Demolition of collapsed condo tower in Florida to begin tonight, Miami-Dade mayor says – CNBC
Demolition of collapsed condo tower in Florida to begin tonight, Miami-Dade mayor says – CNBC

The demolition of the partially collapsed condominium tower in Surfside, Florida will begin Sunday night, according to Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.

The demolition will take place between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m., Levine Cava said during a press conference Sunday evening. Residents in the shelter-in-place zone should remain indoors effective immediately, according to the Miami-Dade police.

The shelter-in-place order lifts two hours after the demolition is complete, Levine Cava said. Residents should close all windows, doors and air intakes, she said.

“The demolition is confined to the immediate area around the building,” the mayor said. “However, there is dust and other particles that are an unavoidable byproduct of all types of demolition, and as a precautionary measure we’re urging residents in the immediate vicinity to stay indoors during the demolition.”

Search-and-rescue efforts at the building were temporarily halted on Saturday afternoon for demolition preparation, which included drilling into the remaining structure’s columns. Levine Cava said the search will resume immediately after the building is down and the site is deemed secure.

“Bringing the building down in a controlled manner is critical to expanding our scope of search as you know in the pile, and allowing us to search in the area closest to the building which has not been accessible to the teams given the grave risk to our first responders due to the instability of the building,” Levine Cava said.

No one has been rescued since the first few hours after the collapse 11 days ago. The death toll had risen to 24 people as of Saturday, with 121 still missing. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, during a news briefing early Saturday, said the state will pay for all costs of the demolition.

The demolition will be conducted through a technique called energetic felling, which relies on the force of gravity to take down the building with small denotations and confines the collapse to the area of the building, according to Levine Cava.

Officials initially thought a demolition could take weeks. But plans to demolish the remaining structure were quickened amid concerns that weather impacts from Tropical Storm Elsa could hit Florida early next week and further threaten the unstable structure with heavy rainfall and winds.

The cause of the collapse of Champlain Towers South, which was built in the 1980s, is still unknown. However, an engineering consultant filed a report from 2018 warning of cracking and major structural damage below the building’s pool deck.

Source Article from https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/04/demolition-of-collapsed-condominium-tower-in-florida-to-begin-tonight.html

8 views no comments
Five things to know about the Trump Organization indictment | TheHill – The Hill
Five things to know about the Trump Organization indictment | TheHill – The Hill

New York prosecutors on Thursday unveiled the first charges in their grand jury investigation into the Trump Organization, charging the former president’s company and its chief financial officer (CFO), Allen WeisselbergAllen Howard WeisselbergWeisselberg indictment poses possible perils for Trump Justice or just desserts? Trump, Cosby and Georgia cases show rising cost of political litigation For Biden and Trump, a tale of very different weeks MORE, with tax-related crimes.

Prosecutors allege a 15-year scheme in which the Trump Organization compensated Weisselberg in a manner that allowed the company and the executive to evade taxes. The defendants deny any wrongdoing and argue that the charges are politically motivated.

The allegations stem from a years-long investigation by the Manhattan district attorney’s office that has involved prosecutors obtaining former President TrumpDonald TrumpThere is no ‘third way’ for Iran diplomacy Republicans eyeing White House take hard line on immigration Watch live: Trump holds rally in Florida MORE’s tax returns. Thursday’s indictment doesn’t charge the former president with any crimes, but prosecutors say their investigation is ongoing.

Here are five things to know about the indictment.

Prosecutors say Weisselberg avoided taxes on about $1.7 million of income

According to the indictment, Weisselberg received indirect compensation from the Trump Organization over a number of years of about $1.76 million. The company avoided reporting the income to tax authorities and withholding taxes from it, and Weisselberg hid the income from his tax preparer and didn’t report it on his tax returns, prosecutors claim.

“During the period of the scheme, Weisselberg thereby evaded approximately $556,385 in federal taxes, approximately $106,568 in state taxes, and approximately $238,159 in New York City taxes, and he falsely claimed and received approximately $94,902 in federal tax refunds and approximately $38,222 in state tax refunds, to which he was not entitled,” the indictment said.

Much of the untaxed compensation, more than $1.1 million from 2005 through 2017, came from the Trump Organization paying rent and related expenses for a Manhattan apartment where Weisselberg resided. While the apartment was Weisselberg’s main residence starting in 2005, the CFO falsely claimed to tax authorities that he wasn’t a New York City resident for a number of years and started paying city income taxes only after he sold a home on Long Island in 2013, according to court papers.

The untaxed compensation also took other forms, including payments for leases on Mercedes-Benz automobiles for Weisselberg and his wife and private school tuition for his family members, according to the indictment.

Indictment alleges the Trump Organization falsified records

Prosecutors also allege that the Trump Organization monitored the amount of indirect compensation it was providing to Weisselberg but nonetheless did not report the income to tax authorities.

Weisselberg was authorized to receive annual compensation of a set amount. The Trump Organization tracked how much it spent on indirect compensation in the forms of rent, automobile and tuition payments, and “treated many of them as part of his authorized annual compensation, ensuring that he was not paid more than his pre-authorized, fixed amount of gross compensation,” the indictment stated.

Still, the indirect compensation wasn’t included in forms that reported Weisselberg’s gross income, so the executive’s income was underreported to federal, state and local tax authorities, the document added.

Tax experts say the alleged crimes are significant

Experts in tax law told The Hill that the indictment alleges tax crimes that are substantial.

Daniel Hemel, a University of Chicago law professor, said that it’s rare for prosecutors to bring charges against businesses that commit more minor violations of tax rules governing fringe benefits for employees. However, he said it wouldn’t be unusual for prosecutors to bring charges against a business or its top officers over a substantial amount of off-the-books pay.

“Paying your CFO $1 million under the table, that is going to be a prosecution,” Hemel said. 

Tax experts also said that the alleged crimes detailed by prosecutors were particularly blatant and that those accused of carrying out the offenses were likely knowledgeable about tax rules.

What’s alleged is a “well-thought-out structure to pick out a variety of ways to generate income for Weisselberg in a way that would skirt the tax rules,” said Scott Michel, an attorney at Caplin and Drysdale who has done defense-side criminal tax work for 40 years.

The Trump Organization cries foul

The Trump Organization and Weisselberg have pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.

The company is arguing that the charges are being brought only because of a desire by Democratic prosecutors to go after Trump. Representatives for the company also argue that it’s unusual to bring cases focused on employee benefits and that the indictment’s focus indicates that prosecutors haven’t found evidence of more significant crimes.

