In his opening monologue, Jimmy Fallon of The Tonight Show briefly mentioned the incident involving Russia and Ukraine.
Video.
Author: Ezra Grant
I'm just tired of the lies and nonsense coming from the GOP, so this is my little contribution to combat the nonsense!
ThinkProgress is reporting that Florida has executed 84 people since the Supreme Court announced the modern death penalty regime in 1976. Zero of them are white people sentenced to death for killing an African American. Indeed, according to the American Civil Liberties Union, “no white person has ever been executed for killing an African American” in the state of Florida.
Nor is Florida particularly unusual in the racial impact of its death penalty. In Alabama, 6 percent of murders involve black defendants and white victims, but 60 percent of black death row inmates were convicted of murdering a white person. In Louisiana, a death sentence is 97 percent more likely in murder cases where the victim is white. Nationwide, only 20 white people have been executed since 1976 for killing a black person. By contrast, 269 black defendants were executed for killing someone who is white.
As ThinkProgress’ Nicole Flatow and Adam Peck explained in January, nearly all of the people executed in 2013 were convicted of killing at least one white person. Of the 39 executions that took place last year, 32 involved a white victim — and only one white person was executed for killing only a black man:
Loved ones of “Jimmy the Greek Taverna” owner Dimitrios Karaloukas gathered to celebrate his life at the Glades Road restaurant he owned and loved Friday, one day after the man was fatally stabbed by an employee police said was angry about a photo.
“He would just hang out, and just sprawl out. Had a nice personality. Just a very nice man — the whole family,” one person said. “We all, everywhere, feel terrible.”
Tilus Lebrun, 36, was arrested Thursday evening after deputies say he fatally stabbed Karaloukas in a restaurant because the boss took a photo of him without his permission, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.
He worked at Jimmy The Greek Taverna Restaurant in Boca Raton, where witnesses say he pulled out a knife and stabbed the restaurant’s 61-year-old owner. Officials say the owner was sitting down in the restaurant when he was attacked by Lebrun. He was stabbed three times on his left side and once in his back and later died of his injuries.
An unidentified male who was an employee at the restaurant was also attacked by Lebrun. The victim was stabbed numerous times and is undergoing lifesaving surgery at Delray Medical Center, authorities said.
Deputies found Lebrun near the restaurant outside wearing an apron and holding a large knife. He later told deputies, “I killed him because he took my photograph on March 2nd and posted it on the internet,” according to authorities.
Tragedy has struck an Ohio family after a 15-year-old boy accidentally shot his 11-year-old cousin dead when they were left home alone.
According to News Net 5, Ashton Nicholson was pronounced dead after his unidentified cousin killed him with a gun found in his parents bedroom.
Lt. Gregory Johnson told the site:
“I have nothing to indicate that it was an intentional act, nothing to indicate that whatsoever. This is a terrible tragedy that he was involved in, but I have to give him credit for standing up.”
The gun was not secured, which was how the 15-year-old boy knew where to find it in the house. The boys were home and not at school because it was a snow day.
When the 11-year-old – who was said to have also handled the gun at one point – was shot, the 15-year-old’s older brother called 9-1-1 and told the dispatcher:
“My brother just shot my cousin on accident… Oh my God, he shot him with a pistol.”
Johnson also said that he wants this case to be a lesson to parents who hold guns in their house to be more responsible about securing them.
We pray for family of these young boys during this tragic time.
Sen. Rand Paul leads the GOP 2016 pack, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is more likely to be perceived as capable of handling crises than is President Barack Obama, according to new survey data released Sunday.
A CNN/ORC International survey found Paul the slight favorite for his party’s nomination, with 16 percent of those polled on the question tapping the Kentucky Republican as their choice for the 2016 GOP nod. He was closely followed, within the margin of error, by 2012 vice presidential nominee Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), who pulled in 15 percent; and Texas Gov. Rick Perry, with 11 percent.
