Senate Passes Legislation to make Lynching a Federal Crime

the senate on wednesday december 19 passed a bill to make lynching a federal crime. the landmark bill would add a section on lynching to the part of the u.s. code of law dealing with crimes related to civil rights. the section on lynching would be added right after the section on hate crimes.

the justice for victims of lynching act of 2018 was proposed in june by three black senators: cory booker (d-nj), kamala harris (d-calif) and tim scott (r-sc). the bill now goes to the house of representatives. 

the bill says if two or more people are convicted of killing someone because of their "actual or perceived race, color or religion, or national origin," they can be sentenced to up to life in prison. if the lynching victim experiences "bodily harm," the perpetrators face no less than ten years in prison.  

"this is an historic piece of legislation that would criminalize lynching, attempts to lynch and conspiracy to lynch for the first time in america's history. we finally have a chance to speak the truth about our past and make clear that these hateful acts should never happen again without serious, severe and swift consequence and accountability," said harris.

almost 200 bills were introduced in congress during the first half of the 20th century in an effort to end lynching. historically, laws allowing federal prosecution of lynchers were stalled by southern democrats who threatened filibusters in order to block anti-lynching bills.

over 4,700 people were lynched in america from 1882 to 1968, according to researchers out of tuskegee university. almost 75% of the people lynched were black. a 2015 report by the equal justice initiative said nearly 4,000 blacks were lynched in the american south between the end of the civil war and world war two.

in 2005, the senate passed a resolution to apologize to victims of lynching, and their descendants, for its failure to enact anti-lynching legislation. similarly, in april, the country's first memorial dedicated to the victims of lynching opened in alabama.

harris said, "these crimes should have been prosecuted, there were victims who should have received justice but did not. 99% of all perpetrators of lynching escaped punishment by state or local officials. with this bill, we are finally able to change that and correct a burden on our history as a country."   

2019 NFL Pro Bowl Selections

listed below are the players selected for the 2019 nfl pro bowl:

american football conference
quarterback: patrick mahomes, kansas city chiefs (starter)
                      tom brady, new england patriots
                      phillip rivers, los angeles chargers

running back: james conner, pittsburgh steelers (starter)
                       melvin gordon, los angeles chargers
                       phillip lindsay, denver broncos

fullback: anthony sherman, kansas city chiefs 

wide receiver: tyreek hill, kansas city chiefs (starter)
                        deandre hopkins, houston texans (starter)
                        keenan allen, los angeles chargers
                        antonio brown, pittsburgh steelers

tight end: travis kelce, kansas city chiefs (starter); 
                 eric ebron, indianapolis colts

offensive tackle: taylor lewan, tennessee titans (starter)
                           alejandro villaneuva, pittsburgh steelers (starter)
                           eric fisher, kansas city chiefs

offensive guard: david decastro, pittsburgh steelers (starter) 
                           marshal yanda, baltimore ravens (starter)
                           quenton nelson, indianapolis colts

center: maurkice pouncey, pittsburgh steelers (starter)
            mike pouncey,los angeles chargers

defensive end:  j.j. watt, houston texans (starter) 
                        myles garrett, cleveland browns (starter)
                        melvin ingram, los angeles chargers

interior lineman: geno atkins,cincinnati bengals (starter) 
                             jurrell casey, tennessee titans (starter)
                            cameron hayward, pittsburgh steelers

outside linebacker: von miller, denver broncos (starter) 
                                jadeveon clowney, houston texans (starter)
                                dee ford, kansas city chiefs

inside linebacker: c.j. mosley, baltimore ravens (starter)
                             benardrick mckinney, houston texans

cornerback: xavien howard, miami dolphins (starter) 
                     jalen ramsey, jacksonville jaguars (starter)
                    stephon gilmore, new england patriots
                    denzel ward, cleveland browns

free safety: derwin james, los angeles chargers (starter)
                   eric weddle, baltimore ravens

strong safety: jamal adams, new york jets  

kicker: jason myers, new york jets

long snapper: tba

punter: brett kern, tennessee titans

return specialist: andre roberts, new york jets

special teamer: adrian phillips, los angeles chargers

national football conference
quarterback: drew brees, new orleans saints (starter) 
                      jared goff, los angeles rams (starter)
                      aaron rogers, green bay packers

running back: saquon barkley, new york giants (starter) 
                       todd gurley, los angeles rams (starter)
                       ezekiel elliott, dallas cowboys

fullback: kyle juszczyk, san francisco 49ers

wide receiver: julio jones, atlanta falcons (starter) 
                       michael thomas, new orleans saints (starter)
                       davante adams, green bay packers
                       adam thielen, minnesota vikings

tight end: zach ertz, philadelphia eagles (starter)
                 george kittle, san francisco 49ers

offensive tackle: tyron smith, dallas cowboys (starter) 
                           terron armstead, new orleans saints (starter)
                           trent williams, washington redskins

offensive guard: zack martin, dallas cowboys (starter)
                           brandon brooks, philadelphia eagles (starter)
                           trai turner, carolina panthers

center: alex mack, atlanta falcons (starter)
            max unger, new orleans saints.

defensive end: cameron jordan. new orleans saints (starter)
                        demarcus lawrence, dallas cowboys (starter)
                        danielle hunter, minnesota vikings

interior lineman: fletcher cox, philadelphia eagles (starter) 
                            aaron donald, los angeles rams (starter)
                            akiem hicks, chicago bears

outside linebacker: ryan kerrigan, washington redskins (starter) 
                                khalil mack, chicago bears (starter)
                                anthony barr, minnesota vikings

inside linebacker: luke kuechly, carolina panthers (starter)
                              bobby wagner, seattle seahawks

cornerback: kyle fuller, chicago bears (starter) 
                    patrick peterson, arizona cardinals (starter)
                    byron jones, dallas cowboys
                    darius slay, detroit lions

free safety: eddie jackson, chicago bears (starter)
                   harrison smith, minnesota vikings

strong safety: landon collins, new york giants

kicker: aldrick rosas, new york giants

long snapper: tba

punter: michael dickson, seattle seahawks

return specialist: tarik cohen, chicago bears

special teamer: cory littleton, los angeles rams     

WTA Changes Rules Impacting Players Returning from Injury or Pregnancy

the women's tennis association (wta) improved rule changes on monday to ensure players are not penalized upon returning from an injury (long absence) or pregnancy. the changes were prompted by the experiences of serena willliams and victoria azarenka - two former number one, and multi-major singles champions - who re-joined the tour after giving birth.

williams was unseeded at the 2018 french open; her first major after becoming a mother, despite winning the last major she played: the 2017 australian open. this year, williams was seeded #25 at wimbledon and #17 at the u.s. open, and lost in the finals of both majors.  

the new rule states players who return from an injury which keeps them out of competition for a year or longer may use a special ranking in 12 tournaments. no player will get bumped from her earned seeded position.

"these changes are designed to fully support players in their return to competition, while maintaining the highest standards of athletic competition and fairness," said wta ceo and chairman steve simon. the tour will ensure women at wta tournaments "are not penalized or prohibited from wearing leggings or compression shorts, without a skirt, dress or shorts over them."    

williams wore a provocative black bodysuit at the 2018 french open, where she pulled out with an injury before the fourth round. williams said she wore the compression suit because of a history of blood clots, including complications after childbirth.

this fall, the president of the french tennis federation said williams could no longer wear the bodysuit at the french open. williams responded with class and grace, but his polarizing remarks angered fans and, some of whom suggested were made with female censorship and racial overtones.

azarenka, a member of the wta players council, said she wants to make sure the wta is "the most progressive and inclusive association in sports." azarenka said, "our players should feel comfortable and confident to take time away from the courts to have a family or recover from an injury."

