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Hundreds of Oklahoma inmates being released Monday in largest commutation in U.S. history

Daniel Arkin
NBC News
Mon, 04 Nov 2019 18:16 UTC
oklahoma prison commutation
© Sarah Phipps / The Oklahoman via AP
People applaud after the Pardon and Parole Board read the names of 527 Oklahoma inmates recommended for commutation at the Kate Barnard Correctional Center in Oklahoma City on Nov. 1, 2019. Oklahoma will release more than 400 inmates after a state panel approved what they say is the largest single-day mass commutation in U.S. history.
More than 400 inmates across Oklahoma were being released from prison Monday in what the governor's office calls the largest single-day mass commutation in the nation's history.

The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board approved the commutations Friday and forwarded them to Gov. Kevin Stitt, a former mortgage company CEO who was elected in 2018. The board voted unanimously to recommend that the sentences of 527 state inmates be commuted, with 462 of those inmates slated to walk out of prison Monday and 65 others being held on detainer.

"With this vote, we are fulfilling the will of Oklahomans," Steve Bickley, executive director of the board, said in a statement Friday. "However, from Day One, the goal of this project has been more than just the release of low-level, nonviolent offenders, but the successful re-entry of these individuals back into society."

Stitt, a Republican, has advocated for criminal justice reform, pledging to move away from policies that have made Oklahoma the state with the highest incarceration rate in the country. At a news conference Friday, Stitt hailed the decision to give hundreds of Oklahomans "a second chance."

Comment: More states should follow suit. It's ridiculous that so many people are locked up for nonviolent drug-related crimes. But even that will only make a dent in mass incarceration in the U.S. From the Prison Policy Initiative website (follow the link to see pie-chart breakdowns for incarceration statistics):
It's true that police, prosecutors, and judges continue to punish people harshly for nothing more than drug possession. Drug offenses still account for the incarceration of almost half a million people, and nonviolent drug convictions remain a defining feature of the federal prison system. Police still make over 1 million drug possession arrests each year, and many of these arrests do lead to prison sentences. Drug arrests continue to give residents of over-policed communities criminal records, hurting their employment prospects and increasing the likelihood of longer sentences for any future offenses.

But at the state and local levels, far more people are locked up for violent and property offenses than for drug offenses alone. To end mass incarceration, reforms will have to go further than the "low hanging fruit" of nonviolent drug offenses. (As it happens, some of the boldest strategies for reforming the criminal justice system — such as heavy investments in social services and community-based alternatives to incarceration — benefit not only those with substance use disorders, but people at risk of incarceration for any offense.)
By comparison, around 900,000 Americans are incarcerated for violent crimes, and another 400,000 or so for property-related crimes (theft, fraud, etc.).

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Attention

Maryland man dies in knife fight over a Popeye's chicken sandwich

Tim Stelloh
NBC News
Tue, 05 Nov 2019 18:20 UTC
popeye's chicken
A man was stabbed to death outside a Maryland Popeyes in a fight over the chain's popular fried chicken sandwich, police said.

A spokeswoman for the Prince George's Police Department said the 28-year-old, who has not been identified, was killed at a restaurant in Oxon Hill, outside Washington D.C.

A fight began after someone cut in line, spokeswoman Jennifer Donelan said.

"For you to get that angry over anything — for that type of anger to develop into this type of violence, again is a very sad and tragic day," Donelan said.

The fight began inside the restaurant and later moved outside, Donelan said. The man was rushed to a hospital where he later died.
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Whistle

Husband snitches on wife who scammed thousands of dollars with a phony cancer story

Jackie Salo
New York Post
Tue, 05 Nov 2019 18:15 UTC
Jessica Cornell Smith
© Chester County District Attorney's Office
Jessica Cornell Smith
A Pennsylvania woman was busted for using a phony cancer diagnosis to scam donors out of thousands of dollars after her husband tipped off authorities to the scheme, officials said.

Jessica Cornell Smith, 32, of Uwchlan Township was arrested Monday after her spouse told authorities his wife was lying about her cancer to raise more than $10,000 in donations for her supposed medical bills, news station WCAU reported.

"This is a disturbing situation where she preyed upon the good nature of other people," Chester County's First Assistant Attorney Michael Noone told news station KYW-TV.