Perry, whose unsuccessful 2012 bid was characterized by a series of high-profile missteps, made a big splash at the Conservative Political Action conference earlier this month. Like Paul, he has signaled he is weighing a 2016 presidential bid.
On the other side of the aisle, Clinton was the prohibitive Democratic favorite according to the survey, clocking in with 63 percent support for the 2016 presidential nod. She was followed by Vice President Joe Biden at 13 percent.
The March 7-9 survey of 801 adults across the country — including 367 Republicans and voters who lean Republican; and 372 Democrats and voters who lean Democratic — hase a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.
Other data from CNN/ORC indicated that 64 percent of Americans surveyed perceived Clinton as “tough enough to handle a crisis” and the same percentage of people called her a “strong leader,” while only half called Obama a “strong leader” and 53 percent said he is “tough.” Sixty-eight percent of those surveyed considered her likable, the poll said. However, the survey also found that only 50 percent of those polled would be “proud” to have her as president.
Come on. Did you really expect Reince Priebus to disagree with Ryan?
Priebus made an appearance on CNN over the weekend and responded to the controversial hole Paul Ryan dug for himself when he casually said that the inner cities, “generations of men” are “not even thinking about working or learning the value and the culture of work.” Priebus – who once proclaimed that the Republican party needs to do more to reach Blacks, Latinos, Women and younger people – couldn’t use the opportunity to denounce Ryans racist statement. Instead, he commended the racism.
On Sunday, CNN’s Candy Crowley asked Priebus if he thought the remarks were “artfully phrased.”
“I’m not sure,” Priebus shrugged. “Here’s what I would say, why was Paul even talking about this? The reason he was talking about it is he devoted a large part of his life — starting back when he worked for Jack Kemp — on finding ways to tackle poverty, to free up capital, to create opportunities in urban areas around this country.”
“Whatever race, whatever gender, we are the ones leading the way, I think, in this country on these issues,” he added. “And so I commend Paul for his work that he’s doing around country.”
Although Sen John McCain thinks otherwise, Senator Chris Murphy told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos there was nothing the U.S. could do militarily to prevent Russia from moving into Eastern Ukraine following its seizure of the Crimean Peninsula. But Murphy advocated for new sanctions on Russia that could put economic pressure on President Vladimir Putin and prevent further Russian action in Ukraine.
“Clearly, this is a longer-term effort to build up the Ukrainian military,” said Murphy. “But if on Monday, we announce – with the European Union – a set of crippling sanctions coming after not only individuals, but Russian business entities, I think that sends a strong message to Putin.”
“I think [Putin] marched into Crimea because he didn’t believe that the United States and Europe would actually take a chunk of flesh out of his economy,” Murphy added. “And, if we stand together on Monday, that gives us a chance, at least, to change the calculus in Moscow.”
When asked about the effectiveness of economic sanctions, Murphy said, “We have to wait for our European friends to tell us if they’re willing to move forward… There is no doubt that if you cut off Russian gas to Europe, it will hurt. There’s no doubt that if you freeze Russian assets in places like Germany and Great Britain, it will hurt them.”
“But this is a threat to the territorial integrity of Europe – who knows who’s next?” he added.
The investigation is looking at the pilot off the missing Malaysia airplane and the political beliefs he held. And the strange move his wife and kids made a day before the Malaysia flight took off.
An image has emerged of the pilot of the missing Malaysia Airlines jet wearing a T-shirt with a ‘Democracy is Dead’ slogan as it has been revealed he could have hijacked the plane in an anti-government protest.
Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, a father-of-three, was said to be a ‘fanatical’ supporter of the country’s opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim – jailed for homosexuality just hours before the jet disappeared.
It has also been revealed that the pilot’s wife and three children moved out of the family home the day before the plane went missing.
It comes as FBI investigators say the disappearance of MH370 may have been ‘an act of piracy’ and the possibility that hundreds of passengers are being held at an unknown location has not been ruled out.
Officials also revealed that it is possible the aircraft could have landed and transmitted a satellite signal from the ground. If the plane was intact and had enough electrical power in reserve, it would be able to send out a radar ‘ping’.