Expanding Voter Protection Services for Formerly Incarcerated People

the new york city council passed a trio of bills this month to protect the voting rights of formerly incarcerated people and persons sentenced to probation. the full package includes:

introduction 367, sponsored by council member rafael salamanca, jr.

this bill requires the nyc department of probation to distribute written notices on the voting rights of persons sentenced to probation, during the intake process, for any person sentenced to probation. such written notice is to be developed in consultation with the voter assistance advisory committee.

introduction 514-a, sponsored by council member rory lancman

this bill requires the doc to provide written notice regarding the voting rights of formerly incarcerated persons in the state of new york to individuals upon release of doc custody, along with voter registration forms. 

it also requires the doc to make verbal reference to such written materials upon distribution and mandates yearly trainings for all relevant doc staff on, at minimum, voting laws, voter registration procedures, absentee voting, and determining eligibility to vote. 

additionally, the bill requires the nyc campaign finance board, with assistance from the voter assistance advisory committee, to include incarcerated and formerly incarcerated persons in activities they undertake aimed at encouraging and facilitating voter registration.

introduction 1115-a, sponsored by council member fernando cabrera

this bill requires the voter assistance advisory committee to develop and distribute guidance for agencies covered by the agency based voter registration law on the voting rights of formerly incarcerated persons. 

such covered agencies will also be required, when feasible and when requested to by an applicant currently on parole, to check publicly available information to inform such applicant if a restoration of their right to vote has been granted.  

"the issue of mass incarceration in our nation largely affects our black and brown communities, and with the pervasive misunderstanding of who can and can't vote, it's on us to educate and improve voter turnout," said council member salamanca.

"but having the right and knowing how to use it are two different things. my bill will bring those poles closer together and as a consequence make our city more democratic, more engaged and even more safe," said council member lancman. 
   

NC Governor Vetoes State Voter Suppression Bill

north carolina democratic governor roy cooper on friday vetoed legislation to implement a voter photo identification mandate added to the state's constitution in a recent referendum. 55% of voters approved a constitutional amendment last month requiring voter photo id.

"requiring photo ids for in-person voting is a solution in search of a problem. instead, the real election problem is votes harvested illegally through absentee ballots, which this proposal fails to fix," said cooper, referencing an investigation of alleged absentee ballot fraud in the state's ninth congressional district election in november.

cooper has repeatedly opposed voter id legislation over the years, saying it was unnecessary and would prevent many black, brown and poor citizens from exercising their right to cast ballots. republican leaders in the gop-dominated general assembly vowed late friday to override, a move some observers expect will lead to litigation.

the bill greatly expands the number of qualifying ids and exceptions compared to legislation blocked earlier this decade. permitted ids would include employee id cards for state and local governments, student ids from colleges and universities, and traditional driver's licenses and military id.

there also would be a new, free, photo voter identification card produced by county election boards. people having trouble obtaining an id could fill out forms at the polling site, and their ballots would likely be counted, too. 

federal judges struck down a 2013 state law including photo voter id and other voting restrictions. the judges ruled the law was approved with intentional racial discrimination in mind.    
  

2019 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees

the 2019 rock and roll hall of fame class was announced yesterday. def leppard, janet jackson, radiohead, roxy music, stevie nicks, the cure and the zombies will be honored at the 34th annual ceremony at the barclays center in brooklyn, new york on march 29, 2019.

of the seven artists named, three are first-time nominees: def leppard, roxy music and stevie nicks, who is already inducted as a member of fleetwood mac. as for the fan votes, four of the five artists who topped that tally are def leppard, stevie nicks, the cure and the zombies.

rock and roll hall of fame inductees are recognized for having contributed over 25 years of musical excellence. each year, the official nominating committee selects a group of artists nominated for induction. the process is not public, but visitors to the museum can share which artists they'd like to see as future nominees.

in 2018, fans submitted their favorite eligible artist picks over 65,000 times. five of the top 10 most popular choices were included on the 2019 ballot: def leppard, janet jackson, radiohead, rage against the machine and stevie nicks.

official ballots are sent to more than 1,000 voters, including every living rock hall inductee, artists, members of the music industry and music historians. the top artists receiving the most votes become members of this year's class of inductees.   

Judge rules in favor of CNN and to restore press credentials of reporter Jim Acosta

a federal judge on friday ruled in favor of cnn and reporter jim acosta, who was reprimanded by the white house after a heated dispute with president donald trump during a press conference last week. the judge ordered the white house to restore the press credentials stripped from acosta.

judge timothy j. kelly, a trump appointee, granted cnn's motion for a temporary restraining order to prevent the trump administration from keeping acosta off white house grounds. acosta, cnn's chief white house correspondent, is the first reporter with a banned "hard pass." 

cnn sued trump and other white house officials on tuesday over the revocation. the network and government lawyers argued whether the president had the power to revoke a reporter's access. kelly agreed with the government: there was no first amendment right to come onto the grounds. but, he said once the white house opened the grounds to reporters, the first amendment was applicable.

kelly's ruling emphasized the white house's decision to ban acosta violates the fifth amendment, which guarantees due process in government actions. kelly said the white house's decision-making was "so shrouded in mystery that the government could not tell me...who made the decision."

cnn stated, "we are gratified with this result and we look forward to a full resolution in the coming days. our sincere thanks to all who have supported not just cnn, but a free, strong and independent press." acosta said, "i just want to thank all my colleagues in the press who supported me this week. i want to thank the judge for this ruling. and let's go back to work." 

trump said the white house will write rules to satisfy the court's due process concerns. trump also suggested his administration will continue to fight cnn legally. trump said, "we will end up back in court and we will win."  
     

Denver Nuggets add WNBA legend Sue Bird to their front office

sue bird, an 11-time wnba all-star and three-time wnba champion, joined the denver nuggets' front office, the team announced friday. bird, 38, finished her 16th season with the seattle storm, who captured the 2018 wnba title.

"we are very excited to have sue join our organization. her resume certainly speaks for itself and as a still active player she will offer an extremely unique perspective," said tim connely, nuggets president of basketball operations.

bird was named to the all-decade team in 2006 and has been an all-wnba first team selection five teams. bird ranks first in assists (2,831), career games (508) and minutes played (16,173). bird is third in points (6,154), three-point field goals (855) and fifth in steals (652).

bird helped the university of connecticut win two national championships in 2000 and 2002. bird was the first overall pick in the 2002 wnba draft, and is also a four-time olympic gold medalist.   

2018 Midterm Election Records Set

the 2018 midterm election results on tuesday set the following records:

fundraising for congressional elections.
early voter turnout in a non-presidential election.
the number of candidates running.

the number of female candidates running.
the number of female candidates elected.
the number of women of color running.
the youngest woman elected to congress.
the first native american women elected to congress.
the first muslim women elected to congress.
the first korean-american woman elected to congress.

the number of lgbt candidates running.
the first openly gay lgbt governor.

Midterm Election Victories for Drug Policy Reform and Marijuana Legalization

last night's midterm elections produced significant victories for drug policy reform and marijuana legalization across the country. these results can impact local, national and international policies regarding mass incarceration and the prison industrial complex. 

michigan voters approved proposal one, a ballot initiative to legalize, regulate and tax marijuana for adults 21 and over. michigan is the 10th state to legalize marijuana; the first in the midwest. 

passage of amendment two in missouri and proposition two in utah make them the 32nd and 33rd states to approve medical marijuana.

florida voters approved amendment four, a groundbreaking and historic initiative to restore voting rights to 1.4 million people with drug and other felony convictions upon completion of their sentences.

embracing drug policy reforms helped a number of democratic gubernatorial candidates win last night. they include michelle lujan grisham (new mexico), gavin newsom (california), jared polis (colorado), and j.b. pritzer (illinois).

the most powerful drug policy reform opponent in the house of representatives, pete sessions of texas, lost to colin allred, a long time supporter of marijuana reform. sessions has single-handedly blocked congress from holding any votes on marijuana reform for more than a year.   

the drug policy alliance and its lobbying arm, drug policy action, helped fund and played a major role in drafting proposal one in michigan. they also played a critical role in drafting and funding amendment two in missouri.

Clemente Aguirre Exonerated from Death Penalty in Florida after 14 Years in Prison

clemente javier aguirre on monday became the 21st person exonerated by dna evidence after being sentenced to death. in 2006 he was unjustly convicted of a double murder in florida.

aguirre, 38, received incompetent legal representation at his trial - his lawyer failed to hire forensic experts or demand a single dna test on the vast amount of physical evidence collected from the crime scene.

when dna testing was conducted years later, results excluded aguirre and repeatedly pointed to the victims' relative. based on this new evidence, the 2016 florida supreme court unanimously overturned his wrongful conviction. nonetheless, prosecutors sought to retry him again: with the death penalty.

eventually prosecutors agreed to drop all criminal charges against aguirre. he was surrounded by his family and supporters at the exoneration, and was released from custody later in the day. aguirre spent 14 years in prison. he was legally assisted by the innocent project.

the innocence project was founded in 1992 to exonerate the wrongly convicted through dna testing and criminal justice reform. their mission is to free the staggering number of innocent people who remain incarcerated, and help reform the system responsible for their unjust imprisonment.  