“After years of investigation and the collection of millions of documents and devoting the resources of dozens of prosecutors and outside consultants, this is all they have?” Ron Fischetti, an attorney representing the Trump Organization, said in a statement after the charges were announced.

A Trump Organization spokesperson said in a statement hours before the indictment was unsealed that Weisselberg is “being used by the Manhattan District Attorney as a pawn in a scorched earth attempt to harm the former President.”  

“The District Attorney is bringing a criminal prosecution involving employee benefits that neither the IRS nor any other District Attorney would ever think of bringing,” a spokesperson for the company said.

The former president chimed in as well, calling the charges against his company and its CFO the continuation of a “political witch hunt.”

More charges could be coming

The Manhattan district attorney’s office and the New York attorney general’s office have been probing the Trump Organization for several years, and the prosecutors’ work isn’t ending with the charges announced last week.

“This investigation will continue, and we will follow the facts and the law wherever they may lead,” New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) said in a statement Thursday. 

Many observers suspect that the charges were brought against Weisselberg, who has worked for the Trump family for decades, in an effort to get him to cooperate with prosecutors’ investigation against Trump.

A big question going forward is whether Thursday’s charges are strong enough “to convince Weiselberg to negotiate,” said Philip Hackney, a law professor at the University of Pittsburgh.

Source Article from https://thehill.com/policy/finance/561423-five-things-to-know-about-the-trump-organization-indictment

13 views no comments
U.S. falls short of Biden’s July 4 COVID-19 vaccine goal – CBS News
U.S. falls short of Biden’s July 4 COVID-19 vaccine goal – CBS News

The United States remains still millions of shots away from meeting President Biden’s original goal of 70% of American adults receiving at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine by July 4, a milestone that White House officials conceded late last month that they were likely to miss by at least a few weeks.

Now as some of the White House’s most widely-cited incentives for vaccinations are set to lapse, from discounted Uber rides to free child care, the Biden administration faces an uphill battle to boost vaccination rates that have slowed to a pace not seen since late last year.

The Centers for Disease Control said Friday that over 172 million Americans, or about 67% of the adult population, have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. About 156 million have received both doses, or about 47%. 

“I’ve run several major crises now. And you set these goals because they force you and everybody to get very, very focused on what is the most important thing,” says Andy Slavitt, once a key adviser to the White House’s COVID-19 team who has now published a new book “Preventable” on the country’s pandemic response. 

A sign displays the types of COVID-19 vaccination doses available at a Walgreens mobile bus clinic on June 25, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. The United States will miss President Joe Biden’s goal of delivering at least one coronavirus vaccine dose to 70 percent of adults by the July 4th holiday.

Mario Tama / Getty Images


Slavitt credited Mr. Biden’s public goals and an accompanying deluge of initiatives in helping raise awareness around the shots, even if the president missed his Independence Day goal.

“In a kind of crisis response, you have a very limited ability to test without wasting valuable time. So the playbook in a crisis is actually to try everything, even if you can’t necessarily attribute actions, then do the best you can to pick things apart,” said Slavitt.

The U.S. is currently averaging less than 300,000 first doses daily, according to figures published by the CDC. When Mr. Biden announced his goal on May 4, the country was averaging more than 820,000 first doses a day — close to what it would have needed then to reach 70%.

Following the president’s announcement in May, the Biden administration rolled out an array of new efforts to expand access to the once-scarce shots. A growing share of the nation’s vaccine supply was redirected from mass vaccination sites to smaller-scale clinics and roaming teams of vaccinators. Stores in the federal retail pharmacy program ramped up shots in communities hard-hit by COVID-19 deaths, and now make up around a third of vaccines delivered to many states.

Soon, White House officials were also aggressively promoting a website, hotline and text message service to help Americans easily locate available shots near them. That tool has been used over 25 million times, one of the top developers of the Vaccine Finder site said recently.

Expanding access to the shots coincided with a flood of new incentives touted by federal health officials for Americans to get a shot of COVID-19 vaccine, following polls suggesting many unvaccinated Americans were too busy to get the shots or felt they did not need them.

Some came in the form of eye-popping lotteries and giveaways by states, which the Biden administration said they would allow governors to use federal COVID-19 relief dollars to pay for. Another incentive came with the broad lifting of mask requirements for fully vaccinated Americans in most settings and expanded authorization of Pfizer’s vaccine in adolescents.

Jamaican immigrant Sandra Lindsay is presented with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ Outstanding Citizen By Choice award by U.S. President Joe Biden during a naturalization ceremony in the East Room of the White House on July 02, 2021 in Washington, D.C.

Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images


But while the pace of first doses surged in the days that followed those announcements, by June — as the Biden administration was kicking off its “month of action” to deploy door-to-door canvassing and other campaign-style tactics to promote vaccinations — the nationwide moving average was once again in freefall.

Efforts to shore up confidence in the vaccines, like the “COVID-19 Community Corps” that sought to recruit local leaders and health providers to field concerns about the shots authorized by the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use, ran up against what one top federal health official described as a “dedicated opposition.”

A large share of those on the fence over vaccinations told pollsters they would be more likely to get the shots if they were required to return to their normal lives, like to fly on an airplane or attend large gatherings. But few businesses are able to levy more than cursory checks to verify if customers are fully vaccinated, foiled by a patchwork system of immunization records ill-equipped to support so-called “vaccine passports” for reopening in many states.

Now, the largest gap in vaccinations remains among younger Americans: less than half of those between 18 and 24 years old have gotten at least one dose of the vaccine, according to the CDC’s tally.

Though faster-spreading mutant variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, have sparked stern warnings from health officials in recent months, only around 26% of adults under 40 surveyed by the CDC who did not plan to get vaccinated said they were concerned about catching COVID-19.

“If you were in that category of younger people or on the fence, if you weren’t feeling urgency before, you’re feeling even less urgency now,” said Slavitt, remarking that the administration had “become, to some extent, a victim of our own success.”

Meanwhile, one large opportunity to assuage a common concern among the unvaccinated — and pave the way for many employers and schools looking to require the shots — could come within the next month: full approval from the FDA for a COVID-19 vaccine.

Pfizer announced in early May that it had begun its Biologics License Application to seek full approval from the FDA. Moderna followed suit at the start of June.

