Greene County Democrat

Category: Health

  • Newswire : Leading Democratic women excoriate Trump during fiery DNC speeches

    Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett of Texas

    By Stacy M. Brown
 NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

     

    CHICAGO — At the Democratic National Convention, a cadre of leading Democratic women took the stage, unleashing a barrage of critiques against Donald Trump and J.D. Vance, framed by the Republicans’ notorious record on women’s issues. The stark differences in vision and values of the twice-impeached and 34-times convicted former president, his vice-presidential nominee, and Vice President Kamala Harris and her surrogates were on full display in Chicago.
    Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton opened with a searing take on Trump’s legal woes. “Donald Trump fell asleep at his own trial,” Clinton recounted to an amused crowd. “When he woke up, he’d made his own kind of history — the first person to run for president with 34 felony convictions.” The statement sparked a wave of laughter and wild applause, leading to chants of “Lock him up!” echoing the irony of Trump’s previous attacks on her.
    “We have him on the run now,” Clinton declared. “But no matter what the polls say, we can’t give up.”
    Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas highlighted the divergent paths of Harris and Trump. “One candidate worked at McDonald’s while she was in college at an HBCU. The other was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and helped his daddy in the family business: Housing discrimination,” Crockett said, sparking boisterous applause from the audience. She continued, “She became a career prosecutor, while he became a career criminal, with 34 felonies, two impeachments, and one porn star to prove it.”
    Reflecting on her early days in Congress, Crockett shared a personal testimony about Harris’ influence. “When I first got to Congress, I wasn’t sure I made the right decision,” she admitted. “That chaos caucus couldn’t elect a speaker, and the Oversight Committee was unhinged.”
    Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York also critically panned Trump’s priorities. “We know Trump would sell this country for a dollar if it meant lining his own pockets and greasing palms of his Wall Street friends,” Ocasio-Cortez asserted. Her speech vividly championed Harris as a beacon for working Americans. “To love this country is to fight for its people — all people, working people, everyday Americans like bartenders and factory workers and fast-food cashiers who punch a clock and are on their feet all day in some of the toughest jobs out there.”
    Ocasio-Cortez then stirred the thousands of delegates with a forward-looking promise: “America, when we knock on our neighbor’s door, organize our communities, and elect Kamala Harris to the presidency on November 5, we will send a loud message that the people of this nation will not go back. We choose a new path and open the door to a new day: one that is for the people and by the people.”

     

  • Eutaw City Council considers garbage fees, water and sewer improvement projects, meets new canine officer

    Eutaw City Councilmembers Stewart, Hunter, Woodruff, Mayor Johnson, Officer Tyler Johnson, Marco ( German Shepard),  Chief Johnson Councilmembers Watkins and Coleman.

    By John Zippert, Co-Publisher

    The most exciting part of Tuesday’s Eutaw City Council meeting was the introductory appearance of new K-9 officer – Marco – with his handler Officer Tyler Johnson. Marco, a trained German Shepard police dog, who can sniff out drugs and other contraband is the newest member of the Eutaw PD.

    Mayor Latasha began with a discussion of the garbage collection services provided by Arrow Disposal Services, Inc (ADSI) which did not collect garbage for two weeks in July 2024. The mayor sent the company a letter requesting information on the problems with garbage services. The mayor said, “ASDI says it experienced difficulties in staffing and several truck breakdowns, which have delayed garbage pick-up in July, which has since resumed on most routes in the city.”

    The City Council also received a memo from Financial Advisor, Attorney Ralph Liverman, indicating that the current $15 a month garbage fee, included with monthly water bills, is too low to cover the company’s billing for garbage services. He recommends raising the garbage fee to $18 per month for residential customers and possibly putting the garbage contract up for bids. The Council decided to consider the issues related to garbage collection at a work session to be scheduled.

    The Council also heard a report from Angela Henline, engineer with Cassady Company of Tuscaloosa on progress with improvements to the water and sewer system, serving Eutaw and Boligee. Most of the elements of the overall project are completed or are on schedule, including the Boligee Water Tank, which lacks a control valve and meter that will be installed by September 3, 2024, which will bring this water tank online and increase water pressure in Boligee.