   

Washington State Overturns Death Penalty

the washington state supreme court, in a ruling october 11, unanimously overturned the state's death penalty. "the death penalty is invalid because it is imposed in an arbitrary and racially biased manner," the justices wrote.

this opinion relied on research from university of washington professor katherine beckett and lecturer heather evans. beckett and evans reported black defendants were four and a half times more likely to receive the death penalty - compared to similarly situated non-black defendants.

washington is the 20th state to abolish capital punishment. the state froze its death penalty under a 2014 moratorium by governor jay inslee. washington currently has eight people on death row whose sentences will be converted to life without parole following the court's historic decsiion.  

Boston Red Sox Win 2018 World Series

the boston red sox defeated the los angeles dodgers 5-1, in game five, to win the 2018 world series. the red sox captured their fourth championship in 15 years with stellar pitching, timely hitting and unyielding defense.

boston is the first team in major league baseball history to clinch the league division series, league championship series and world series - on the road. they finished the year with 119 wins, including an 11-3 post-season record, and outscoring their opponents 84-51.

red sox outfielder steve pearce was named most valuable player. pearce hit two homers and knocked in seven runs during the last two games. alex cora, in his first year as such, became the first puerto-rican born manager to win the world series. 

"this is the greatest red sox team ever," said red sox owner john henry after hoisting the trophy. "what a season. what a way to end it," said cora, who stood on the same infield last year as a hitting coach for the houston astros. pearce saluted the fans on the victory platform and shouted, "we're world champions, baby!"  

the red sox had the highest payroll in baseball this year. their multi-talented squad featured all-stars mookie betts, craig kimbrel, jd martinez, mitch moreland and chris sale. boston suffered for 86 years without a title before ending their drought in 2004. they've since won in 2007, 2013 and 2018.

Kavanaugh Confirmed as new Supreme Court Justice amid polarizing battle

the senate confirmed brett m. kavanaugh as the 114th supreme court justice on saturday by one of the narrowest margins (50-48) in history. amid mass protests, their decision ended a contentiously polarizing battle over his nomination and solidified a conservative majority on the court.

kavanaugh denied allegations of christine blasey ford, who detailed in emotional testimony he sexually assaulted her when they were teenagers. two other female accusers came forward, resulting in an fbi investigation ordered by the trump administration - but only for a week. 

the fbi did not interview any of the female accusers. 

"it's been a great political gift for us. the tactics have energized our base. i want to thank the mob, because they've done the one thing we were having trouble doing, which was energizing our base," said senate majority leader mitch mcconell (r-ky).

kavanaugh heads to the supreme court politically scarred from the confirmation fight. his victory echoes the 1991 battle over now-justice clarence thomas, who was accused of sexual assault by law professor anita hill. both testified before the senate, and thomas ultimately prevailed.

chief justice john g. roberts jr. has received over 12 complaints of judicial misconduct against kavanaugh but is not referring them for investigation. "we have to rise above partisanship in our personal relationships. we have to treat each other with respect and dignity and with a sense of amicability that the rest of the world doesn't share," said justice sonia sotomayor.

kavanaugh, 53, is a veteran of the george w. bush white house who spent a dozen years on the court of appeals for the d.c. circuit. he was a top deputy in the office of independent counsel kenneth w. starr when starr was conducting an inquiry into bill clinton.  

  

John Nolley is Fully Exonerated of 1997 Murder Charges in Texas

john nolley was exonerated of murder after 21 years.

the fair and just decision took place at a court hearing in fort worth, texas yesterday attended by nolley, his family, his legal team, and representatives from the district attorney's office and bedford police department. 

tarrant county criminal district attorney sharen wilson filed legal papers on wednesday before judge louis sturns to dismiss 1997 murder charges against nolley based on actual evidence. judge sturns granted the motion, and nolley's innocence became legalized.

nolley served 19 years of a life sentence before he was released on bond in 2016. in may 2018, the texas court of criminal appeals decided his 1998 conviction should be overturned - critical evidence had been withheld from his lawyers. but the original charges remained pending until prosecutors' actions october 3.

"today marks the end of an incredibly painful journey for john nolley, who served 19 years for a murder he didn't commit. yet this day would not have come without the extraordinary work and dedication of district attorney wilson and her conviction integrity unit, as well as the detectives in the bedford police department, who put hundreds of hours into a joint effort to re-investigate this case and seek the truth," said nina morrison, staff attorney with the innocent project.

in july 2015, just months after taking office, wilson agreed to re-investigate nolley's case through her office's newly formed conviction integrity unit (ciu). the ciu collaborated with the innocence project and fort worth attorney regan wynn in the 1996 murder of sharon mclane.

nolley is black. mclane is white. 

since the investigation began, the district attorney's office spoke with over 70 witnesses. prosecutors and the innocence project conducted over 100 forensic tests, including dna and latent print analyses. the complete results are not publicly available while law enforcement pursue other suspects. "i do not have any resentment toward anyone at this point," said nolley.          



  

Bill Cosby Sentenced Three to Ten Years in Prison for Sexual Assault

bill cosby left a pennsylvania courtroom in handcuffs on tuesday after he was sentenced three to ten years in prison for sexually assaulting a woman in his home 14 years ago. cosby, 81, is now a registered sex offender. he will appeal the decision, was denied bail and ordered to prison immediately.

cosby was found guilty in april 2018 of drugging and sexually assaulting andrea constand, a former temple university employee to whom he had been a mentor. constand, now a massage therapist in canada, was joined in the montgomery county courthouse by at least nine other women who accused cosby of sexual abuse. 

constand, in a victim-impact statement wrote, "life as i knew it came to an abrupt halt. i was a young woman brimming with confidence and looking forward to a future bright with possibilities. now, almost 15 years later, i'm a middle-aged woman who's been stuck in a holding pattern for most of her adult life, unable to heal fully or move forward."

judge steven o'neill said as he announced cosby's term, "it is time for justice. mr. cosby this has all circled back to you. fallen angels suffer most." a publicist for cosby, andrew wyatt, decried the verdict outside the courtroom. wyatt called the proceedings, "the most racist and sexist trial in the history of the united states."

cosby's defense team argued his relationship with constand was consensual, and the drug he gave her, benadryl, was to relax her because she was tense. after his subsequent arrest in december 2015, cosby's first trial ended inconclusively with a hung jury after six days of deliberations.

but at the retrial here in april - in the same courthouse and before the same judge - a jury convicted cosby, on the second day of their deliberations, with three counts of aggravated indecent assault. one major difference in the second trial was the judge's decision to allow five additional women to testify against cosby. their testimony bolstered constrand's.

cosby faced a maximum 30-year prison term: 10 years for each of three counts of assault he was convicted of. but judge o'neill chose to merge the counts into one, as is allowed when they stem from the same event. under pennsylavania sentencing guidelines, cosby might be eligible for parole after serving three years - and may serve a maximum of 10 years in prison.      

Seattle Storm sweep the Washington Mystics to win the 2018 WNBA Title

the seattle storm defeated the washington mystics 98-82 on wednesday to win the 2018 wnba championship in a three-game sweep. seattle all-star forward breanna stewart was named finals most valuable player. their dominant victory was the third career title in franchise history.

stewart averaged over 25 points and six rebounds in the series, and scored 30 points in game three. forward natasha howard, playing in her fourth consecutive wnba finals, provided a career-high 29 points and 14 rebounds in game three. guard sue bird finished with 10 points and 10 assists 

the mystics cut an 18-point lead to five in the fourth quarter, but seattle quickly pulled away. "we were up at halftime, but we knew d.c. was going to come back. it was how we countered that when things got close. that's what really separated us again," said stewart. 

stewart, 24, is a dynamic player with an immaculate resume. in high school, she was the national gatorade player of the year, the gatorade female athlete of the year and a mcdonald's all-american. she won four ncaa titles - and four finals mop's - with connecticut. in 2016, she was the # 1 draft pick, rookie of the year and played on the olympic team. in 2018, stewart was named most valuable player and first-team all wnba. 

seattle won 26 games during the regular season, and entered the playoffs as the #1 seed. last year their record was 15-19. but coach dan hughes, in his first year with the storm, was optimistic despite losing their season opener to phoenix, because they won five in a row afterwards. "i think this was our year. all year you could just see the escalation," hughes said.   

bird, an 11-time all-star point guard, anchored seattle to titles in 2004 and 2010. bird, 37, said, "each championship is special in its own way, but this one is probably going to have a different meaning for me. there is probably no comparison to be honest. i didn't know if i'd be playing at this point. our team went through a rebuild and yes, i decided to stay. once we got stewie and jewell, we knew we'd get to the other side, but how do you know you're going to get to the other side this fast?"  
   

