Month: September 2020

On Tuesday, President Trump signed an executive order to extend and expand a ban on oil drilling off the coast of Florida. Trump said he would extend the existing moratorium on offshore oil exploration in the Gulf of Mexico off Florida’s west coast through 2032 and expand it to include the Atlantic coasts of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.

The decision marks a reversal for Trump, who in 2018 announced a five-year drilling plan calling for 19 lease sales offshore Alaska, seven in the Pacific Region, 12 in the Gulf of Mexico and nine in the Atlantic. Florida’s coastline was removed from consideration after then-U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke met with former Florida Gov. Rick Scott — who’s now serving in the U.S. Senate — in Tallahassee.

Current Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis opposed the offshore drilling plan as part of his campaign platform and on Tuesday hailed the order as “another great win” for Florida’s environment.

Reversing course ahead of election, Trump extends drilling ban off Florida

Via www.msn.com

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an order to extend a ban until 2032 on offshore…

09/08/2020 6:24 PM

 

Editorial credit: Andriy Blokhin / Shutterstock.com

Rochester, N.Y.’s police chief, La’Ron Singletary, announced his resignation Tuesday after days of protesting in response to the police killing of Daniel Prude. Mayor Lovely Warren also informed the Rochester City Council that in addition to Singletary, the entire command staff announced it would be vacating their roles today. She noted that none of the police leaders were asked to resign.

Singletary became chief in April 2019, and is leaving the position after 20 years with the department. The 40-year-old has come under fire in the past week after footage was released of Rochester police officers holding an unarmed man face-down to the ground in March, causing him to die a week later. The footage prompted outrage from family members and activists who said the police department should learn how to better handle mental health episodes. Others accused the officers of racial bias and excessive force.

Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren also criticized Singletary for his handling of the case, and some community members called for his resignation. In a statement, Singletary said the comments “are an attempt to destroy my character and integrity,” and added, “The members of the Rochester Police Department and the Greater Rochester Community know my reputation and know what I stand for.  The mischaracterization and the politicization of the actions that I took after being informed of Mr. Prude’s death is not based on facts, and is not what I stand for.”

Rochester police chief, entire command staff step down after death of Daniel Prude

Via www.nbcnews.com

Rochester, N.Y., Police Chief La’Ron Singletary said in announcing his retirement that the…

09/08/2020 5:57 PM

 

Editorial credit: collins photography uk / Shutterstock.com

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange appeared at London’s Old Bailey on Monday for a hearing to determine whether he should be extradited to the United States to face espionage charges.Assange told the British court he didn’t consent to being sent to the United States to be tried on 18 charges, which bring up to 175 years in prison.

The 49-year-old Assange had been living in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London since 2012 when he sought asylum to dodge sexual assault charges in Sweden, before being arrested in April 2019. He was arrested after Ecuador withdrew its offer of asylum. The WikiLeaks founder was indicted on 17 new charges of violating the Espionage Act in May of last year and already faced a charge from March 2018 of conspiring to commit unlawful computer intrusion, which carried a maximum five years in prison. Assange was accused of working with former intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to obtain and publicly release classified information. The new charges brought his total charges to 18 counts with each violation of the Espionage Act carrying a maximum 10-year sentence.

WikiLeaks’ Assange in UK court to fight US extradition bid

Via abcnews.go.com

A British judge has rejected a request by lawyers for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to ignore…

09/07/2020 2:33 PM

 

Editorial credit: Alexandros Michailidis / Shutterstock.com

On Monday firefighters in California continued to battle multiple blazes fueled by extreme heat and other severe weather conditions. A record high 2 million acres have been burned in the state this year.

The devastating Creek Fire burning in the Sierra region area has grown to over 78,000 acres and was 0% contained as of Monday morning. Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for the area on Monday. Auberry and North Fork were both placed under mandatory evacuation orders. In Southern California, the El Dorado Fire, which was sparked by a pyrotechnic device used in a gender reveal party, has burned over 7,300 acres and is only 7% contained, Multiple homes have been destroyed and some 21,000 residents have been evacuated

A state of emergency was declared in San Diego County as the Valley Fire burned over 10,200 acres and was only 1% contained. 

California wildfire burns at least two dozen homes in small mountain town

Via www.nbcnews.com

“Words cannot even begin to describe the devastation of this community,” a resident said.

09/07/2020 7:18 PM