Though the process for full approval typically takes around 8 months to be completed, top FDA vaccine officials have said that the regulator had processed these kinds of applications amid prior outbreaks in only a few months and hoped to “try to do as good or better here.”

“In this case, since they’re already under emergency use authorization and the large bulk of additional information coming in will be safety data and information on manufacturing, we’re intending to speed that review,” the FDA’s Dr. Peter Marks told Endpoints News in April.

“In previous public health emergencies, for instance, with the meningococcal B outbreak in 2014, we were able to get through those BLAs in roughly 3-4 months,” added Marks.

Source Article from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/biden-covid-19-vaccine-goal-missed/

6 views no comments
Authorities charge 11 people involved in a standoff with Massachusetts police – CNN
Authorities charge 11 people involved in a standoff with Massachusetts police – CNN

By Ganesh Setty and Alaa Elassar, CNN

Updated 3:15 PM ET, Sun July 4, 2021

Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/04/us/highway-stand-off-wakefield-massachusetts-charged/index.html

12 views no comments
8 people wounded in shooting near Fort Worth car wash – ABC News
8 people wounded in shooting near Fort Worth car wash – ABC News

FORT WORTH, Texas — Eight people were wounded early Sunday when a person began shooting toward groups of people near a Fort Worth car wash and multiple people returned fire, police said.

Police said in a statement that the eight gunshot victims were taken to hospitals and were in stable condition. Police said no suspects were in custody.

Police said an officer in the area heard gunshots at about 1:30 a.m. and when officers arrived, they found the eight people who had been shot.

Police said Sunday afternoon that detectives had determined the shooting began following an argument between several men. Police said one person then left the scene, retrieved a gun and began shooting toward groups of people.

Police said multiple people in the area then returned fire.

Most of those wounded were innocent bystanders, police said.

Fort Worth police Chief Neil Noakes said officers provided medical care to the injured on arrival.

A juvenile female had minor injuries after being stuck by a vehicle, police said.

Source Article from https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/people-wounded-shooting-fort-worth-car-wash-78661303

10 views no comments
Tracking Elsa: Tropical Storm Elsa Moving Away From Southeastern Cuba & Jamaica – CBS Miami
Tracking Elsa: Tropical Storm Elsa Moving Away From Southeastern Cuba & Jamaica – CBS Miami

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Tropical Storm Elsa is moving away from southeastern Cuba and Jamaica. It’s expected to move across central Cuba on Monday.

As of 8 p.m. Sunday, Elsa was 65 miles west of Cabo Cruz, Cuba and 100 miles south of Camaguey, Cuba.

READ MORE: Surfside Condo Collapse: Miami-Dade Mayor Confirms Demolition Will Happen Between 10 P.M. & 3 A.M.

Its max sustained winds were 60 mph with higher gusts as it moves toward the northwest near 15 mph.

This general motion is expected to continue through Monday, followed by a turn toward the north-northwest on Tuesday.

On the forecast track, the center of Elsa will approach south-central Cuba late Sunday night and early Monday.  Elsa is expected to move across central and western Cuba and head toward the Florida Straits on Monday, and pass near the Florida Keys early Tuesday.

Elsa is then forecast to move near or over portions of the west coast of Florida on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Some strengthening is expected before Elsa moves over Cuba, followed by some weakening while the center moves over land. Slight restrengthening is possible after Elsa moves over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico.

Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 90 miles from the center.

SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT:

A Hurricane Watch is in effect for:

  • The Cuban provinces of Camaguey, Granma, and Las Tunas.

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for:

  • The Cuban provinces of Camaguey, Granma, Guantanamo, Holguin, Las Tunas, Santiago de Cuba, Ciego de Avila, Sancti Spiritus, Villa Clara, Cienfuegos, Matanzas, Mayabeque, and Havana
  • The Florida Keys from Craig Key westward to the Dry Tortugas

A Storm Surge Watch is in effect for:

  • West coast of Florida from Bonita Beach to the Suwannee River

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for:

  • Cayman Brac and Little Cayman
  • The Cuban province of Artemisa
  • The Florida Keys from east of Craig Key to Ocean Reef
  • Florida Bay
  • West coast of Florida from Flamingo northward to the Anclote River

A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area.

READ MORE: City Of North Miami Beach Orders Immediate Closure, Evacuation Of 156-Unit Condo

A Hurricane Watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area.  A watch is typically issued 48 hours before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-force winds, conditions that make outside preparations difficult or dangerous.

A Storm Surge Watch means there is a possibility of life-threatening inundation, from rising water moving inland from the coastline, in the indicated locations during the next 48 hours.

A Tropical Storm Watch means that tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area.

Interests elsewhere in the Florida peninsula should monitor the progress of Elsa. Additional watches and warnings will likely be required Sunday night or early Monday.

WIND: Tropical storm conditions are expected in portions of Jamaica Sunday.  Tropical storm conditions are expected and hurricane conditions are possible in portions of eastern and central Cuba later Sunday and Sunday night.  Tropical storm conditions are expected in the warning area in the Florida Keys by late Monday.  Tropical storm conditions are possible in the watch areas in the Cayman Islands by Sunday night, and in the upper Florida Keys and the southwest coast of Florida by Monday night.

STORM SURGE: A storm surge will raise water levels above normal tide levels by as much as the following amounts in areas of onshore flow within the hurricane watch and warning areas…

  • Southern coast of Cuba – 3 to 5 feet

The combination of a storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline.  The water could reach the following heights above ground somewhere in the indicated areas if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide:

  • Bonita Beach to Suwannee River including Tampa Bay – 2 to 4 feet
  • Flamingo to Bonita Beach – 1 to 3 feet
  • Ocean Reef to Dry Tortugas including Florida Bay – 1 to 2 feet

Surge-related flooding depends on the relative timing of the surge and the tidal cycle, and can vary greatly over short distances.

RAINFALL: Across portions of southern Haiti and Jamaica, storm total rainfall of 4 to 8 inches with isolated total amounts of 15 inches are expected through Sunday. This rain may lead to scattered flash flooding and mudslides, some of which could be significant.

Across portions of Cuba Sunday into Monday, rainfall of 5 to 10 inches with isolated maximum amounts of 15 inches is expected. This will result in significant flash flooding and mudslides.

Across the Cayman Islands Sunday into Monday, rainfall of 3 to 5 inches is expected. This rain may lead to scattered flash flooding.