Naomi Osaka and Novak Djokovic Win 2018 US Open Singles Championships

naomi osaka of japan defeated serena williams of the u.s. 6-2, 6-4 on saturday to win the us open women's singles championship at the billie jean national tennis center in new york city. osaka claimed her first career major singles title, and is now ranked #7 in the world.

osaka, 20, is a charming, humble and shy young woman. she was in tears after defeating her childhood idol. "when i was growing up, i did a whole report on her in the third grade. i colored it and everything. i said, i want to be like her," osaka remarked afterwards.

osaka holds dual citizenship. her father is haitian and her mother is japanese. her father introduced her to tennis as a child. he also modeled her athletic journey, ironically, after richard williams - the eccentric, yet visionary father of serena. 

osaka was dominant at the us open. she dropped one set, and lost 34 games. in the final, osaka had six aces, saved five of six break points, broke serena four times and made just 14 unforced errors. in the second set, williams endured a warning, point penalty and game penalty - resulting in major controversy - but osaka thoroughly outplayed serena and earned the biggest win of her life.

novak djokovic of serbia defeated juan martin del potro of argentina 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 on sunday at the billie jean king national tennis center in new york city to win the us open men's singles championship. djokovic ties pete sampras with 14 career major singles titles, which is third most in men's history. 

"i was hoping he was going to be here, but he's not...he's my idol. pete, i love you" djokovic said about sampras. djokovic was also gracious in honoring del potro, a longtime friend and 2009 us open champion whom, like djokovic, suffered major injuries on the comeback trail. "i believe he'll be here again with the championship trophy, i really do," said djokovic. 

djokovic, a former #1 player, sat out the second half of 2017 due to elbow pain which plagued him for more than a year. "when i had the surgery in my elbow earlier this year, i could truly understand what juan martin was going through. difficult times, but you learn through adversity. i try to take the best out of myself in those moments," remarked djokovic.

djokovic, 31, won his second consecutive major title. he defeated kevin anderson of south africa to win his fourth career wimbledon title in july. djokovic also has six australian open titles, three us open titles and one french open title. additionally, he became the only male to win nine atp titles, after his straight-set win over roger federer at the western and southern open in cincinnati.

Five U.S. states reduced their prison population by 14-25% over the last decade

a new report by the sentencing project describes the changes in policy and practice which enabled five states to reduce their prison population between 14-25%. the book, decarceration strategies: how 5 states achieved substantial prison population reductions, shows how these states' prison population reductions outweighs the national average over the last decade.

the five states profiled in the report (connecticut, michigan, mississippi, rhode island and south carolina) were selected for their geographic and political diversity, and can serve as a model for decarceration throughout america. each state has implemented a range of policy reforms, as well as decision-making by stakeholders.

connecticut: prison population declined 25% from 2007-2016. the state focused on reducing young people's contact with the justice system through changing criteria for detention, raising the age of adult jurisdiction from 16 to 18, and reducing school suspensions.

michigan: prison population declined 20% from 2006-2016. the state increased parole grants by expanding capacity of the parole board, and reduced prison recidivism by establishing technical rule violator centers for enhanced programming and services.

mississippi: prison population declined 17.5% from 2008-2016. the state reduced time served in prison by scaling back the "truth in sentencing" policy from 85% time served to 25%, applied changes retroactively, and adopted a risk assessment instrument which contributes to the doubling of the parole approval rate.

rhode island: prison population declined 23% from 2008-2016. the state reduced time served in prison by eliminating mandatory sentenced for drug crimes, and establishing earned time-credits of 10 days per month.

south carolina: prison population declined 14% from 2008-2016. the state reduced parole violator revocations to prison through diversion to alternative sanctions, and reduced prison recidivism for 17 to 25 year-old people through enhanced job-related prison programming and intensive aftercare reentry services.        

2018 WNBA Year End Awards

listed below are the recipients of the 2018 wnba season awards:

most valuable player - breanna stewart, seattle storm
defensive player of the year - sylvia fowles, minnesota lynx
rookie of the year - a'ja wilson, las vegas aces
sixth woman of the year - jonquel jones, connecticut sun
most improved player - natasha howard, seattle storm
coach of the year - nicki collen, atlanta dream
kim perrot sportswoman of the year - sue bird, seattle storm

Gentrification increases Quality of Life complaints in NYC

gentrification has increased the quality of life complaints made in two predominantly latino new york city areas, west 136th street in harlem and the bushwick neighborhood of brooklyn. 

buzzfeed news analyzed over 17 million calls made to 311 - a hotline for city residents to report non-emergency matters - and compared this with historical demographic and economic data from the census. 

research shows black and brown people are less likely to use 311 to file complaints. as the white population grew on west 136th street and housing values increased, 311 complaints increased from 130 between 2012 and 2014 to nearly 3,000 between 2015 and 2017: mostly about noise.

newcomers explained they relied on 311 to avoid conflicts with neighbors. reporter lam thuy vo said, "while not every 311 call results in a visit from the cops, officers from the local precinct do respond when they're not handling emergencies."

anthony posada of the legal aid society's community justice unit said these 311 complaints eventually led to an increase in policing within black and brown communities.   

International Overdose Awareness Day is August 31

international overdose awareness day takes place august 31. this global event is dedicated to raising awareness of the overdose crisis and the solutions we need to save lives.

drug overdose remains the leading cause of preventable death in the u.s. international overdose awareness day provides an opportunity to affirm the lives of those we have lost while remembering we all have a role to play in helping people live healthier lives.

for almost two decades, the drug policy alliance has been one of the leading advocates for harm reduction policies to significantly decrease preventable overdose deaths caused by drugs in the u.s. 

as a result, the vast majority of states now have "911 good samaritan" laws and some form of access to naloxone - which includes effective policies and meaningful solutions to save countless lives of diverse people across the country.     

Expanding Voter Registration in California and Illinois Jails

in california, a bill - assembly bill 3115 - to increase voter education in jails recently cleared the senate public safety committee. 

the bill requires jails to partner with at least one organization to provide "both written and verbal information about voting rights upon release from jail, providing affidavits of registration to eligible voters with the completion of the affidavits of registration, and assisting eligible voters in returning the completed voter registration cards to the county election official."

illinois governor bruce rauner is expected to sign a bill requiring every jail in the state to provide voter education and make in-person or absentee voting available to all eligible incarcerated voters.

only eight counties in the state have any voting process for people in pretrial detention. "there is confusion around how election code actually applies to the jail," says jen dean, who runs cook county jail votes, the group who helps facilitate registration and voting in the largest jail in the country. den says, "this bill creates a system of uniformity across the state to make sure there are systems in place so that everybody has access to the ballot."  

Angelique Kerber and Novak Djokovic win 2018 Wimbledon Singles Titles

world #10 angelique kerber of germany defeated 23-time major singles champion serena williams of the u.s. 6-3, 6-3 on saturday at the all-england club to win her first wimbledon crown. kerber avenged her wimbledon finals loss to williams in 2016, and won her third career major singles title.

"i think it's the experience. i think you have to go through all the things - the good things, the bad things - and then you need to learn. i know that against serena, i have to play my best tennis, especially in the important moments," said kerber. 

kerber is the first german to win the ladies wimbedon singles championship since steffi graf in 1996. kerber won the australian open and u.s. open in 2016. she broke williams in the opening game of the match and played superb tennis from start to finish; she had just three unforced errors in the first set.

world #21 novak djokovic of serbia defeated world #8 kevin anderson of south africa 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 on sunday at the all-england club to win the men's wimbledon crown. djokovic earned his fourth career wimbledon trophy, and now has 13 major singles titles - fourth most in men's history.