    Henline asked the Council to approve two additional contracts for work on the system. First, a $24,543 contract with Gaines Utility Construction
    Company of Mobile, to do an investigative inventory of materials in 400 water connections that have not been fitted with backflow meters. This inventory is needed for a report to ADEM on lead pipes in water systems. The inventory has already been completed on 1200 services that received backflow preventers in a prior contract.

    The second contract is for $427,225 for Manhole Restoration for Boligee, awarded to Insituform Technologies LLC to raise and repair the Boligee Manhole, which is part of the unified sewer system. Henline also stated she was working on ways to include the Branch Heights pumping station in repairs and new pumps in the next phase of the wastewater improvement project, which includes refurbishing the lagoon and other pumping stations. The Council voted to approve both new projects, pending approval by ADEM.

    The Council discussed the leasing of the arena in the Lock Seven City Park to the Six Saddle Riding Club. The club has been locking up the park property and several councilmembers objected to this process. The mayor indicated that a new lock had been put on the gate and that the Eutaw Police Department controlled the key. The mayor said the park was locked because of a large hole in the road. The hole is a cracked septic tank cover and cannot be easily filled without relocating the septic tank. The city staff is trying to figure out the best and least expensive way to deal with this problem.

    The Council voted to accept the resignation of Jacqueline Stewart, District 5 Councilperson. Stewart explained that she purchased a home and no longer lives in District 5. The Council set August 27, 2024, as the deadline for persons interested in filling this seat to apply. The application must include a copy of a driver’s license and voter registration showing residency in District 5 and a letter of interest in serving in this position. The Council will hold interviews for the candidates on September 5, 2024, at 11:00 AM as part of a working session, scheduled for that date.

    In other business, the Eutaw City Council:

    • Approved travel registration and per diem for Council members, staff, including the City Attorney and Judge, and others to attend upcoming trainings in their fields of work.
    • Approved payment of $3,600 to Brian Price Transmissions for repairs to a police car.
    • Approved use of the R. H. Young Community Center, Gym, at no charge, for the Greene County Volunteer Fire Fighters, for a public purpose and partnership activity with the city.
    • Tabled discussion of sale of.3.36 acres of property on the Lock Seven Road to Elizabeth Hamilton.
    • Approved a request that bank statements be included in the councilmembers’ meeting packets.
    • Heard a presentation by Sandra Walker on supporting the Miss Black USA Pageant.
    • Received several financial reports from Ralph Liverman, Financial Adviser.
    • Approved payment of bills.

  • Newswire : HUD announces significant policy changes to aid homeless veterans

    By Stacy M. Brown
    NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

    The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced significant policy changes to help veterans experiencing homelessness. The new regulations ensure that veterans receiving service-connected disability benefits are not ineligible for supportive housing projects supported by project-based rental assistance through the HUD-Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program.
    Previously, VA benefits, provided for injuries or illnesses acquired or worsened during military service, were considered income when determining eligibility for housing assistance. The agency said this caused some veterans to exceed the income threshold for these programs. The updated policy will now exclude these benefits from income calculations, allowing more veterans to qualify for housing assistance. Alongside this change, HUD awarded $20 million to public housing agencies to further improve the HUD-VASH program.
    “No veteran should ever have to experience homelessness, but when they do, they should not face barriers to getting help they deserve,” said Acting Secretary Adrianne Todman. “This policy change will ensure that veterans who are receiving the disability benefits they earned through service and sacrifice can access the housing assistance and supportive services they need to resolve their homelessness.”
    The HUD-VASH program is a vital resource for housing veterans experiencing homelessness. It pairs rental assistance through housing vouchers from HUD with case management and other supportive services provided by the VA. The homeless program staff at local VA medical centers identify veterans experiencing homelessness and refer them to public housing agencies, which issue vouchers to eligible veterans and their families. Officials said VA staff provide case management and other supportive services to help veterans find and maintain housing, and connect them to healthcare, employment, and other support services.
    VA Secretary Denis McDonough emphasized the importance of the new policy, stating, “The days of a veteran having to choose between getting the VA benefits they deserve and the housing support they need are finally over. This is a critical step forward that will help veterans nationwide – and bring us one step closer to our ultimate goal of putting an end to veteran homelessness for good.”
    To expand access to HUD-VASH for veterans, HUD is:
    Requiring public housing agencies (PHAs) that administer HUD-VASH to set the initial income eligibility for veterans at 80% of Area Median Income, rather than 50%. This higher initial income eligibility threshold was previously optional but is now mandatory.

