.S., forcing schools and businesses in major cities to shutter. Now a new study from the University of Southern California is shedding light on one problem that may be contributing to the continued spread: inconsistent mask wearing.

The research, released on Thursday by USC’s Center for Economic and Social Research, comes from the group’s Understanding America Study, a nationally representative online sample of more than 6,000 respondents. While the vast majority of those polled agreed that masks are an effective way to combat COVID-19, just 51 percent said they consistently wear a mask when hanging out with people outside their household. The numbers become even more stark when divided by race.

White people, the researchers found, were the least likely of any race to wear a mask consistently, with just 46 percent reporting that they wear one while in close contact with people they do not live with. That was compared with 67 percent of Black people, 63 percent of Latinos and 65 percent of people from other races.

Dr. Uché Blackstock, founder and CEO of Advancing Health Equity and a Yahoo Life medical contributor, says the statistics aren’t unexpected. “It’s not terribly surprising,” Blackstock says. “The videos that we've seen on social media and television of people refusing to wear a mask or demonstrating against it have been predominantly white.”

Anti-mask protests have indeed been dominated by white people, many of them wearing T-shirts or waving flags that bear the name of Donald Trump. The former president was openly opposed to masks early on and did not publicly wear one until late July. He consistently devalued them throughout his presidency, saying, “maybe they’re not so good” in August and asking a reporter to take one off in September.
An anti-mask protester in Austin, Texas, in April 2020. (Sergio Flores/Getty Images)

His comments spurred large anti-mask demonstrations across the U.S. over the summer, including one in Austin, Texas, led by InfoWars’ Alex Jones. While major protests against mask-wearing seem to have died down, smaller groups continue to demonstrate against them, with one marching through a Los Angeles mall two weeks ago and another group trying to shop maskless at a Trader Joe’s in Oregon last week.

The groups operate under the belief that mandates requiring masks — which have been found to reduce COVID-19 spread by as much as 80 percent — are an infringement on their rights. Blackstock says that this line of thinking isn’t often shared by Black and brown people, who have long seen their rights stripped away through systemic racism. “I think for white Americans to be in a situation where they’re being told what to do, for some of them it's very difficult to hear because that is unusual,” she explains. “Whereas for many Black Americans, I can speak for myself as a Black woman ... we're used to being told what to do, or having restrictions placed on us.”

On top of the privilege that may be fueling the disparity, Blackstock says that Black Americans and Latinos have shared experiences that lead to a strong sense of community, which may not always be true for white Americans. Experts have noted that many who refuse to wear masks are operating more from an individualism stance than one of collective responsibility. In fact, one recent study by the Brookings Institution found that 40 percent of Americans who reported not wearing a mask said they chose not to because it was their “right as an American.”

“The essential values this country was founded on are individualism and personal responsibility — and this idea of community is not something that is necessarily inherent in American culture,” says Blackstock. She believes that for this reason, many white Americans may view mask-wearing from a narrower lens. “Even though wearing a mask is something that protects you and protects people that you love and other people in your community, it’s seen as an infringement of your rights,” she says. “Instead of being seen as something that could help others, it's being seen as a threat to your [freedom].”

Despite the damage this narrative has done, she and other experts in the COVID-19 sphere seem hopeful that President Biden’s administration will ignite a collective response that embraces mask wearing. One reason she’s optimistic is an executive order that Biden signed this week requiring federal employees to wear masks while on federal grounds.

“When you are in these buildings and institutions that are part of the government, you have to wear a mask. That is an expectation, and maybe that will translate to how people feel when they are outside of those institutions in the public as well,” says Blackstock. “I think that symbolically it was important for President Biden to execute that order. Although he can’t mandate it for every state, for every American he is making this symbolic gesture of saying, ‘Masks are important.’”

#DISARM  #DEFUND #DISBAND

Advocates make last-minute push to defund Toronto police during 2021 budget deliberations

Mon., January 25, 2021, 

Local activists and community groups pushing for the defunding of Toronto police are making a final appeal this week to slash the force's 2021 budget.