"there were several moments where i was frustrated and questioning whether i can get back to the desired level or not. but that makes this journey even more special for me. it's easy to talk now and look back at it and be kind of grateful, but i really am grateful to go through this kind of, so to say, mixed emotions, turbulence as well, mentally, moments of doubt and disappointment and frustration and anger," djokovic said. 

a year ago, djokovic, 31, quit during his wimbledon quarterfinal because of his painful right elbow. djokovic took the rest of the year off and struggled during the early part of 2018. in april, he reunited with marian vadja, the man who coached him for several years before he worked with boris becker and andre agassi, respectively. 

   

2018 NBA Awards

the second annual 2018 nba awards were presented last night in a live ceremony at the barker hanger in santa monica, california. the winners are listed below:

most valuable player - james harden, houston rockets
rookie of the year - ben simmons, philadelphia 76ers
defensive player of the year - rudy gobert, utah jazz
sixth man of the year - lou williams, los angeles clippers
most improved player of the year - victor oladipo, indiana pacers

coach of the year - dwane casey
basketball executive of the year - daryl morey, houston rockets
sportsman award - kemba walker, charlotte hornets

sager strong award - dikembe mutombo
lifetime achievement award - oscar robertson
twyman-stokes teammate of the year award - jamal crawford, minnesota timberwolves
nba cares community assist award - kevin durant, golden state warriors

play of the year - lebron james, cleveland cavaliers
clutch shot of the year - lebron james, cleveland cavaliers
dunk of the year - giannis antetokounmpo, milwaukee bucks
assist of the year - lebron james, cleveland cavaliers
block of the year - anthony davis, new orleans pelicans
handle of the year - kyrie irving, boston celtics 

best style - russell westbrook, oklahoma city thunder
hustle award - amir johnson, philadelphia 76ers

all-nba first team
anthony davis, new orleans pelicans
kevin durant, golden state warriors
james harden, houston rockets
lebron james, cleveland cavaliers
damian lillard, portland trail blazers

all-nba rookie team
kyle kuzma, los angeles lakers
lauri markkanen, chicago bulls
donovan mitchell, utah jazz
ben simmons, philadelphia 76ers
jayson tatum, boston celtics

all-nba defensive team
robert covington, philadelphia 76ers
anthony davis, new orleans pelicans
rudy gobert, utah jazz
jrue holiday, new orleans pelicans
victor oladipo, indiana pacers

Simona Halep and Rafael Nadal win 2018 French Open Singles Titles

world #1 simona halep of romania defeated world #10 sloane stephens of the u.s. 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 at roland garros in paris, france on saturday to win the french open women's singles championship. halep's come-from-behind effort secured her first career victory at a grand slam tournament. 

halep, 26, lost three major singles finals - two at the french open in 2014 and 2017; and the 2018 australian open. "that's the most important thing. that i stayed there focused. i believed and i never gave up, halep said." she's the first romanian to win a major singles title since her manager virginia ruzici captured the 1978 french open.

darren cahill, former aussie tour player and halep's manager said, "been kicked in the stomach a couple of times when she's had chances. they say the destination is more beautiful if there's a bit of a bumpy road and you eventually get there. and that's what happened to her today." 

world #1 rafael nadal of spain defeated world #7 dominic thiem of austria 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 at roland garros in paris, france on sunday to win the french open men's singles championship. nadal became the first player in the open era to win a major 11 times. his career record at the french open is 86-2.

nadal, 32, has 17 career singles wins in grand slam tournaments, including three at the u.s. open, two at wimbledon and one at the australian open. nadal and world #2 roger federer of switzerland - who leads all men with 20 major singles titles - have won the last six major championships. 

in 2005, nadal won his first french open title at 19. nadal won four straight there from 2005-2008. he won five straight from 2010-2014, and won again last year. "if you tell me seven, eight years ago that i will be here...having this trophy with me again, i will tell you that is something almost impossible. but here we are," nadal said.

Warriors sweep Cavaliers to win Third NBA Title in Four Years

the golden state warriors dominated the cleveland cavaliers 108-85 in cleveland's quicken loans arena on friday to win their second straight nba championship and third in four years. dubs' all-star forward kevin durant was named finals mvp for the second year in a row.  

the warriors joined the boston celtics (1957-66) as the only teams to reach four consecutive nba finals - and win more than two. they also became the ninth team in history to win the finals in a sweep, and the first since 2007 when the san antonio spurs beat cleveland.

durant said, "we just wanted to win, and however it came, we were excited about it. but to win in a sweep feels pretty good." durant finished with 20 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. golden state all-star guard and two-time mvp stephen curry scored 37 points, including seven three-pointers. 

golden state all-star forward draymond green said, "it was extremely difficult. not just the playoff run but the entire season." warriors coach steve kerr said, "absolutely. there were doubts." kerr became the first in nba history to win five titles as a player and three titles as a coach. 

Marijuana arrests in NYC over last three years disproportionately impact black and brown people

blacks have been arrested on low-level marijuana charges at eight times the rate of whites in new york city during the last three years. latinos have been arrested five times the rates of whites for the same charges.

a senior police official attributes racial disparities to more frequent police complaints about marijuana from residents of predominantly black and brown neighborhoods. people in poor neighborhoods sometimes make marijuana-related police calls because they're less likely to have a building superintendent, co-op board or responsive landlord to field their grievances.

still, among neighborhoods where residents made similar rates of marijuana police calls, the police made arrests at higher rates in areas with black and brown people. new york city's marijuana possession arrests have declined to half of their level under the previous mayor, yet there are still 17,000 such arrests each year.

mayor bill de blasio announced the police would overhaul their marijuana enforcement policy within 30 days to "end unnecessary arrests." the district attorneys of brooklyn and manhattan are considering plans to stop prosecuting the vast majority of people arrested on low-level marijuana charges. police commissioner james o'neill says he will convene a working group to review marijuana enforcement tactics.

Class-action lawsuit seeks damages for Indiana inmates denied voting rights in jail during 2016 November elctions

a class-action lawsuit was filed on behalf of 150 people unjustly denied of the right to vote in the 2016 november election while incarcerated in allen county jail in indiana. unspecified monetary damages are being sought.

the state prohibits anyone serving time for a felony to vote. but a majority of the jail's detainees on election day were eligible - either because they were pre-trial and and couldn't afford bond, or because they were serving misdemeanor sentences.

indiana law requires all eligible voters be allowed to vote by absentee ballot, and the sheriff has to make arrangements with election officials to provide those ballots. the suit claims sheriff david gladieux neglected his principle duties to ensure all eligible voters get equal opportunity to do so.

attorney david frank, who is representing the plaintiffs, said they believe this is the first class-action suit to seek monetary damages for detainess barred from voting. the lawsuit targets allen county, indiana's third-largest county, but its likely detainees across the state were denied as well. 

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is restoring voting rights to felons on parole

new york governor andrew cuomo on wednesday signed an executive order to restore the voting rights of felons in the state. there are nearly 35,000 people barred from voting while on parole from a felony conviction.

48 states strip people of their voting rights after their felony convictions. cuomo's order allows felons to vote after completing their sentences. historically, the state legislature refused to change its policies. "i'm unwilling to take no for an answer, i'm gonna make it law by executive order and i announce that here today," cuomo said.

the executive order applies to those on parole now, and those eligible for it in the future. the state's department of corrections and community supervision will submit a list of current paroless to the governor's office. the department will also provide a monthly list of new parolees, and determine their eligibility for conditional pardons to restore their voting rights.

according to the sentencing project, there were over 6.1 million disenfranchised americans in 2016 due to felony convictions. the idea of stripping voters' rights of criminals dates back to ancient greece and rome. some american states adopted these laws around the civil war to oppress blacks. in 2016, one in 13 blacks were disenfranchised - four times the rate of other americans.