    Adopting an alternative definition of annual income for applicants and participants of the HUD-VASH program that excludes veterans’ service-connected disability benefits when determining eligibility.

    According to HUD officials, the agency has been collaborating with the U.S. Department of the Treasury to assess the impact of the alternative income definition for HUD-VASH participants looking to receive Low Income Housing Credits-subsidized housing. Treasury officials said that agency expects to issue guidance on this issue soon. HUD will also encourage state and local governments to make corresponding changes in their subsidy programs to ensure that all veterans experiencing homelessness have access to supportive housing.
    “Every veteran deserves a roof over their head, and the Biden-Harris Administration is doing everything we possibly can to end veteran homelessness,” said White House Domestic Policy Advisor Neera Tanden. “Today’s actions reflect President Biden and Vice President Harris’s commitment to breaking down barriers to housing so that every veteran gets the benefits they have earned.”
    HUD also awarded $20 million for additional administrative fee funding to 245 public housing agencies in 43 states currently administering HUD-VASH. With this funding, officials said they’re encouraging PHAs to expand their housing search assistance to support veterans, expand landlord recruitment for the program, offer incentives and retention payments, help veterans with security deposits, and provide landlord-tenant mediation activities.
    Since the program’s inception, HUD-VASH has assisted more than 200,000 veterans in exiting homelessness and obtaining permanent, affordable housing. The HUD-VASH program has been crucial in reducing the number of veterans experiencing homelessness by more than 50% since 2010. For more details on the revised HUD-VASH operating requirements, visit HUD’s website.

  • Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance

    Federation of Southern Cooperatives/ Land Assistance Fund
    57th. Annual Meeting on August 15 to 17, 2024

    Thursday, August 15: 6:00 PM –
    Estelle Witherspoon Lifetime Achievement Award Dinner
    Sheraton Civic Center Hotel – Birmingham, Alabama

    Friday, August 16, 2024
    Rural Training and Research Center – near Epes, AL
    • 9:00 AM – Panel on USDA Programs
    • 1:00 PM – Special Session on DFAP
    • Afternoon of Workshops, Tours, and Fish Fry

    Saturday, August 17, 2024
    Rural Training and Research Center
    7:30 AM: Mattie Mack Pretty Hat Prayer Breakfast
    9:30 AM: Business Meeting with Reports from the
    Board of Directors and Executive Director
    11:30 AM ; State Caucus meetings

    To register go to website: http://www.federation.com

  • School Board approves resignations, employments and service contracts

    The Greene County Board of Education held a called meeting, Thursday, August 1, 2024, to act on personnel and administrative items relative to the opening of the new school term. As a special called meeting, the board could only address the items intended for the agenda. Board members present were Mr. Leo Branch, President; Mrs. Veronica Richardson, Vice President; Mr. Robert Davis, Member.
    The board approved the following personnel items recommended by Superintendent Dr. Corey Jones.
    Resignation: Daphne Jones Richardson – Mental Health Services Coordinator/Truancy Officer and Cheer Sponsor at RBMS, effective July 18, 2024; Wennoa Peebles – Special need bus driver for the system, effective August 16, 2024:
    Employment for the 2024 – 2025 school year: Cedric Murry – Business Teacher – RBMS; Breshayla Hoskins – 5th grade teacher – RBMS; Dawn Cook – 6th grade teacher – RBMS; Xavier Askew – Long-term sub (In-School Suspension); Mitchell Davis – Custodian – EPS; Quentin Walton – Teaching Assistant/Computer Lab Facilitator – EPS; Veronica Williams – Bus Driver – GCSS; Canesha Ray – Long-term substitute (3rd grade); Shameria Jordan – Long-term substitute (2nd grade);
    Additional Service Contracts 2024 – 2025 for the following employee(s) at Greene County High School: (Separate Contract): Ms. Drenda Morton – Cheerleader Sponsor.
    Stipend in the amount of $850 for the following Future Teachers of Alabama sponsors:
    Dr. Aslean Jones – GCHS; LaMonica Little – GCCC.
    The board approved the following administrative items recommended by the superintendent. * * Job description for Reading Improvement Teacher.
    * Greene County Schools Wellness Plan 2024 – 2025.
    * Greene County Schools Procurement Plan for CNP.
    * Estimate from Yondr, Inc. to purchase the Yondr Pouch Education Package in the amount of $23,180.
    Addendum (two additional games) to original agreement between the Greene County Board of Education and Greene County Ambulance Service to provide ambulance services during home football games for the 2024 – 2025 season.
    Service contract between Greene County Board of Education and Zachary Rutledge to develop and provide a Dual Enrichment (Welding Level I Lab) program for students at Greene County Career Center August 7, 2024 to August 23, 2024.