Prosecutors said Smith claimed to be suffering from a rare form of colon cancer on a GoFundMe page and Facebook fundraiser, where she sought donations to cover medical bills, travel costs and child care.
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Info

6 Islamic extremists deemed danger to Sweden allowed to remain in country on 'humanitarian grounds'


RT
Tue, 05 Nov 2019 18:03 UTC
sweden mosque
© REUTERS/Anders Wiklund
Swedish policemen stand outside a mosque in Uppsala January 2, 2015
A group of radical Islamists deemed a threat to Sweden are slated to be expelled from the country - but the deportation order has been suspended over concerns that the six men could face persecution in their home countries.

The extremists, who were detained last spring, are believed to be central figures in spreading radical Islam in the Scandinavian nation.

Among them is 53-year-old Iraqi-born imam Abo Raad, an outspoken proponent of the extreme Salafist school of Islamic thought. His son was also part of the group of radicals arrested by Sapo, the Swedish Security Service, in May. The others hail from Iraq, Egypt and Russia. One of the men is stateless.

The government decided in late October that the group "contribute to Islamist radicalization" in Sweden and would be expelled. The order, however, has been halted by the country's Migration Tribunal, which said that the deportation cannot go ahead because the men are at risk of persecution in their home nations.

Security officials are reportedly now trying to find a way to work around this legal barrier - likely by obtaining assurances from the foreign countries that they will treat the extremists fairly.

In the meantime, all six men have reportedly been released. However, they remain under surveillance by Sapo. They are also reportedly required to check in with law enforcement several times a week, or risk returning to prison. Media coverage of the bizarre legal loophole has been fiercely criticized. One Swedish report described Abo Raad as a "rock star" who was treated to a "hug party" upon returning to his mosque in Gavle - apparently unconcerned that Sapo had labeled the man a threat to the country.

Comment: Watching developments in Sweden is like observing a slow-motion car wreck. They just can't seem to do anything right:

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Fire

It's the end of California as we know it

Farhad Manjoo
The New York Times
Wed, 30 Oct 2019 00:01 UTC
firefighter california wildfires
© Jose Carlos Fajardo/San Jose Mercury News, via Associated Press
Battling a grass blaze in Knightsen, Calif., on Oct. 27.
I have lived nearly all my life in California, and my love for this place and its people runs deep and true. There have been many times in the past few years when I've called myself a California nationalist: Sure, America seemed to be going crazy, but at least I lived in the Golden State, where things were still pretty chill.

But lately my affinity for my home state has soured. Maybe it's the smoke and the blackouts, but a very un-Californian nihilism has been creeping into my thinking. I'm starting to suspect we're over. It's the end of California as we know it. I don't feel fine.

It isn't just the fires — although, my God, the fires. Is this what life in America's most populous, most prosperous state is going to be like from now on? Every year, hundreds of thousands evacuating, millions losing power, hundreds losing property and lives? Last year, the air near where I live in Northern California — within driving distance of some of the largest and most powerful and advanced corporations in the history of the world — was more hazardous than the air in Beijing and New Delhi. There's a good chance that will happen again this month, and that it will keep happening every year from now on. Is this really the best America can do?

Comment: See also:

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Megaphone

Internet unites in disgust at tweet promoting 12yo drag queen 'Desmond is Amazing' as the FUTURE


RT
Tue, 05 Nov 2019 18:04 UTC
'Desmond is Amazing'
© Reuters / Caitlin Ochs
The liberal media may be happy to proclaim that the sexualization of children is "the future," but ordinary people aren't buying it. A video celebrating a cross-dressing child has united Twitter in revulsion.

We live in a permissive age, but even in 2019 some limits remain intact. Enter 'Desmond is Amazing', a 12-year-old New York boy whose appearances at gay pride parades - and even at strip clubs, where he danced for the attention and dollars of grown men - has landed him spots on television and fawning coverage in the pink press.

"Desmond Is Amazing is the future and we're here for it," declared media news site Mashable on Sunday, tweeting a video featuring Desmond describing visiting drag clubs at five years of age, and telling "haters" to "just go away."
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Snakes in Suits

Facebook re-brands in all caps, failing to defuse internet ire over monopoly status, fake news, and privacy predation


RT
Tue, 05 Nov 2019 18:00 UTC
facebook
© AFP / Reuters / Eric Scott
Facebook has rebranded as all-caps FACEBOOK in order to remind people "which company makes the products they use," inviting mockery from social media as it dodges the problems plaguing the billion-user mega-platform.