  

Jack Johnson pardoned by President Trump for violating the Mann Act in 1913

jack johnson, the first black man to become world heavyweight champion, was pardoned on thursday by president donald trump. johnson was convicted in 1913 of violating the mann act.

trump said last month he was considering the pardon after receiving a call from actor sylvester stallone. "i am taking this very righteous step, i believe, to correct a wrong that occurred in our history and to honor a truly legendary boxing champion. it's my honor to do it. it's about time," trump said at an oval office ceremony.

the u.s. department of justice began investigating johnson after the mann act became law in 1910. the law made it a felony to transport across state lines, "any woman or girls for the purpose of prostitution or debauchery, or for any other immoral purpose." johnson was convicted by an all-white jury and served 10 months in prison.

the mann act's purpose was to stop human sex trafficking, but the broad language allowed for it to be used to prosecute men for extramarital, interracial and premarital relationships - even if they were consensual.   

johnson finished with a career 73-13-10 record and was inducted into the international boxing hall of fame in 1990. johnson won the unofficial black heavyweight championship in 1903, and defeated canadian boxer tommy burns in december 1908 with a tko in the 14th round to become the first black man to hold the world heavyweight championship.

johnson dominated jim jeffries - the latest to be dubbed "the great white hope" - in taking a 15th round tko in july 1910. the bout took place in reno, nevada, was called "the fight of the century" but also led to deadly race riots across the country. 

jeffries, the former champ who came out of retirement for this fight despite being well past his prime, said, "i could never have whipped johnson at my best. i couldn't have hit him. no, i couldn't have reached him in 1,000 years."

johnson was born in galveston, texas in 1878. his parents were enslaved africans who instilled confidence in their son. johnson was an imposing, strong and powerful man with a bald head and dark skin. he infuriated whites for taunting his opponents in the ring, driving fancy cars, wearing furs and openly dating white women.  

johnson died in a 1946 car crash in north carolina at age 68.

2018 All-NBA Teams

listed below is the 2018 all-nba team:

First Team____________________________
LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
James Harden, Houston Rockets
Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors
Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers

Second Team__________________________
LaMarcus Aldridge, San Antonio Spurs
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
DeMar DeRozan, Toronto Raptors
Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
Russell Westrbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder

Third Team___________________________
Jimmy Butler, Minnesota Timberwolves
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Paul George, Oklahoma City Thunder
Victor Oladipo, Indiana Pacers
Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves

Milwaukee Guard Sterling Brown unjustly tasered by Milwaukee Police Officer in January 2018 and the body camera footage was just released

milwaukee police department on wednesday released body camera footage showing one of their officers unjustly tasing milwaukee bucks guard sterling brown. the incident took place in january 2018 when brown, an unarmed black male, was stopped by a white officer for a parking violation.

officers tasered and arrested brown after the arresting officer noticed his car parked across two handicapped parked spaces at a local walgreens. the arresting officer (in his police report) said brown refused repeated requests to step back and became "very aggressive." the officer called for backup and said brown, "physically resisted officers attempts to handcuff him and was taken to the ground in a controlled manner."

milwaukee police chief alonso morales said officers acted "inappropriately," and "were recently disciplined," without providing details. brown, now 23, was booked and received a $200 parking ticket. but after looking at the reports and body camera footage, authorities decided against the arresting officer's request to charge brown with obstructing an officer.

the city's then-police chief, ed flynn, told wisn-tv the department had questions about the officer's tactics - prompting an internal affairs investigation. flynn said, "we wouldn't be conducting an investigation into this if we were 100 percent satisfied with our application of our tactics in this matter. what we want to do is ascertain how a parking ticket turned into a tasing, and so that's what we are going to do." 

flynn retired in february and was suceeded by morales. earlier this week, milwaukee mayor tom barrett expressed concern over the video, which he viewed before the public. barrett said, "it was a disturbing video when i saw it and i know (morales) feels the same way, and i don't know what actions his department is going to take, but it is disconcerting to see some of the actions in that video."

mark thomsen, brown's attorney, says brown plans to file a civil lawsuit against the milwaukee police department as a result of this incident.      

2018 NBA All-Defensive Team

listed below is the 2018 nba all-defensive team:

First Team___________________________
C Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz
F Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
F Robert Covington, Philadelphia 76ers
G Jrue Holiday, New Orleans Pelicans
G Victor Oladipo, Indiana Pacers

Second Team_________________________
C Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
F Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors
F Al Horford, Boston Celtics
G Jimmy Butler, Milwaukee Bucks
G Dejounte Murray, San Antonio Spurs

Notre Dame and Villanova win 2018 NCAA Women's and Men's Championship

notre dame beat mississippi state 61-58 on sunday night to win the ncaa women's championship in columbus, ohio. junior guard arike ogunbowale hit a three-pointer with 0.1 seconds left to give the fighting irish their second women's basketball title.

ogunbowale scored 16 of her 18 points in the second half and was named most outstanding player. notre dame (35-3) overcame a 15-point lead to emerge victorious in a thrilling comeback. the win came exactly 17 years ago from their first title.

notre dame coach muffet mcgraw said, "it's easter sunday and all the catholics were praying for us." ogunbowale said of her courageous shot, "it just felt right. i practice late-game all the time. i just ran to jackie and said, throw it me, throw it to me." jessica shepard, who led the irish with 19 points, said, "this team is relentlessly driven. we've been down multiple times this year, but nobody stops us."

villanova beat michigan 79-62 on monday night to win the ncaa men's championship in san antonio, texas. this is their second title in three years. the wildcats (36-4) won all six games by double digits, becoming the fourth team in ncaa history to achieve such a feat. 

sophomore guard donte divincenzo had 31 points, five rebounds, three assists and two blocks and was named most outstanding player. the redhead kid with the nickname big ragu came off the bench and had folks chanting his name from the cheap seats: "di-vin-cen-zo, di-vin-cen-zo."

villanova coach jay wright said, "i thought we played our best game in the championship game." divincenzo, when asked if he enjoys threes or rejections more, said, "blocked shots, definitely. i pride myself on defense and just bringing energy to the team."     

Mississippi Mayor stops release of mug shots for people shot by cops

mayor chokwe antar lumumba of jackson, mississippi in late february signed an executive order to stop the jackson police department (jpd) from releasing mug shots of people shot by police, and of youth charged as adults.

the order was signed the exact same day - six years later - when trayvon martin, an unarmed black teenager, was shot and killed by george zimmerman, a self-appointed neighborhood watchman. zimmerman was later acquitted in a polarizing trial because jurors believed he acted in self-defense under florida's controversial stand your ground law.  

"the last image of any person should not be on the worst day of their life or the worst image that we could possibly provide of them," said lumumba. attorney c.j. lawrence, the mayor's friend and creator of the 2014 "if they gunned me down" social media campaign, also spoke at the press conference.

mayor lumumba acknowledged the complex and fractured history among communities of black and brown people and law enforcement. lumumba said jackson's majority-black police force created a "unique relationship" between residents and the police.

but the mayor's order does not affect the jpd's reluctance to release the names of officers who shot residents. in 2016, the international association of chiefs of police noted the prudent release of officers' names in these cases "serves to enhance public trust in the investigative process, and adds to the transparency and perceived integrity of the investigation." 

     

2018 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class

thirteen men and women were inducted into the basketball hall of fame in september. the 2018 class include steve nash, jason kidd, ray allen, grant hill, maurice cheeks. tina thompson, katie smith, rod thorn, lefty driesell, charlie scott, rick welts, dino rada and ora mae washington.

nash played 18 years with three teams. nash is a two-time mvp, eight-time all-star and is third all-time in assists. 

kidd played 18 seasons with six teams. kidd is an nba champion, ten-time all-star, two-time olympic gold medalist, co-rookie of the year and is second all-time in assists.

allen played 18 seasons with four teams. allen is a two-time nba champion, ten-time all-star, olympic gold medalist and the all-time leader in three-point field goals made in the regular and postseason. 

hill played 19 seasons with four teams. hill is a seven-time all-star, co-rookie of the year and olympic gold medalist. 

cheeks played 15 seasons with five teams. cheeks is an nba champion, four-time all-star, fifth all-time in career steals and 11th all-time in assists.

tina thompson played 17 seasons with three wnba teams. thompson was the first draft pick in wnba history. she is a four-time wnba champion, nine-time all-star, two-time olympic gold medalist and one of the top 15 players in wnba history.

katie smith played 14 seasons with five wnba teams. smith is a two-time wnba champion, wnba finals mvp, seven-time all-star, three-time olympic gold medalist, one of the top 15 players in wnba history and is the top scorer in professional basketball history.

rod thorn was an assistant head coach, head coach, general manager, executive vice president of basketball operations, team president and president of basketball operations throughout four decades. thorn was named the nba executive of the year in 2002.

lefty driesell was a college head coach for 41 seasons with four teams. driesell is the only basketball coach to win at least 100 games with four different colleges. his final record was 786-394.

rick welts has over 40 years of nba experience. welts created the nba all-star weekend in 1984, developed the marketing program for usa basketball with the 1992 olympic dream team and helped launch the wnba. he is the current president of the golden state warriors.

dino rada played 14 seasons with seven teams in europe, and four seasons with the boston celtics. rada was a three-time yugoslav league champion, two-time croatian league champion, two-time euroleague champion, two-time greek league champion, croatian cup winner, yugoslav cup winner, greek league finals mvp and one of fiba's 50 greatest players.

ora mae washington played 12 seasons for two teams. washington led the germantown hornets to 33 consecutive victories in 1931. from 1932-1942, as their center, leading scorer and coach, she helped the philadelphia tribunes win 11 consecutive women's colored basketball world's championships, and was known as the "best colored player in the world."