  • Newswire : Bloomberg Philanthropies announces $600 million gift to Historically Black Medical Schools

    By : NNPA Newswire

     

    In a monumental move to address the underrepresentation of Black physicians in the United States, Bloomberg Philanthropies has announced a $600 million donation to the endowments of four historically Black medical schools. Officials said the donation is part of Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Greenwood Initiative, which aims to advance racial wealth equity and address systemic underinvestment in Black institutions and communities.
    Howard University College of Medicine, Meharry Medical College, and Morehouse School of Medicine will each receive $175 million, while Charles R. Drew University of Medicine & Science will receive $75 million. Additionally, Bloomberg said $5 million in seed funding will support creating a new historically Black medical school in New Orleans, the Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine.

    The historic investment will more than double the endowments of three medical schools, significantly boosting their financial stability and capacity to educate future Black physicians.

    A recent study highlighted the need for such support, revealing that only 5.7% of U.S. physicians identify as Black or African American. This is despite Black Americans comprising 13% of the population. According to research, treating black patients by black doctors results in better health outcomes and more frequent medical care. For instance, Black patients are 34% more likely to receive preventative care if they see Black doctors.
    The four historically Black medical schools receiving funding reportedly graduate around half of all Black doctors in the U.S. but have been traditionally underfunded due to systemic inequities, including lower federal and state support. Since the early 1900s, discriminatory practices and the impacts of the Flexner Report have led to the closure of 10 Black medical schools in the United States. The financial boost from Bloomberg Philanthropies should have a transformative impact.

    Michael Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor, Democratic presidential candidate, and founder of Bloomberg LP, will formally announce the donation at the National Medical Association’s annual convention. “This gift will empower new generations of Black doctors to create a healthier and more equitable future for our country,” Bloomberg said.

    In 2020, Bloomberg Philanthropies granted $100 million to these same medical schools to reduce the debt load of enrolled students facing severe financial burdens exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Valerie Montgomery Rice, president of Morehouse School of Medicine, noted that the 2020 gift relieved an average of $100,000 in debt for each student, significantly enhancing the school’s ability to fundraiser and support its students.
    Denise Smith, deputy director of higher education policy and senior fellow at The Century Foundation, emphasized the importance of such philanthropic gifts. She pointed to MacKenzie Scott’s donations to HBCUs in 2020 and 2021 as pivotal in sparking increased support from other large donors. “Donations that have followed are the type of momentum and support that institutions need in this moment,” Smith told the Associated Press.

    Dr. Yolanda Lawson, president of the National Medical Association, expressed relief upon hearing about Bloomberg’s gift, especially in light of the Supreme Court’s recent decision striking down affirmative action and attacks on programs promoting inclusion and equity.

    “This opportunity and this investment affect not only just those four institutions but our country’s health and future,” Lawson asserted.
     