Facebook will slap the new all-caps logo in a thin-lettered typeface on its subsidiaries, while its old logo will remain the identifier for the Facebook app and social network, the social media behemoth announced on Monday.

As for the issues that have seen CEO Mark Zuckerberg hauled into Congress and raked over the coals by Facebook users? Those can wait for another day, apparently.

"This brand change is a way to better communicate our ownership structure to the people and businesses who use our services to connect, share, build community and grow their audiences," Facebook announced in a statement that revealed Instagram, WhatsApp, Oculus, Portal, and other subsidiaries - including the troubled digital currency division Calibra - would now feature FACEBOOK branding.
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Light Sabers

'Cancel Kurt Suzuki!': Washington Nats fans divided over team's White House visit


RT
Tue, 05 Nov 2019 17:56 UTC
trump suzuki maga hat
© REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst 31
The Washington Nationals, winners of the baseball World Series, have capped off an American underdog story with a White House trip - and made the team subject to 'cancel culture' in the #Resistance era.

Kurt Suzuki, the champion team's catcher, was especially open in his appreciation for US President Donald Trump, donning the signature red MAGA hat. When called to the stage, the president embraced Suzuki and said that he loved him.

He soon became the target of much anger, with many calling to "officially cancel" the Nats catcher and others condemning how he was "cozying up to a monster who hates people like me."

One commenter on Twitter claimed that the MAGA hat was "a form of racist hate speech and an implicit threat of violence" and that "Kurt Suzuki should be banned from baseball."
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Network

China signs nearly 200 deals for new Silk Road projects & eyes further expansion


RT
Tue, 05 Nov 2019 17:49 UTC
china railway
© Reuters / Thomas Mukoya
China's trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), also known as "One Belt, One Road," has already attracted nearly 170 participants, Chinese President Xi Jinping has announced, vowing to further develop the project.

"To date, China has signed 197 documents on Belt and Road cooperation with 137 countries and 30 international organizations," he said in the opening speech at the China International Import Expo in Shanghai on Tuesday.

The development of the initiative, which is aimed at boosting trade connections across the world and linking China with other countries, is a central part of plans to open up the Chinese market, according to Xi. Other proposed measures include boosting investment and imports, lowering tariffs, developing free-trade zones, improving business environment as well as deepening bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

"Standing at a new historical starting point, China will open its door only wider to the world," Xi stated, calling for other countries to "stand firm against protectionism and unilateralism."

The ambitious BRI, launched in September 2013 by President Xi, could cost Beijing up to $1.3 trillion by 2027, according to Morgan Stanley's estimates. China's cumulative investment in the BRI countries has already surpassed $100 billion, with the value of the construction projects exceeding $720 billion, Vice-Minister of Commerce Qian Keming said in September.
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Snakes in Suits

NBC News is facing internal rebellion over mishandling sexual misconduct

Emily Peck
Huffington Post
Sat, 02 Nov 2019 17:39 UTC
matt lauer
© ZZ/DENNIS VAN TINE/STAR MAX/IPXMatt
Lauer on the set of the "Today" show in 2013. He faces new allegations of sexual misconduct.
Certainly by now it's clear that Me Too has not gone too far in canceling powerful men. Harvey Weinstein is popping up at industry networking events in New York City. Louis C.K. just announced tour dates.

Perhaps the most glaring sign that the boys' club is still alive — and somewhat well — is flashing at NBC News. At its 30 Rock headquarters, NBC News President Noah Oppenheim and his boss NBC News Chairman Andy Lack are still running the show.

They remain at the helm despite the explosive reporting in Ronan Farrow's new book "Catch and Kill," which reveals how Oppenheim and Lack not only shut down the investigation into Harvey Weinstein's predatory and abusive treatment of women, but how NBC News silenced or ignored multiple allegations of sexual misconduct inside the company ― including overlooking the behavior of "Today" show host Matt Lauer for years before finally firing him in 2017.

What Farrow's book, and other reporting, shows is a news outlet more concerned with protecting powerful men than reporting the truth ― or protecting its employees from sexual predation. The tactics the company used to silence women — Farrow reports on nondisclosure agreements used to keep women silent — were not unlike the ones employed by Weinstein himself, or so many other sexual harassers.
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