  

Bernard Noble finally granted parole after being sentenced to 13 years for possessing two marijuana joints

bernard noble was sentenced to 13 years in prison for possessing two marijuana joints. early last month, after serving over eight years in a louisiana prison, noble was finally granted parole. his case drew national attention and considerable outrage, especially after the legalization of marijuana in some states.  

noble was riding his bike up a one-way street the wrong way when he was stopped by the police. they found two marijuana joints in his possession, and he also had two prior low-level drug law violations in his record. 

the drug policy alliance filed a a friend of the court brief in the louisiana supreme court in 2014, calling for judicial relief, but the appeal was denied. in 2015, the board of pardons and parole rejected noble's petition for clemency because he hadn't served more than 10 years in prison.

louisiana state law requires prisoners to have been in custody of the department of corrections for a minimum of 10 years before they'll consider an individual's application for clemency.

noble's sentence highlights the draconian nature of the marijuana laws in many states across the country. attorney general jeff sessions vociferously advocates for these cruel and inhumane policies, and wants to arbitrarily punish first-time, non-violent offenders without legal recourse. 

a number of states, in contrast to louisiana, have legalized and decriminalized possession of marijuana for personal use. according to a new report by the drug policy alliance, total marijuana arrests in legal marijuana states have plummeted - saving hundreds of millions of dollars - sparing thousands of people from a lifetime criminal record. 

more than 500,000 people each year get arrested in the u.s. for getting caught with small amounts of marijuana. their arrests impact not just them as individuals, but their families, their communities, and society as a whole. 


  

Supervised Consumption Services approved in San Francisco

san francisco, in early february, became the first city in the u.s. to implement supervised consumption services (scs). this historic victory, unanimously supported by the san francisco health commission, allows the city to begin offering services this july.

supervised consumption services are legally sanctioned facilities proven to reduce the personal risks and public health issues associated with intravenous drug use. these facilities already exist in australia, canada and europe, and, with great success.

participants in these facilities will have access to sterile injecting equipment, counseling, health care, and referrals to health and social services. the bold measures are expected to reduce overdose deaths, save lives and keep city neighborhoods cleaner. 

cities who currently host the 120 active scs around the world have witnessed a dramatic reduction in street-based drug use and syringe disposal, as well as increasingly lower hiv-positive and hepatitis transmission rates.      

Seattle, San Francisco and San Diego will retroactively apply marijuana reforms

seattle mayor jenny durkan and seattle attorney general pete holmes will vacate misdemeanor marijuana-possession convictions prosecuted by the city prior to 2012. these reforms are expected to impact about 600 people.

durkan said these convictions disproportionately harm blacks, and create barriers to credit, education, housing and jobs. "while we cannot reverse all the harm that was done, we can give back to those people a record that says they were not convicted, because that is the more just thing to do," durkan said. she hopes county and state officials will follow suit.

two other cities have decided to retroactively apply marijuana reforms. in san francisco, district attorney george cascon will apply california's new marijuana legalization laws to misdemeanor and felony convictions going back to 1975. san diego will also clear or downgrade past misdemeanor marijuana and felony marijuana convictions.

Chicago Police Department gang database exposes immigrants to deportation

the chicago police department (cpd) exposes black and brown immigrants to deportation because of systemic errors in their gang database. the cpd says changes to the database would be "unworkable."

the cpd gang database includes 65,000 individuals - 95% are black and brown. luis pedrote-salinas is suing the cpd. pedrote-salinas feels being wrongly designated as a gang member prevents him for protection under the deferred action for childhood arrivals (daca) program. he says he's not in a gang, but there's no official process to remove him from the database.

in another case, the cpd admitted they lacked evidence for labeling an undocumented man as a gang member. as such, he was eventually disqualified from applying for a visa, due to being unduly stigmatized. 

michel martin, a member of the midwest gang investors association, says gang databases should regularly be cleared of wrong information to protect the civil rights of people. martin notes police departments who fail to do this could eventually be forced to clear their databases.

One of every 10 adults in Mississippi is disenfranchised

there are 22 crimes which disenfranchise mississippi voting residents. this impacts about 16% of the black electorate, and 10% of adults. their rate triples the national rate of disenfranchisement, according to a new report by the mississippi naacp, one voice and the sentencing project.

out of the estimated 218,100 people disenfranchised in mississippi, 93% are living in the community, either under parole supervision or probation, or they have completed their criminal sentence.

in order to regain voting rights, disenfranchised individuals have three options: 1) apply for a pardon from the governor; 2) apply for an executive order restoring civil rights from the governor; or 3) have the state legislature pass a bill of suffrage on their behalf (which must pass with 2/3 majority.

this cumbersome - and racially oppressive - process results in very few people actually regaining their right to vote. in fact, between 2000 and 2015, only 335 out of 166,494 people who completed their sentence had their voting rights fully restored.   

the report offers some recommendations: 1) notify individuals at sentencing about loss of voting rights and how to regain them after completing their sentence; 2) increase data collection on disenfranchisement across the state; and 3) implement automatic rights restoration for people who have completed the terms of their felony sentence. 
  

  

"Black Panther" opening sets box office record with $235 million over four day holiday weekend

"black panther" shattered box office records with an estimated $235 million in u.s. and canadian ticket sales for the four-day holiday weekend. the previous record holder was "deadpool," which made $152 million domestically over the four-day holiday in 2016.

the marvel entertainment release, the first global superhero blockbuster with a black director and predominantly black cast, set records for a february opening, and for a presidents day weekend debut. "black panther" is fifth highest domestic opening weekend of all-time. 

one of the most highly-anticipated films of the year, "black panther" landed an a-plus audience rating from cinemascore, and a 97% "fresh" rating among critics on rotten tomatoes. as such, it is now the most well-received superhero film ever.

"results like this go beyond anything anyone ever could have hoped for. the momentum that the film has, has left us unable, even, to keep up with projections. it's unbelievable," said dave hollis, president of global distribution at disney.

some folks in hollywood believe films with predominantly black casts don't succeed at the foreign box office. but disney reported $169 million in international ticket sales - a figure expected to climb dramatically when "black panther" opens in major markets including china, japan and russia.

hollis said, "it's a testament to an extraordinarily made film. but also, a big part of it too says very clearly that inclusion and representation matter. it's a powerful thing for people to see themselves and know that they're seen in the films we put up in a movie theater. audiences deserve to see themselves on screen. not only because it's the right thing to do, but it makes for better, richer storytelling."

an ethnically diverse audience pool gave "black panther" five out of five stars on a comscore/screen engine posttrak audience survey. the moviegoers were 37% black, 35% white, 18% latino, 5% asian, and 5% other.  

Eagles beat Patriots in Super Bowl 52

the philadelphia eagles defeated the new england patriots 41-33 to win super bowl 52 at us bank stadium in minnesota on sunday. eagles quarterback nick foles was named mvp. foles completed 28 of 43 passes for 373 yards and four touchdowns, including one td reception.

foles is the first backup to win a super bowl since patriots qb tom brady. he's the first player in super bowl history to have a passing and receiving td in the same game. foles said, "we've played this game since we were little kids, we dreamed about this moment. there's plenty of kids watching this game right now dreaming about this moment and someday will be here."

eagles owner jeffrey lurie was asked what the win meant to the city of philadelphia. lurie said," if there's a word, it's called everything. that's what it means to eagles fans everywhere. and for eagles fans everywhere, this is for them." 

foles led a 75-yard drive to the winning score, an 11-yard td pass to tight end zach ertz with 2:21 to go in the game. the ball popped into the air when ertz crossed the goal line, and was challenged by the pats. "if they would have overturned that, i don't know what would have happened to the city of philadelphia, but i'm glad they didn't overturn it," ertz said. 

eagles defensive end brandon graham strip-sacked brady and derek barnett recovered, setting up rookie jake elliott's 46-yard field goal for an eight point lead. brady led the defending champs to midfield, but his desperation pass in the end zone with nine seconds left failed. graham said, "for us, it was all about one stop we had to make. we went out here and made that one stop."

in a highly-competitive, thrilling shootout, both teams combined for 1,151 yards, the most by two teams in any game (preseason, regular or playoff). brady threw for a postseason record 505 yards. eagles coach doug pederson is a champion in just his second year in charge. patriots coach bill belichick is now 5-3 in super bowls.

the philadelphia eagles are nfl champs for the first time since 1960. 