     

  • Newswire : Kamala Harris’ VP pick,Tim Walz, established a George Floyd Remembrance Day in Minnesota

    Democratic Presidential Nominee Kamala Harris and her Vice-presidential pick, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz

    By Hazel Trice Edney


    (TriceEdneyWire.com) – Vice President Kamala Harris, now the official Democratic nominee for President of the United States, has selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her vice-presidential running mate, establishing the full ticket to run against former President Donald Trump and Sen. J. D. Vance (R-Ohio) in the Nov. 5 election.
    Harris and Walz, president of the Democratic Governors Association, appeared together in the coveted battleground commonwealth of Pennsylvania Tuesday evening before a blitz through other swing states.
    Democrats will then head for a Chicago convention August 19-22, where they will be celebrated. Harris will become the first Black woman and first Indian American to win the presidential nomination of a major political party. She is the daughter of an Indian mother and a Jamaican father.
    This, no doubt, will begin a hard-fought race against Trump and Vance, both of whom have proven to be candidates willing to say just about anything – including attack Harris’ race and gender – with hopes to win far right voters and Trump’s base supporters. However, those tactics could easily backfire, given Walz’ background.
    Harris’ choice of Walz, elected governor of Minnesota in 2018, will no doubt resonate with Black and progressive voters across the nation largely due to his sensitivity to key issues. On May 25th this year, Walz issued a proclamation, declaring a George Floyd Remembrance Day. Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020, by police officer Derek Chauvin who callously knelt on his neck. 
    “George Floyd’s murder ignited a global movement, accentuating the systemic racism that Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color have endured for centuries,” Walz stated in the proclamation. “We must continue to do everything in our power to deconstruct systemic racism and inequities in our state ….”
    Until now, Walz, a former high school social studies teacher, football coach, and retired sergeant major in the Army National Guard, has been relatively unknown on a national stage. Recently his description of Trump-Vance as “weird” has caught hold on social media and beyond. Having run in a largely Republican district, Walz spent six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives before being elected Minnesota governor in 2018, largely due to votes from the suburbs of Minneapolis, according to the New York Times. He was re-elected in 2022.
    Walz, 60, has led on other issues important to the Black community, including a $15-an-hour minimum wage. the organizing of unions, workers’ rights and free breakfast and lunch for school children.
    The Walz selection was applauded by former President Barack Obama, said to have advised Harris as she decided between the vice-presidential candidates.
    “By selecting Tim Walz to be her vice president from a pool of outstanding Democrats, Kamala Harris has chosen an ideal partner – and made it clear exactly what she stands for,” said a statement from Barack and Michelle Obama. “Governor Walz doesn’t just have the experience to be vice president, he has the values and the integrity to make us proud. As governor, Tim helped families and businesses recover from the pandemic, established paid family leave, guaranteed the right to an abortion, and put common sense gun safety measures in place to keep communities safe.
    “Tim’s signature is his ability to talk like a human being and treat everyone with decency and respect – not all that surprising considering the fact that he served in the National Guard for 24 years and worked as a high school social studies teacher and football coach before being elected to Congress. Like Vice President Harris, Governor Walz believes that government works to serve us. Not just some of us, but all of us. That’s what makes him an outstanding governor, and that’s what will make him an even better vice president, ready on day one. Michelle and I couldn’t be happier for Tim and Gwen, their family, and our country.”
    The entry of Vice President Harris, a graduate of Howard University, an HBCU, into the race since President Joe Biden decided not to run, has – in just a few weeks – infused powerful new life and excitement into the race, initially between Biden and Trump. The choice of her vice-presidential running mate was her first major decision.
    The murder of George Floyd by now convicted and imprisoned former police officer Derek Chauvin at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic quickly became an iconic symbol of long-standing injustices by police in the Black community. In the Black community, much vetting will now take place of Tim Walz. But he is already getting wide applause that might help Harris’ election which will not happen without vast Black support. 
    “Gov. Walz shows what our communities can look like when we lead with empathy. He is a labor champion who will take pro-worker values with him to the White House. Together with Kamala Harris, they will defend our freedoms — to care for our families, to have a voice on the job, to thrive. We look forward mobilizing the full strength of our union to ensure that this dynamic ticket wins on November 5,” said Lee Saunders, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), in a statement.
    “Tim Walz personifies what public service is all about: Doing for others and never leaving anyone behind. He learned these values while serving in the National Guard, and he lived them as a teacher and football coach in Mankato, Minnesota. He has always been the first to lend a helping hand in his community, and today, this is how he governs – empowering worker voices and defending those who have made public service a career,” Saunders continues. “As governor, he took on billion-dollar corporations to ban private prisons in Minnesota, keeping profit motives out of the justice system while protecting the jobs of AFSCME corrections officers. He went on to pass legislation guaranteeing free breakfast and lunch for young students statewide, giving AFSCME school employees the tools they need to keep kids energized and ready to learn. Walz did all this for Minnesota’s communities while getting state workers a historic contract with across-the-board raises.”