Rainfall from Elsa will impact portions of the Florida Keys and Florida Peninsula Monday through Wednesday. Amounts of 2 to 4 inches with localized maximum amounts up to 6 inches will be possible, which may result in isolated flash, urban, and minor river flooding.

TORNADOES: A couple of tornadoes are possible across southern Florida Monday afternoon and Monday night into Tuesday.

MORE NEWS: Florida Keys Under Tropical Storm Warning But So Far Life Continuing As Normal This 4th Of July

SURF: Swells generated by Elsa will spread westward along the coast of Jamaica and the southern coast of Cuba during the next day or two.  Swells will increase near the Florida Keys and south Florida early next week.

Source Article from https://miami.cbslocal.com/2021/07/04/tropical-storm-elsa-move-across-cuba/

146 views no comments
Blue Angels bring the ‘sound of freedom’ on Fourth of July at Kansas City Air Show – Fox News
Blue Angels bring the ‘sound of freedom’ on Fourth of July at Kansas City Air Show – Fox News
Video

Famed Blue Angels celebrate 75th anniversary at KC Airshow

The aerial demonstration squadron debuted larger, more powerful ‘Super Hornet’ aircraft

The U.S. Navy Blue Angels and the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds took to the skies to dazzle a crowd on Sunday with a flight performance in celebration of Independence Day. 

Sunday’s spectacle marked the second day of the 2021 Kansas City Airshow in New Century, Kansas. The event was canceled last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Some 40,000 people were expected to be in attendance, FOX 4 reported. 

The Air Force Thunderbirds took flight earlier on Sunday while the Navy Blue Angels spread their wings in the late afternoon hours. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“Happy Independence Day from the KC Air Show!” one tweet read. “The @AFThunderbirds will bring the sound of freedom at 12:20 today, and the @BlueAngels will provide a second dose at 3:30!”

Video posted to social media showed the pilots of both the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels in uniform shaking hands. 

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/us/blue-angels-fly-kansas-city-air-show-july-4

8 views no comments
Pet owners seek to delay demolition of Florida condo tower – New York Post
Pet owners seek to delay demolition of Florida condo tower – New York Post

Pet owners who lived in what still stands of Florida’s partly collapsed condo tower want the structure’s planned demolition delayed until any animals who might still be alive there are rescued.

The search for human and animal survivors in the building’s rubble in Surfside next to Miami Beach was suspended Saturday as officials prepare to demolish the remaining part of the 12-story structure ahead of Tropical Storm Elsa.

But an online petition has been started to halt the demolition until “all animals are safe” and already garnered almost 4,300 signatures, the Miami Herald reported.

Julie Miró, a Miami resident who signed the petition, said she also sent emails to Gov. Ron DeSantis, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and local emergency officials urging them to try to save any animals stuck inside the teetering building before it is knocked down.

“If there were people in there, they would have found a way,” Miro told the Herald of officials overseeing the rescue effort. “But they don’t think animals are as valuable.”

In the first few hours after the building’s collapse, firefighters rescued one fourth-floor family’s dog, Rigatoni, along with the mother and daughter.
AFP via Getty Images

Dahlia Kanes, director of the Miami Coalition Against Breed Specific Legislation, said her organization believes that at least several dogs and cats, a guinea pig and a few parakeets are still stuck in the structure.

She told the paper that she spoke with a woman whose dog, Daisy, and two cats were in her living room when part of the building crumbled into a massive pile of rubble July 24.

Daisy is the name of the dog in the Edgar Gonzalez family. Gonzalez, a lawyer, remains missing, while his wife, Angela, and their 15-year-old daughter, Deven, are hospitalized.  

Kanes said her office began getting calls about pets since the building collapsed but she understands that the structure is too unstable to send crews in to rescue the animals.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said “search and rescue conducted three separate searches … And, they found no animals.”
Miami-Dade Police Department

“The reality is grim. Most likely all those animals are either dead or in the rubble below,” she said.

On Saturday, Levine Cava said: “Many in the community have raised this concern [about the building’s pets].

“I want to be clear that search and rescue conducted three separate searches, a primary, a secondary and a tertiary. And, they found no animals. I was informed this morning that they did a sweep with cameras and found no animals at this time.

“I’ve also been in touch with the contractor and provided locations of animals that were given to me who might be in the building,” Levine Cava said.

One resident spotted their cat, Coco, on the balcony and firefighters used a cherry picker to leave food and water for the pet.
AFP via Getty Images

“They are aware and doing everything they might do just to make an additional search,” she said of rescue workers. “But I want to be very clear that they would not be doing that on-site because they are not going to be able to go into those units.

“It is not safe for anyone to go beyond the first floor,” she said.

In the first few hours after the building’s collapse, firefighters rescued one fourth-floor family’s dog, Rigatoni, along with the mother and daughter, the Herald reported.

When someone saw their cat, Coco, on the balcony, firefighters used a cherry picker to leave food and water for the pet.

The Miami Coalition Against Breed Specific Legislation believes that at least several dogs and cats, a guinea pig and a few parakeets are still stuck in the condo building.
AFP via Getty Images

Levine Cava said that as a pet owner herself, she understands many people consider their animals to be family members.

“I just want you to know that additional efforts have been made and are being made,” she said.

Source Article from https://nypost.com/2021/07/04/pet-owners-seek-to-delay-demolition-of-florida-condo-tower/

15 views no comments
Massachusetts I-95 standoff was with Rise of the Moors militia, police say – The Guardian
Massachusetts I-95 standoff was with Rise of the Moors militia, police say – The Guardian

Massachusetts state police said 11 people who were arrested following an hours-long armed standoff that partially shut down Interstate 95 on Saturday claimed membership of the group Rise of the Moors, which police said calls itself a militia and follows “sovereign citizens” ideology.

Police said the group claims to adhere to “Moorish Sovereign Ideology”.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors extremist groups in the US, says the Moorish sovereign citizen movement is a collection of independent organizations and individuals that emerged in the 1990s as an offshoot of the antigovernment sovereign citizens’ movement.

People in the movement believe individual citizens hold sovereignty over, and are independent of, federal and state governments.

One of the people arrested in Massachusetts was a male juvenile and two others refused to give their names, police said. Those arrested were charged with offenses including unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition and the use of body armor in commission of a crime.

Troopers recovered three AR-15 rifles, two pistols, a bolt-action rifle, a shotgun and a short-barrel rifle.

The standoff began early on Saturday when a trooper stopped to offer assistance to vehicles on the side of the highway in the town of Wakefield. Police later said the group was refueling.

