Month: September 2020

Democratic congress members reacted Tuesday to claims that immigrants held at a detention center in Georgia are undergoing an unusual number of hysterectomies. 

In a complaint filed Monday, a nurse alleges that the Irwin County Detention Center performed questionable hysterectomies, refused to test detainees for COVID-19 and shredded medical records. Lawyers for the nurse, Dawn Wooten, refused to release her full statement that she made to the Department of Homeland Security’s Inspector General. She appeared at a press conference Tuesday, but declined to take questions after reading a statement. The doctor is not named in the complaint.

The facility in Ocilla, about 200 miles (320 kilometers) south of Atlanta, houses men and women detainees for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as well as inmates for the U.S. Marshals Service and Irwin County. ICE said it does not comment on matters before the inspector general but that it takes all allegations seriously. “That said, in general, anonymous, unproven allegations, made without any fact-checkable specifics, should be treated with the appropriate skepticism they deserve,” the agency said in a statement.

Lawyers allege abuse of migrant women by gynecologist for Georgia ICE detention center

Via news.yahoo.com

I was brought up by the American dream that you treat people the way you want to be treated,”…

09/15/2020 8:03 PM

 

Editorial credit: Christopher Penler / Shutterstock.com

The city of Louisville agreed to pay $12 million to the family of Breonna Taylor and reform police practices as part of a settlement announced Tuesday, months after Taylor’s slaying by police.

Taylor’s death sparked months of protests in Louisville and calls nationwide for the officers to be criminally charged. The state’s attorney general, Daniel Cameron, is investigating police actions in the March 13 fatal shooting. “I cannot begin to imagine Ms. Palmer’s pain, and I am deeply, deeply sorry for Breonna’s death,” said Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer in announcing the terms of the lawsuit settlement.

“Please continue to say her name,” Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, declared at a news conference. “We must not lose focus on what the real job is, and with that being said, it’s time to move forward with the criminal charges, because she deserves that and much more,” Palmer said. “As significant as today is, it’s only the beginning of getting full justice for Breonna.”‘s death. Palmer’s lawsuit accuses three Louisville police officers of blindly firing into Taylor’s apartment the night of the raid, striking Taylor several times. 

Louisville to pay $12 million settlement over Breonna Taylor’s death in botched police raid

Via news.yahoo.com

The settlement appears to be one of the largest of its kind in the United States, where police…

09/15/2020 8:21 PM

 

Editorial credit: David Mucker / Shutterstock.com

The U.S. Justice Department has launched an internal inquiry into circumstances surrounding the decision to ease sentencing recommendations for President Donald Trump’s long-time friend Roger Stone. The review by the department’s inspector general comes after Aaron Zelinsky, a career prosecutor, told lawmakers during a congressional hearing in June that his office received “heavy pressure from the highest levels of the Department of Justice” to ease its sentencing recommendation for Stone, a political ally of the president.

Stone, 67, was convicted of obstruction, witness tampering and lying to Congress during its investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. In July, Trump commuted Stone’s sentence and proclaimed that Stone had been targeted by “an illegal witch hunt.”

A spokeswoman for the Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General said she can neither confirm nor deny the existence of an investigation.

Justice Department internal watchdog is investigating Roger Stone’s sentencing, say sources

Via news.yahoo.com

Prosecutor Aaron Zelinsky told Congress the U.S. Attorney’s office in D.C. told him to recommend…

09/14/2020 4:21 PM

 

Editorial credit: lev radin / Shutterstock.com

Tropical Storm Sally strengthened Monday afternoon and was upgraded to a category 2 hurricane, making its way across the Gulf of Mexico toward Mississippi and Alabama with 100 mph sustained winds. Sally s forecast to make landfall late Tuesday or Wednesday and bring life-threatening storm surges, strong winds and flash floods to the Northern Gulf Coast.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey ordered the state’s beaches to close Monday afternoon in preparation for the storm. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency Saturday. On Monday, the Hurricane Warning area included metropolitan New Orleans, Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas.

Sally is not expected to bring as intense surges and winds as Hurricane Laura,  but storm surges levels could reach as high as 11 feet at the mouth of the Mississippi River. Sally will also bring heavy rain to parts of the Gulf Coast, the hurricane center said.

Hurricane Sally strengthens to Category 2 as it moves toward the US Gulf Coast

Via www.msn.com

Hurricane Sally formed Monday morning and appeared to shift east, placing Mississippi’s and…

09/14/2020 6:50 PM