  • Newswire: Gaza war: skin diseases spread among children in overcrowded camps

    Palestinian child with skin rash

    By Rédaction Africanews and AP

    Forced to live in overcrowded camps in appalling hygienic conditions, skin diseases are running rampant among the displaced, health officials have said. 
    Her mother is hopeless. “At first there was a pimple on her face, then a week ago it began to spread in her stomach, hands and face,” said Shaima Marshoud, sitting next to her little daughter in a cinder block structure they’d settled in among the tents.
    “It hurts her and raises her temperature at night, and it has no cure, and if there is a cure, we cannot buy it.”
    “The minimum necessities of life, such as cleaning materials and water, are not available. If available, they are sold at a ridiculous price, we cannot afford it. We have been unemployed for ten months.” 
    Doctors are wrestling with more than 103,000 cases of lice and scabies and 65,000 cases of skin rashes, according to the World Health Organization. 
    The distribution of humanitarian supplies, including soap, shampoo and medicines, has slowed to a trickle, UN officials say, because Israeli military operations and the lawlessness it has induced make it too dangerous for relief trucks to move.
    A steady stream of miserable children and worried parents flowed into the dermatology office at Nasser Hospital in central Gaza.
    Nassim Basala, a dermatologist at Nasser Hospital, said they get 300 to 500 people a day coming in with skin diseases. 
    After the most recent Israeli evacuation orders, more people have crowded into agricultural fields outside the city of Khan Younis, where insects are rife in the summer.
    Epidemic proportions
    Scabies and lice are at epidemic proportions, he said, but other fungal, bacterial and viral infections and parasites are also running wild.
    With the flood of patients, even simple cases can because dangerous. For example, Basala said, impetigo is a simple bacterial infection treatable with creams.  He said creams and ointments were in short supply at the hospital.
    Children are the most affected. But adults suffer as well. 
    More than 1.8 million of Gaza’s 2.3 million have been driven from their homes, often moving multiple times over the past months to get away from Israeli ground assaults or bombardment. 
    The vast majority are now crowded into a 50-square-kilometer area (20 square miles) of dunes and fields on the coast with almost no sewage system and little water.
    In a report released Tuesday (Jul. 30), the United Nations Development Programme said Gaza’s two pre-war landfills were unreachable amid the fighting and it had set up 10 temporary sites. 
    But officials said there were more than 140 informal dumping sites that have cropped up.  Some of them are giant pools of human waste and garbage.

     

  • Newswire : Trump’s chilling rally confirms his plans for dictatorship if he beats Harris