Lewis, Moss, Owens and Urlacher among eight players in the 2018 NFL Hall of Fame

middle linebackers ray lewis and brian urlacher, and wide receivers randy moss and terrell owens headline the eight players honored on saturday in the 2018 nfl hall of fame. offensive linemen robert brazile and jerry kramer, personnel executive bobby beathard and safety brian dawkins were also inducted by the 47 voters.

lewis helped the baltimore ravens win the super bowl in 2000, and was super bowl mvp. lewis is a two-time ap defensive player of the year, and was all-pro for eight seasons. urlacher was the 2005 defensive player of the year on the chicago bears, and joined lewis on the 2000s all-decade team.

moss led the nfl in td catches five times, including his record 23 for new england in 2007, and earned four all-pro selections. moss finished his 14-year career with 982 receptions for 15,292 yards. he ranks second all-time with 156 td receptions. owens ranks second to jerry rice with 15,934 yards and is third - just behind moss - on the all-time td receptions list with 153.

dawkins spent most of his 16-year career with the philadelphia eagles. dawkins was a first-team all-pro five times, and registered 37 interceptions and 26 sacks. he became the first player in history with a sack, interception, fumble recovery and td catch - in the same game - against houston in 2002.

kramer, a senior inductee, helped anchor the green bay packers offensive line for 11 years and win six nfl titles. kramer's block cleared the way for bart starr's td sneak in their 1967 super bowl victory. brazile played a decade for the houston oilers, making all-pro five consecutive years. beathard helped build four super bowl champions in miami and washington, and made seven trips to the title game in 30 years as a personnel executive.   

Former Knicks All-Star Charles Oakley cleared of assault charges

former new york knicks all-star forward charles oakley was cleared of misdemeanor assault charges. the charges stemmed from an incident last year before a knicks regular season game at madison square garden.

the new york post on friday reported a manhattan judge dismissed the charges. oakley got into a scuffle with several madison square garden security guards, was handcuffed and removed from the garden, to a chorus of boos from the fans.

oakley and prosecutors agreed to a deal last august. their deal stated the charges would be dropped if oakley stayed out of trouble for six months. oakley's lawyer, alex spiro, says oakley has been "completely vindicated."

the beloved former all-star power forward played for the knicks from 1988 to 1998. but in recent years, his turbulent relationship with knicks owner jim dolan has been public fodder. in fact, the night of the incident, dolan was sitting in the front row - and he did nothing to diffuse the situation.

dolan later publicly accused oakley of having anger management issues and a problem with alcohol. dolan, an admitted recovering alcohol (sober over 20 years), was chastised by journalists, former knicks players, many knicks fans, and people on social media for his disrespectful, insensitive and unkind remarks.

oakley was accused of striking a madison square garden security guard before the knicks game on february 8, 2017. oakley has filed a lawsuit against dolan. the suit alleges oakley was the one assaulted.

Caroline Wozniacki and Roger Federer win 2018 Australian Open Singles Titles

world #2 caroline wozniacki of denmark on saturday night in melbourne defeated world #1 simona halep of romania 7-6, 3-6, 6-4 to win the australian open singles championship. this was the first career major singles title for wozniacki, and she was in tears after match point.

wozniacki lost her first major singles final at the u.s. open to serena williams in 2009. while clutching the winner's trophy, wozniacki said, "i'm sorry i'm just taking a second to hug daphne. i dreamt of this moment so many years, to be here now, it's a dream come true." neil diamond's "sweet caroline" played over the speakers as she carried the daphne akhurst memorial cup around rod laver arena.

on monday the popular 27 year-old regains the top ranking for the first time in six years - beating williams' record of five years and 29 days between stints at number one. wozniacki, humbly cognizant of being criticized by the pundits for being #1 and not winning a major, said, "i'm never going to get the question about being a world number one without a slam." 

world #2 roger federer of switzerland on sunday night in melbourne defeated world #6 marin cilic of croatia 6-2, 6-7, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 to win the 2018 australian open singles championship. federer's 20th major singles title is the most by any man in history. 

''i'm so happy, it's unbelievable. of course, winning is an absolute dream come true...the fairytale continues for us, for me, after the great year i had last year, it's incredible. i love you guys. thank you," federer said. he held up the trophy and got a standing ovation as tears streamed down his face. 

at the age of 36 years, 173 days, federer is the second oldest man to win a major singles final in the open era. ken rosewall won the australian open in 1972 at age 37. federer missed the last six months of 2016 due to injury. yet he's won three of the last five majors. he now joins margaret court (24), serena williams (23) and steffi graf (22) with 20+ major singles wins.
  

Aetna to pay $1.15 million civil penalty after leaking 2,460 members' HIV status

aetna will pay a $1.15 million civil fine, and vowed to improve it's privacy settings to settle charges it leaked the hiv-positive status of 2,460 new york members. during a mailing last summer, the confidential information could be seen in large transparent envelope windows.

new york attorney general eric schneiderman on tuesday said names, claim numbers and hiv medication instructions in the july 28, 2017 mailing were "clearly visible" to outsiders because of how aetna folded letters and inserted them into the envelopes. 

the mailing was intended to notify members of a class action settlement permitting them to buy hiv medication at discounted prices, rather than by mail - where their privacy might be compromised if families or neighbors saw the drug packages. 

"through it's own carelessness, aetna blatantly violated its promise to safeguard members' private health information," schneiderman said in a statement. the attorney general said his office uncovered similar issues with a september 25, 2017 mailing by aetna to 163 new york members with atrial fibrillation, an irregular heart condition.  

the hartford, connecticut-based company neither admitted nor denied any wrongdoing. however, aetna did agree to retain an independent consultant for two years to monitor its efforts to improve member privacy. 

also, last week they agreed to a $17.2 million settlement in the federal court in philadelphia of private litigation over similar claims by more than 11,000 members in new york and other states.

"we have worked to address the potential impact to members following this unfortunate incident. we are implementing measures designed to ensure something like this does not happen again as part of our commitment to best practices in protecting sensitive information," aetna said in a statement.

last month, aetna was bought by cvs health corp in a $69 billion transaction.      

ESPN fires McNabb, Davis after sexual harassment allegations

espn has severed their professional relationships with former all-star football players donovan mcnabb and eric davis because of sexual harassment allegations which surfaced during their recent employment with nfl network.

mcnabb and davis were named in a lawsuit this past october alleging sexual harassment at nfl network. the suit alleges mcnabb sent explicit and inappropriate text messages to former wardrobe stylist jamie cantor. davis allegedly touched cantor's genitals without her consent.

both mcnabb and davis were employed by espn after leaving nfl network. espn confirmed friday neither mcnabb nor davis would be employed by their network after an investigation into the allegations were concluded.    

mcnabb and davis served as nfl analysts for espn. they were both suspended by the network in december, when the allegations by cantor were initially made public.  

Sessions abolishes protections for state marijuana laws

the department of justice on thursday said they've abolished existing policies to prevent federal prosecutors from interfering states who legalized marijuana. attorney general jeff sessions indicated he'll use the power of the federal government to attack each states' ability to decide their own laws.

sessions' intentions will affect millions of americans who voted to approve the legalization of marijuana in their state. his decision may encourage federal raids on licensed, regulated and tax-paying businesses. 

these companies employ thousands of employees and generate hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue for various public services, which include new school construction and substance abuse treatment programs.

president donald trump agrees with sessions. during his presidential campaign, he said this should be an issue to be decided by the states, not the federal government, despite the overwhelming feelings of many americans who feel otherwise.