If it’s Sunday, John McCain is on a television network somewhere calling for a war somewhere in the world and this Sunday was no exception. On CNN’s Candy Crowley’s The Situation Room, McCain – who is slowly becoming a regular on Crowley’s program – called for the United States to step up our military presence in Ukraine against Russia.
McCain of course would disguise his new military presence in Ukraine as a support group.
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) on Sunday called for economic sanctions against Russia, arguing that they would be effective since its economy depends on oil and gas exports.
“Russia is a gas station masquerading as a country,” he said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
While McCain said that in the short term Russia has won Crimea, the U.S. can still work to help Ukraine gain that land back in the long term.
McCain said that in addition to sanctions the U.S. needs a long term military plan to help Ukraine, but not one that will lead to American troops in the region. The senator suggested aid to the Ukrainian military so “at least so they can defend themselves.”
Based only on our past track record, sending in military “support” to Ukraine will not de-escalate the situation, but looked upon as a move of aggression by the opposition, in this case Russia. At that point, the obvious will be true. If our military is there and Russia attacks, then we will be bound to protect ourselves and Ukraine, thus, war!
Nice try McCain, nice try.
The founder of the Wesboro Baptist Church, Fred ‘God Hates Fags’ Phelps is reported to be “on the edge of death.”
The news comes via Nate Phelps, one of Fred’s estranged children, who wrote this in a Facebook post Saturday night:
I’ve learned that my father, Fred Phelps, Sr., pastor of the “God Hates Fags” Westboro Baptist Church, was ex-communicated from the “church” back in August of 2013. He is now on the edge of death at Midland Hospice house in Topeka, Kansas.
I’m not sure how I feel about this. Terribly ironic that his devotion to his god ends this way. Destroyed by the monster he made.
I feel sad for all the hurt he’s caused so many. I feel sad for those who will lose the grandfather and father they loved. And I’m bitterly angry that my family is blocking the family members who left from seeing him, and saying their good-byes.
Jamaican dancehall artist Vybz Kartel and three associates were convicted Thursday in the murder of Clive “Lizard” Williams. Jurors deliberated less than two hours before announcing their verdict, which may result in a life sentence for the popular dancehall musician.
In August 2011, prosecutors argued, Williams was taken to Kartel’s home and beaten to death over two missing guns. Williams’ body has never been recovered, yet the prosecution was able to score a conviction based on voicemail and text messages alongside circumstantial evidence. According to the New York Times, Jamaican police found a text message on Vybz Kartel’s phone that Williams’ body had been chopped to “mincemeat.”
Kartel’s trial lasted 65 days, one of the longest trials in Jamaica’s circuit court system, according to Jamaica Observer. Kartel’s lawyers will appeal the verdict.
In 2013, the singer, whose real name is Adidja Palmer, was acquitted of a separate murder charge stemming from the killing of Jamaican businessman and promoter Barrington “Bossie”’ Burton. Kartel was arrested for murder, conspiracy to murder and illegal possession of a firearm.
DailyMail is quoting a report from a website known within the intelligence and armed services community, claiming that the real reason the government refused to show pictures of Osama Bin Laden’s body, was because the body was riddled with bullets.
Citing two confidential sources, The Special Operations Forces Situation Report tells how ‘operator after operator took turns dumping magazines-worth of ammunition into Bin Laden’s body’.
The site goes on to argue that while the Navy SEALs may have felt it was ‘morally, legally, and ethically appropriate to shoot the body a few times to ensure that he is really dead and no longer a threat,’ that does not justify the extent of this damage.
‘What happened on the Bin Laden raid is beyond excessive. The level of excess shown was not about making sure that Bin Laden was no longer a threat. The excess was pure self-indulgence,’ author Jack Murphy writes.
At the time of the assassination, President Obama and his administration argued that they were justified in never releasing the photos of the dead body or the burial at sea because they could be used as propaganda for al Qaeda.