    Trump supporters storm nation’s Capital on January 6, 2021


    By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent


    In a series of alarming rallies, former President Donald Trump has made his intentions clear, signaling plans that many critics describe as dictatorial. At Turning Point Action’s Believers Summit, Trump urged Christian voters to turn out for the 2024 election with an unprecedented promise: “Christians, get out and vote, just this time. You won’t have to do it anymore. … You got to get out and vote. In four years, you don’t have to vote again. We’ll have it fixed so good you’re not going to have to vote.” With these words, Trump moved beyond veiled rhetoric, outlining a vision for America that directly threatens democratic principles.
    Trump’s campaign has highlighted Agenda 47 as its official policy platform for the 2024 presidential election. This agenda, closely aligned with Project 2025, proposes sweeping changes to U.S. governance that align with authoritarian ideals. Both plans, shaped by Trump loyalists, aim to reshape the government and civil society under what can only be described as a fascist framework, asserting their mission is to rescue the country from radical leftist influences. Project 2025 envisions ending the administrative state by placing the entire federal bureaucracy under direct presidential control, a “Unitary Executive” approach often seen as a pathway to autocracy.
    Similarly, Agenda 47 aims to dismantle the so-called “deep state” by firing thousands of civil servants and replacing them with loyalists, referred to as “patriots who love America.” According to Trump, this restructuring would make federal bureaucrats and politicians accountable to the American people. However, the plans fail to explain how the people would actually hold these officials accountable, raising fears of unchecked presidential power.
    Authoritarian leaders have long used propaganda to manipulate public opinion, and experts suggest that Trump’s rhetoric follows this playbook. By framing checks and balances as “corrupt obstacles to the popular will,” Trump seeks to justify their dismantling, creating an illusion of serving the public while concentrating power in the executive branch. Despite ongoing controversies, including the police murder of Sonya Massey, Trump has doubled down on his rhetoric of providing “federal qualified immunity” to all officers. This stance aligns with his earlier declarations that police should have the authority to shoot perceived criminals on sight, a policy that could lead to increased instances of unchecked police violence.
    Adding to the controversy is Trump’s own legal history. He has received 34 felonies convictions, a judge found him guilty of committing significant business fraud, and a civil jury found him guilty of sexually assaulting a writer. Many have noted that these convictions and allegations paint a troubling picture of a leader advocating for policies that could undermine democratic norms and the rule of law.
    As the 2024 election approaches, Trump’s statements and policy proposals have raised alarms about the future of American democracy. His calls for Christians to vote as if it’s the last time, combined with plans for sweeping governmental changes, suggest a vision of America that could lead to authoritarian rule. “When Vice President Harris says this election is about freedom she means it,” the Kamala Harris campaign said in a statement. “Our democracy is under assault by criminal Donald Trump.” Washington Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal called Trump’s rhetoric “terrifying.” “We cannot let this be the case,” she asserted.

     

  • Newswire :Vice-President Kamala Harris hauls in $200 million in the first week of her candidacy

    Vice President Kamala Harris takes her official portrait Thursday, March 4, 2021, in the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at the White House. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

     

    She adds 170,000 volunteers

    By Blackmansstreettoday

     

    Kamala Harris raked in $200 million in her first week as a presidential candidate, and signed more than 170,000 volunteers to her campaign, “Harris for President,” communications director Michael Tyler wrote in a statement announcing the fundraising haul. 

    The haul comes amid rumors that Republican president Donald Trump plans to dump Ohio U.S. Senator JD Vance as his vice presidential running mate because Trump is not happy with some of his statements, including his calling some women “childless cat ladies.”

    Trump, the former president, selected Vance as his vice president on (July 15, 2024).

    Trump is waiting to see who Harris will select as her vice president before dumping Vance if Harris names a much stronger candidate as her vice president.
    ,
    The Harris campaign said 66% of the recent donations made came from first-time donors and were given after President Biden announced last Sunday that he was stepping down and endorsing her to be the Democratic nominee. 

    The total donations thus far are staggering and point to the intensity surrounding her nascent bid with 100 days to go before Election Day.

    To put that figure in perspective, it’s four times what the Biden re-election effort raised in the entire month of April. 

    Former president Trump’s campaign said it raised nearly $112 million during June, Politico reported. 

    The announcement comes one week after President Joe Biden’s bombshell decision to end his re-election bid and throw his support behind the vice president.

    “The momentum and energy for Vice President Harris is real and so are the fundamentals of this race: this election will be very close and decided by a small number of voters in just a few states,” Harris for President communications director Michael Tyler wrote in the same fundraising report.

    Since Harris became the party’s all-but-certain presidential nominee, Democrats have been jolted out of their collective malaise following Biden’s disastrous debate performance last month against Donald Trump.

    With Harris ascending to the top of the ticket, the party saw mammoth fundraising, including topping the $100 million mark in her first full day as the Democrats’ likely nominee. The campaign soon announced she had secured enough verbal commitments from delegates to secure the party’s nomination ahead of the Democratic National Convention next month.

    The energy behind Harris, who is of Black and South Asian descent, is also showing up in the polls, with Harris closing the deficit that had widened in the final weeks Biden was the presumptive nominee.