The calls to drastically reduce the proposed $1.076 billion police budget were made repeatedly during a Monday meeting of Toronto's budget committee, which is in the process of finalizing its 2021 spending plan.

"I think they're vulnerable," said Gary Kinsman, a member of No Pride in Policing, a queer and trans anti-racist organization. "This is the time that we think community organizations need to mobilize."

Kinsman's group is among those making formal deputations to the budget committee this week, demanding that Toronto immediately cut the police budget by 50 per cent, a demand first made by Black Lives Matter Toronto in 2020.

One Toronto city councillor, however, says it's important to note that a large chunk of this year's police budget is guaranteed in collective agreements, which run for several more years.

Kinsman said the momentum generated since last year's global protests against anti-Black racism and police brutality have created an opportunity for activist groups seeking an overhaul of policing.

Groups calling for a defunding of the police have argued that money currently spent on policing should be redirected to community organizations and front-line services that feature mental health experts and social workers.

"It's just amazing the type of city we could actually build, if we could just spend that money on what people actually need," Kinsman said.

People calling for a defunding of the police say that armed officers are ill-suited to respond to many types of calls, including those involving people of colour experiencing mental health issues.

"In a majority of settings, policing is the wrong tool for improving safety," said Brian De Matos, a board member at Pride Toronto, during his Monday deputation.

Pride Toronto is also now calling for a 50 per cent police budget reduction.

"We can no longer deny that policing often increases violence and harm," De Matos added.

At a sum of $1.076 billion, the Toronto police budget is the single largest expense in the city's $13.95 billion proposed budget for 2021.

Police say they will deliver a 'reformed' service

The proposed figure represents a zero per cent increase over the force's 2020 budget, marking the first time in several years that Toronto police have not requested a funding increase.

"This year, we're committed to doing more without asking for more," said police chief James Ramer in a statement earlier this month.

Chris Young/The Canadian Press

"Torontonians want to see a reformed, efficient service, and we intend to deliver on that regardless of the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic."

The City of Toronto has also announced plans for a pilot project that would stop police from responding to certain non-emergency mental health calls in select areas of the city.

Josh Matlow (Ward 12, Toronto-St, Paul's), the Toronto city councillor who spearheaded a failed proposal last year to cut the police budget by 10 per cent, said initiatives like the pilot project and the first-ever public release of a line-by-line police budget indicate that change is happening.

"I think there's an enormous amount of work to do, but I do believe that we're making progress," Matlow said in an interview.

Matlow went on to say a 50 per cent reduction is unrealistic since much of the 2021 budget is guaranteed in collective agreements that run for several more years.

"If we're not pragmatic about this and we don't do it responsibly, we're not going to make the changes that I think need to be made," he said.

While Kinsman acknowledged that a 50 per cent budget cut is unlikely, he predicted that pressure and calls for reform will continue.

"If they don't listen to the community in the context of city council meetings and hearings, they will be hearing from us in more powerful ways when people mobilize once again in the streets," he said.

Toronto's 2021 budget will go to city council for approval on Feb. 18.

DEATH THREATS OVER ENDING BIG OIL ADS

Regina city councillors backtrack on controversial fossil fuel sponsorship motion

IF THIS IS CONTROVERSIAL WAIT TILL THEY REALLY HAVE TO DO SOMETHING


Mon., January 25, 2021, 

Some Regina city councillors who originally supported a motion that would prevent fossil fuel companies from advertising or buying naming rights for city property have announced they're backing down.

The motion — introduced by Ward 6 councillor Dan LeBlanc at an executive committee meeting last week — would have meant companies like Federated Co-operatives Limited could not have their logos displayed on city property.

"Sponsorships are associative in nature and therefore alignment with predetermined city values is necessary," LeBlanc told the executive committee. "I think that's the very reason why we don't want sex, drugs, and rock and roll advertised on our buildings."

LeBlanc is now withdrawing support from his own motion. The move came after several councillors who originally voted for the motion — including Ward 8 councillor Shanon Zachidniak, Ward 9 councillor Jason Mancinelli and Ward 10 councillor Landon Mohl — publicly announced they were withdrawing their support.