The trooper called for backup and most of the group went into nearby woods until they surrendered to a police tactical team just after 10am. The standoff closed I-95 during the busy holiday weekend and some residents were told to shelter in place.

The group told police they traveling from Rhode Island to Maine for “training”. None of the men, who were dressed in military fatigues and body armor, had a license to carry firearms in Massachusetts.

During the standoff, one member of the group said on a social media account for the Rise of the Moors that they were not antigovernment or anti-police. The website for the group says they are “Moorish Americans dedicated to educating new Moors and influencing our Elders”.

Mark Pitcavage, a senior research fellow for the Anti-Defamation League Center on Extremism, said “sovereign citizens” are rarely involved in paramilitary activity.

“This particular group, Rise of the Moors, is actually interested in that so that makes them unusual for groups within this movement,” Pitcavage said.

Some pioneers of the sovereign citizen movement in the 1970s were white supremacists. The vast majority of Moorish sovereign citizens are African American, Pitcavage said.

“I find it very ironic … that the Moorish sovereign citizen movement is so large and active, they actually repeat many theories that were actually cooked up, again many years ago, by white supremacists,” he said.

Police said the adults arrested on Saturday were from Rhode Island, New York and Michigan and would be held at the Billerica House of Correction on $100,000 cash bail. They are due in court later this week. It could not immediately be determined if the suspects had lawyers.

Source Article from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jul/04/massachusetts-i-95-standoff-rise-of-the-moors-militia-police

10 views no comments
Trump seemingly acknowledges facts of prosecutors’ case against Trump Organization while criticizing charges over ‘fringe benefits’ – CNN
Trump seemingly acknowledges facts of prosecutors’ case against Trump Organization while criticizing charges over ‘fringe benefits’ – CNN

By Eric Bradner, CNN

Updated 2:09 PM ET, Sun July 4, 2021

Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/04/politics/trump-rally-sarasota-florida/index.html

12 views no comments
Biden falls short of July 4 COVID vaccination goal – Fox News
Biden falls short of July 4 COVID vaccination goal – Fox News
Video

Former CDC director says if you want to freely enjoy holidays – get vaccinated

Former CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden says those who are fully vaccinated against COVID can freely enjoy holiday gatherings

The Biden administration came up just short of its July 4 goal of having at least 70% of adult Americans at least partially vaccinated against COVID-19.

According to the CDC, 67% of adults in the country had received at least one vaccination shot as of Saturday. Still, President Biden pointed to the millions who have received injections as evidence that the U.S. is recovering.

“This Fourth of July, America is back,” Biden said in a tweet Sunday morning. “We’re headed into a summer of joy – of freedom – thanks to the millions of Americans who stepped up to get vaccinated. To the frontline and essential workers who have made this day possible: thank you.” 

That percentage is much higher among older Americans, with 88.3% of those 65 and older having received at least one dose. 

With waiting periods required in between doses of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, the numbers for those who are fully vaccinated lag behind, with 58.1% of adults being completely vaccinated – 78.6% for those 65 and up.

In terms of total numbers, that amounts to just under 157 million people (47.3%) in the U.S. being fully vaccinated, and more than 182 million (54.9%) having had at least one dose.

A White House official told Fox News in June that the administration was “on track” to hit the president’s target of delivering at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to 70% of adults 27 years old and up but said it would not meet that goal until after the July 4 holiday due to a “reporting lag,” because states are not sending data in “as consistently.” 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

That day, White House Chief of Staff Ronald Klain tweeted that the U.S. had reached the 70% mark for those 30 and older.

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-falls-short-july-4-covid-vaccination-goal

8 views no comments
Surfside officials see condo demolition as ‘green light’ to resume ‘search and rescue’ operation – Fox News
Surfside officials see condo demolition as ‘green light’ to resume ‘search and rescue’ operation – Fox News
Video

Fox News Flash top headlines for July 4

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what’s clicking on Foxnews.com.

Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett said the demolition of the remaining structure at the Champlain Tower site could provide a “green light” to enable a more robust search and rescue effort, which was temporarily suspended Saturday afternoon.

The town pushed to demolish the building amid fears that Tropical Storm Elsa could potentially cause the tower to collapse, which would further complicate the already difficult search and rescue operation. 

TERROR AND HEROISM: FAMILIES ESCAPE SURFSIDE COLLAPSE THROUGH SMOKE AND RUIN

Burkett called the storm a “blessing in disguise,” as the demolition of the building could provide a much needed boost to search and rescue efforts. No one has been rescued alive since the first hours after the collapse.

“The building’s been a problem since the very beginning, and we need to eliminate all the problems and all the barriers to getting everybody out of there,” Burkett said on CBS show “Face the Nation.” “So once this building’s down, it’s going to be a green light to move full speed ahead, maximum effort to pull these people out and reunite them with their family.” 

DESANTIS’ OFFICE DENIES REPORT OF ‘PLEA’ TO CANCEL TRUMP RALLY AMID SURFSIDE SEARCH

All resources and tactics have already been operating at full speed, but the rescue effort has faced a number of hurdles, periodically stopping due to weather, and at points stopping due to a fire that was burning deep in the rubble itself.

In this satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies heavy-lift cranes are used to aid in the search and recovery operation at the partially collapsed Champlain Towers South condo building on Saturday, July 3, 2021, in Surfside, Fla. (Maxar Technologies via AP)
(Maxar Technologies via AP)

The plan is to demolish the building in a “westward direction,” which will prevent any damage or issue with the existing rubble pile and allow potential greater access to the site.

FLORIDA HIGH-RISE EVACUATED OVER STRUCTURAL CONCERNS FOLLOWING SURFSIDE CONDO COLLAPSE

Burkett said there is no concern for nearby buildings due to precautions the town took during the initial disaster.

“Those buildings were evacuated the day of the incident, so there are no people living in those structures to the South or the North,” he said.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP  

Burkett also praised the support Surfside has received from leadership at the local, state and federal level: He thanked Governor Ron DeSantis and President Biden in particular for providing “whatever we needed.” 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/us/surfside-condo-demolition-search-rescue-resume-elsa-fears

9 views no comments
Miami condo collapse: death toll at 24 as search pauses for demolition – The Guardian
Miami condo collapse: death toll at 24 as search pauses for demolition – The Guardian

The death toll from the collapse of the Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida, stood at 24 on Sunday, with 121 still missing. But rescue crews made way for demolition teams as officials shifted their focus to bringing down the unstable remainder of the structure ahead of a tropical storm.

