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