City of Regina/Website

Mayor Sandra Masters and councillors Lori Bresciani, Terina Shaw and John Findura voted against the motion originally. Councillors Bob Hawkins, Andrew Stevens and Cheryl Stadnichuk voted for the motion, along with LeBlanc, Zachidniak, Mancinelli and Mohl.

"I acknowledge that the tone set by the amendment was counterproductive," Zachidniak said in a Facebook post late last week. "When this was introduced at the meeting, I should have realized that this was not the appropriate approach and I apologize."

Numerous reasons for withdrawal: LeBlanc

LeBlanc said Monday that he withdrew his support not only because of the issue fracturing unity on council, but also because he heard from many residents.

"I heard from a lot of people who said 'I'm all about sustainability, but this is too much too soon,'" LeBlanc said. "I think I heard ... they are nervous about any one big step. I think what that means is many concrete steps going forward."

Another reason LeBlanc cited was he and some of his fellow councillors who supported the motion receiving messages threatening physical harm.

"Frankly my view is it ought to take a lot for councillors to be risking physical violence to their families to continue with sustainability motions," he said. "I'm not interested in folks getting hurt because of that."

Motion created ripples in other levels of government

The motion drew the ire of Premier Scott Moe, who called it "absurd" in a news release last week. He said his government would "seriously consider the future of sponsorships to the City of Regina from provincial energy companies like SaskEnergy and SaskPower," and threatened to claw back millions of dollars the city normally gets from people's power and energy bills.

Asked for comment about the councillors' change of mind, a spokesperson for Moe said Monday that he would have no further comment until the motion is formally addressed by city council during its regular meeting on Wednesday. It's expected an amendment will be added to the motion to remove the ban on sponsorship from fossil fuel producers.

LeBlanc, meanwhile, said he is hopeful this issue widens the discussion on sustainability.

"It's been very good to see people's democratic voice come out when they're opposed to something," he said. "I hope we'll hear from them equally if we're doing things on sustainability that they're in favour of."

SEE

University of Regina professor defends City executive committee’s fossil fuel motion

University of Regina professor defends City executive committee’s fossil fuel motion

By Jonathan Guignard Global News
Posted January 23, 2021 

Emily Eaton, University of Regina associate professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, is defending members of the executive committee and the motion surrounding fossil fuels and advertisements. Michael Bell / The Canadian Press

An associate professor at the University of Regina is defending the members of the executive committee who voted in favour of a motion that would prevent businesses who sell or produce fossil fuel products from advertising or sponsoring with the City of Regina.

Under the Sponsorship, Naming Rights & Advertising Policy, Ward 6 Coun. Daniel LeBlanc proposed an amendment that would put fossil fuels in the same light as tobacco, cannabis, weapons and sexual services when it comes to advertising and sponsorships.

It was backed by seven of 11 members at Wednesday’s meeting, but still needs to be approved by city council at its next meeting on Jan. 27.

READ MORE: Citizens ‘outraged’ over motion banning fossil fuel advertisements: Regina mayor

“They are continuing on with the mandate from the old council, which is to transition the city to 100 per cent renewable sources of electricity and power citywide by the year 2050,” said Emily Eaton, U of R associate professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies.

“We have been given a 30-year warning that we are going to be phasing out fossil fuels. We don’t need to be finding space within our city assets and events to promote an industry that, by design, we are moving away from.”

1:47 Survey shows support for renewable energy in Regina – Sep 24, 2020

Saskatchewan premier Scott Moe called the proposed change “absurd” and a “hypocritical attack on the hardworking workers and employers that fuel Saskatchewan’s economy.”

“The premier has always wanted to be seen as defending the interests of the oil and gas industry,” Eaton said. “I think that this was an easy target for him.”

READ MORE: Scott Moe ‘disappointed’ with Joe Biden’s plan to cancel Keystone XL pipeline

Moe wasn’t alone in his disappointment as many others shared their concerns with the executive committee’s decision.

Regina Mayor Sandra Masters was one of four who voted against the motion. Councillors John Findura, Lori Bresciani and Terina Shaw also sided against it.

University of Regina professor defends executive committee’s fossil fuel motion | Globalnews.ca