In a small moment of hope on Saturday, a cat was seen wandering a lower floor of the remaining flank of the 12-story complex. Crews hoped to rescue the animal but it could not be immediately determined whether it belonged to any resident.

In nearby Miami Beach, a three-story apartment building was evacuated on Saturday after an inspector discovered structural damage in a vacant unit. A city inspector found a flooring system failure and “excessive deflection” on an exterior wall.

Several residential buildings in Florida have been evaluated since the Surfside collapse, which happened on 24 June. In North Miami Beach on Friday, residents were forced out of the 156-unit Crestview Towers after it was deemed structurally and electrically unsafe.

In Surfside on Sunday, crews prepared for demolition. Speaking to CBS’s Face the Nation, Mayor Charles Burkett said: “We need to get back to [searching the rubble] as soon as possible. We need to get this building taken down and we need to move forward with the rescue of all those people that are still left in the rubble.

He added: “The intention is to bring the building down in a westward direction so that the debris pile that exists with victims in it is not affected. You know, the [approaching storm] is going to turn out to have probably been a blessing in disguise because there’s an area of that mound which we were not able to work in safely. And this demolition is going to open up wide the whole area. And we’re going to be able to pour resources onto that pile.”

The search and rescue mission was suspended on Saturday so workers could begin boring holes to hold explosives, Miami-Dade assistant fire chief Raide Jadallah told people awaiting word on loved ones. He said the suspension was necessary because the drilling could cause the structure to fail. If that were to happen, he said, “It’s just going to collapse without warning”.

One relative was heard calling it “devastating” that the search was on pause. She asked if rescuers could at least work the perimeter so as not “to stop the operation for so many painful hours”.

Officials said demolition work could not be avoided. Governor Ron DeSantis told reporters: “We have a building here in Surfside that is tottering. It is structurally unsound. And although the eye of the storm is not likely to pass over this direction, you could feel gusts in this area.”

The apartment building in nearby Miami Beach was evacuated out of an abundance of caution, authorities said. It contains 24 units, 11 unoccupied. Another condo with 72 units in Kissimmee was reported to officials after contractors said there were “significant” structural issues. Some residents chose to stay in hotels paid for by the county, while others appeared to remain in their homes, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

In Surfside, officials reassured families they had done their best to look for missing pets. On a day that saw the death toll rise, Miami-Dade assistant fire chief Raide Jadallah interrupted a family briefing to share news of the cat.

“So apparently there’s a cat now that may have gone out and gotten onto a balcony,“ he said.

The news brought murmurs of excitement.

“Hold on,” Jadallah told the crowd, “I haven’t spoken to the cat yet.”

Earlier, Miami-Dade mayor Daniella Levine Cava said at least three sweeps for pets had been conducted – and none had been found.

“I very much understand that pets are part of people’s families,” the mayor said. “My heart goes out to those who fear for their animals, and I just want you to know that additional efforts have been made and are being made.”

Earlier in the week, a firefighter attempted to locate the cat of an elderly woman and her daughter who lived on the fourth floor of the still-standing wing. The two women escaped with their dog, Rigatoni. But their cat, Coco, was apparently left behind. Ken Russell, a commissioner for the city of Miami who is married to a vet, alerted officials.

“Once I realized a cat was still in jeopardy, I called the fire chief,” he said, adding that he made sure no resources were taken away from the search and rescue mission. Russell also said he’d heard of other pets left behind, including a dog in a crate on the ninth floor and two parrots and a cat on the 10th.

“People rely on them for their mental stability and their comfort,” Russell said. “To know that they left their animal behind is a tremendous sense of guilt.”

On Sunday, the confirmed death toll from collapse stood at 24. On Saturday night, Miami-Dade police added Graciela Cattarossi, 48, and Gonzalo Torre, 81, to the list of the dead. No one has been rescued since the hours after the collapse.

Source Article from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jul/04/miami-condo-collapse-death-toll-cat-balcony

10 views no comments
11 arrested in Massachusetts standoff: Here’s what we know about the group and Moorish sovereign movement – USA TODAY
11 arrested in Massachusetts standoff: Here’s what we know about the group and Moorish sovereign movement – USA TODAY

Source Article from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/07/04/massachusetts-95-standoff-what-rise-moor-moorish-sovereign/7858039002/

8 views no comments
White House looking to next pandemic challenge as July 4th signals a reopened nation – NBC News
White House looking to next pandemic challenge as July 4th signals a reopened nation – NBC News
16 views no comments
At least 45 killed in Philippine Air Force plane crash – CNN
At least 45 killed in Philippine Air Force plane crash – CNN

By Sophie Jeong and Yasmin Coles, CNN

Updated 10:47 AM ET, Sun July 4, 2021

Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/04/asia/philippines-air-force-plane-crash-intl-hnk/index.html

7 views no comments
Pope undergoes scheduled colon surgery – Vatican News
Pope undergoes scheduled colon surgery – Vatican News

By Vatican News staff writer

On Sunday afternoon, 4 July, Pope Francis was taken to A. Gemelli Policlinic in Rome where he will undergo scheduled surgery. The Pope recited the Angelus as usual with the faithful gathered in St Peter’s Square. He left Casa Santa Marta in the afternoon.

The Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, confirmed the information through a statement to accredited journalists sent through Telegram: “This afternoon, His Holiness Pope Francis was taken to A. Gemelli Policlinic in Rome where he will undergo a scheduled surgery for a symptomatic diverticular stenosis of the colon.”

Performing the surgery is Prof. Sergio Alfieri. Dr. Alfieri is in the hospital’s Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and heads the Digestive Surgery Complex Operational Unit. He is specialized in general, digestive, colon-rectal, stomach and pancreatic surgery.

Another “medical bulletin will be issued at the end of the surgery”, the press office’s message concluded.

 

 

Source Article from https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-07/pope-surgery-colon-gemelli-policlinic-sergio-alfieri.html

45 views no comments
Declaration of Independence: 5 facts you may not know on this Fourth of July – Fox News
Declaration of Independence: 5 facts you may not know on this Fourth of July – Fox News
Video

‘Woke’ culture targets National Archives rotunda

Fox News’ Martha MacCallum discusses the report from the National Archives task force that said the rotunda is an example of ‘structural racism’ and reacts to a Washington Post article that compared Dan Crenshaw to George Wallace.

1.) Independence Was Not Declared on July Fourth: 

July 4, 1776 is significant because that is the day Congress officially adopted the Declaration of Independence document. However, the second Continental Congress actually voted for independence on July 2. In a letter to his wife, Abigail, John Adams predicted that future generations would celebrate July 2 as Independence Day, saying, “The second day of July, 1776, will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illumination, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forevermore.” 

2.) 26 copies of the Declaration of Independence still exist:

After the Declaration of Independence was adopted, the “Committee of Five,” which consisted of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman and Robert R. Livingston, was responsible for the reproduction of the approved text. On July 5, Philadelphia printer John Dunlap sent out all the copies he made to newspapers across the 13 colonies, in addition to commanders of the Continental troops and local politicians. There were initially hundreds of copies known as “Dunlap broadsides,” but only 26 of them survive and are mostly being exhibited in museum and library collections. (One of the most recently discovered “Dunlap broadsides” was found by a Philadelphia man in the back of a picture frame that was purchased at a flea market for $4 in 1989)

READ: THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

3.) George Washington’s reading of the Declaration of Independence on July 9, 1776 led to a riot in New York City where King George III’s statue was torn down:

When one of the “Dunlap broadsides” arrived in New York City on July 9, 1776, George Washington, who was the commander of the Continental forces in New York at the time, read the document to the crowd in front of city hall. Many of them cheered and would later tear down a statue of King George III nearby. The statue was later melted down and used to make tens of thousands of musket balls for the American army.

4.) After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, and other documents were secretly stashed at Fort Knox during World War II:

After the attack on Pearl harbor, Secret Service Agent Harry Neal was tasked with transferring “priceless historical documents” to a secure facility away from Washington, D.C. After meeting with librarian Archibald MacLeish at the Library of Congress, Neal orchestrated the logistics of how they would discreetly transport the documents out of DC to Fort Knox, which is near Louisville, Kentucky. Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, the Gutenberg Bible, and the Articles of Confederation were also being stored in some of the cases at Fort Knox. The Declaration was returned to Washington, D.C., in 1944.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

5.) 56 men signed the Declaration of Independence, but many of them never became famous:

Some of the signers of the Declaration of Independence like John Adams and Thomas Jefferson went on to dedicate their lives to public service and serve as the second and third presidents of the United States. However, several of the signers are only remembered by history, such as Button Gwinnett of Georgia and New Hampshire’s Josiah Bartlett, whose name was used, with a slightly different spelling , as Martin Sheen’s presidential character in “West Wing.”

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/politics/declaration-of-independence-5-facts-you-may-not-know

9 views no comments
Try and try again: GOP tests out myriad attacks on Biden | TheHill – The Hill
Try and try again: GOP tests out myriad attacks on Biden | TheHill – The Hill

Republicans are testing out a myriad of attacks against President BidenJoe BidenBiden on Richardson suspension: ‘The rules are the rules’ There is no ‘third way’ for Iran diplomacy Republicans eyeing White House take hard line on immigration MORE, trying to turn public opinion against a popular president among key sectors of the electorate in hopes of boosting their chances in the 2022 midterm elections and beyond.

Republicans have blamed Biden’s economic agenda for rising inflation and criticized him over the flow of migrants at the southern border. They have also recycled attacks from the 2020 election, raising questions about Biden’s mental fitness and trying to tie him to the “defund the police” movement and the left wing of the Democratic party.

The approach has prompted criticism among some who say Republicans need to adopt a more unified message. Republicans also fret that some of the criticisms of Biden aren’t believable and say the party needs to focus on more credible attack lines.

“The most effective political attacks are those that have the virtue of being true because they are therefore credible. Attacks that are far-fetched generally fall flat, as they are not believable,” said Whit Ayres, a veteran GOP pollster.

“Talking about how President Biden is a far-left wing socialist simply lacks credibility because he never has been and never will be, more than likely, a far leftwing socialist. He is a center left Democrat who has never been a member of the far leftwing of his party,” he said.

Democrats, meanwhile, say the attacks aren’t working. Biden’s approval ratings have remained steadily positive and he has delivered a highly-rated coronavirus response, allowing him to usher the country back to normal and the economy back to health.

“They’re trying everything they can think of. It’s absolutely a scattershot approach and nothing is sticking,” said Josh Schwerin, a Democratic strategist. “Voters are seeing the job that Biden is doing and they’re seeing the benefits.”

One longtime GOP operative argued that it is too early to make the assertion that Biden is “Mr. Teflon,” noting that high gas prices 30 days before Election Day 2022 would spell trouble for Democrats. At the same time, the operative conceded that it is difficult to attack Biden, who recently announced a bipartisan infrastructure deal, as a member of the left wing of his party.

“We have to figure out a way to attack the policies,” the operative said. “I just think we’re probing. I think it’s early.”

Polls show that immigration and rising crime rates represent potential vulnerabilities for Democrats going into the midterms, which are still more than a year away.

A Washington Post-ABC News poll released Friday found that 59 percent of Americans believe that crime is an extremely or very serious problem in the United States. Thirty-eight percent of Americans approve of Biden’s handling of the issue of crime, while 48 percent disapprove.

“I think crime is obviously a big and growing issue in America and if these trends continue, it will be the issue that defines the 2022 midterms,” said Alex Conant, a Republican strategist who served as communications director for Sen. Marco RubioMarco Antonio RubioBiden, DeSantis set aside politics in tragedy response Biden: Families of victims of Surfside building collapse ‘realistic’ about rescue Biden intends to pick up costs to county, state in Florida building recovery efforts MORE’s (R-Fla.) 2016 campaign. “The Democrats are in charge, they will be held responsible for soaring crime if that’s the case.”

Republicans found it effective to tie Democrats to the “defund the police” narrative during the 2020 elections. But the attacks did not prove effective at the time against Biden, who made clear that he did not support taking money away from law enforcement.

“Criticism along the lines of massive deficit spending, out of control crime in cities and chaos at the border are all credible lines of attack,” said Ayres. “Trying to make the case he stands for something he’s not is a waste of time and energy.”

Biden recently unveiled a plan to address rising crime that involves using funds from his $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill to help support law enforcement and curb crime. The White House has subsequently tried to make the case that Republicans are the ones who support defunding the police for not voting for the rescue package.

Republicans have also tried to drive home attacks on Biden and Vice President Harris over the surge in migrants at the southern border that occurred after they took office in January.

A Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll survey released in June found that 64 percent of registered voters believe that Biden should issue “stricter policies to reduce the flow of people across the border.” Biden’s approval numbers on immigration specifically have been consistently underwater.

A group of House Republicans joined former President TrumpDonald TrumpThere is no ‘third way’ for Iran diplomacy Republicans eyeing White House take hard line on immigration Watch live: Trump holds rally in Florida MORE for a trip to the border on Wednesday to excoriate the Biden administration’s policies, as they wrestle with whether to rally behind a central message on immigration ahead of the midterms.

Biden and liberals, Trump claimed, are “destroying our country.”

But Trump has also used his megaphone to continue to push false claims that he won the 2020 election, exacerbating divisions in the GOP and taking attention away from Biden. Some Republicans also blame his rhetoric for depressing turnout during the Georgia Senate runoffs in January, when two Democrats won to tip the Senate into Democratic control.

“His first instinct is to be a grievance candidate,” the GOP operative said. “If we can get him beyond that, I think he’s probably one of the most effective attack dogs we have right now.”

Overall, Biden’s favorability has been positive. A Reuters-Ipsos poll released Wednesday put it at 55 percent among U.S. adults.

“I think [Republicans are] missing a coherent message,” said Terry Schilling, president of the American Principles Project, a group that is billing itself as an “NRA for Families.” “It’s all over the place. They’re talking about big tech. They’re talking about inflation. They’re talking about China. They’re talking about Russia. They’re talking about stolen elections.”

Schilling argued that Republicans should focus on persuading families by tying Biden to inflation and digging in on culture wars like the debate over critical race theory.

Biden received a boost on Friday with the release of the June jobs report, which revealed the U.S. economy added 850,000 jobs last month and exceeded expectations. The latest report is likely to insulate Biden from some attacks from Republicans on his economic agenda.

Republicans have tried to blame Biden for the heightened gas prices, though Democrats counter that one of the major reasons behind the increase in prices is the fact that the economy is restarting amid the coronavirus pandemic.

White House press secretary Jen PsakiJen PsakiBiden names nominee for US ambassador to Germany The Hill’s 12:30 Report – Presented by Goldman Sachs – Biden takes victory lap after robust jobs report White House releases staff salaries showing narrowed gender pay gap MORE told reporters Friday that “of course” the administration is concerned about the rise in prices and reiterated Biden’s opposition to a gas tax to pay for his infrastructure proposal.

“He felt that would fall on the backs of Americans who were returning to their workplaces, who were driving their kids to school,” Psaki said.

Democratic strategist Basil Smikle said that Biden’s best antidote to continuing GOP attacks over crime and other issues is to “stay the moderate course.”

“That’s why he got elected. That’s the best way to bring any moderates on the right to the cause,” Smikle said. “And don’t give in to the pressures that are coming from the left, no matter how difficult.”

 

 

Source Article from https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/561442-try-and-try-again-gop-tests-out-myriad-attacks-on-biden

8 views no comments
Largest teachers union says critical race theory is ‘reasonable and appropriate’ for kids – Fox News
Largest teachers union says critical race theory is ‘reasonable and appropriate’ for kids – Fox News
Video

Fox News Flash top headlines for July 3

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what’s clicking on Foxnews.com.

The country’s largest teachers union has moved to undermine the left-wing talking point that critical race theory is not taught to children — by voting promote it and arguing it is “reasonable and appropriate” to use CRT in social studies classes.

The National Education Association has approved a plan to “publicize” critical race theory and dedicate a “team of staffers” to assist union members looking to “fight back against anti-CRT rhetoric.”

New Business Item 39 also declares that the union opposes bans on critical race theory and the New York Times’ controversial 1619 Project – which roughly half the U.S. states have already implemented.

Parents protest critical race theory at a recent school board meeting in Loudoun County, Virginia.

CALIFORNIA ETHNIC STUDIES PITCH DENOUNCES US AS ‘PARASITIC SYSTEM’ BASED ON THE ‘INVASION’ OF WHITE SETTLERS

Additionally, the resolution calls for the union to “join with Black Lives Matter at School and the Zinn Education Project to call for a rally this year on Oct. 14 — George Floyd’s birthday — as a national day of action to teach lessons about structural racism and oppression.”

The third paragraph pledges to accomplish the following:

“Publicly (through existing media) convey its support for the accurate and honest teaching of social studies topics, including truthful and age-appropriate accountings of unpleasant aspects of American history, such as slavery, and the oppression and discrimination of Indigenous, Black, Brown, and other peoples of color, as well as the continued impact this history has on our current society. The Association will further convey that in teaching these topics, it is reasonable and appropriate for curriculum to be informed by academic frameworks for understanding and interpreting the impact of the past on current society, including critical race theory.”

Video

LA PREP SCHOOL TEACHES STUDENTS ‘FAT, SHORT, UNATTRACTIVE’ PEOPLE ARE OPPRESSED

However despite the approval, a note on the union’s website reads, “This item cannot be accomplished with current staff and resources under the proposed Modified 2021-2022 Strategic Plan and Budget. It would cost an additional $127,600.”

The move comes as districts around the country and liberal pundits have attempted to fend off anti-CRT parents by telling them the curriculum is too complex for K-12 students and is only taught to students graduate-level courses.

That claim is made despite evidence that critical race theory seminars are being offered to teachers and administrators and examples of CRT-themed topics being introduced in some classrooms.

Conservative lawmakers have already secured bans on CRT in roughly two-dozen states, with Iowa going as far as to declare it “discriminatory indoctrination.” And the topic on its own has prompted impassioned public comments at school board meetings around the country.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Critics say it’s a racist philosophy in and of itself that encourages stereotyping and labeling while highlighting divisiveness and anti-American rhetoric rather than unity and the virtues of the founding documents.

The NEA represents more than 2 million members – well over half of the 3.2 million public school teachers the U.S. Department of Education estimated were working in the country last year.

The union did not immediately respond to a Fox News request for comment.

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/us/largest-teachers-union-critical-race-theory-reasonable-and-appropriate

82 views no comments
At least 29 killed in Philippine Air Force plane crash – CNN
At least 29 killed in Philippine Air Force plane crash – CNN

By Sophie Jeong and Yasmin Coles, CNN

Updated 7:51 AM ET, Sun July 4, 2021

Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/04/asia/philippines-air-force-plane-crash-intl-hnk/index.html

7 views no comments