NewsHero (beta) Afternoon Update Issue 21
Jan 28, 2020
Welcome to today’s edition of NewsHero for Tuesday, January 28, 2020.
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NewsHero Notes
Health professionals are working hard to keep tabs on the mysterious coronavirus, which reportedly increased in known cases by 60 percent overnight. You too can keep tabs on the virus with live updates from The New York Times.
According to a new Gallup poll, Americans visited the library in 2019 more than they went to the movies. Or sporting events, museums, concerts, amusement parks and casinos, among other things to do with their time… It’s true: the book really is almost always better than the movie!
Afternoon Brief
Climate
Nearly 200 world leaders will gather this November in Glasgow, Scotland for COP26, the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference. COP26 President Claire O’Neill told the BBC that the UK has “one shot” at making the conference a success, otherwise the public may question the UN’s approach to addressing the climate crisis.
Religion
ProPublica reports that many Catholic leaders are releasing lists of names of accused child abusers after decades of hiding their identities. These lists however are said to be incomplete and inconsistent. ProPublica on Tuesday published “Credibly Accused,” a nationwide interactive database that “lets users search for clergy who have been listed as credibly accused of sexual abuse in reports released by Catholic dioceses and religious orders.”
Women’s Rights
The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, designed as a blueprint for women’s empowerment, was ratified in 1995 at the Fourth World Conference on Women. Now, 25 years later at the 2020 meeting, scheduled for March 9-20, many of the rights included in the Beijing declaration, such as the right to sexual and reproductive health, will be up for review by the UN and its 193 member countries. It’s expected that U.S. President Trump’s anti-abortion stance will take center stage but that Europe will be pushing back.
ACLU, Politicians Speak Out Against Supreme Court ‘Public Charge’ Ruling
Critics say Trump rule threatens ‘values of our nation’
California Attorney general, Xavier Becerra, was one of those leading states fighting the new rule. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Thirteen states last fall filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging the Trump administration's so-called public charge rule that limits access to green cards for immigrants that receive certain government benefits. A New York judge also issued a nationwide injunction blocking the rule then.
Now the U.S. Supreme Court has allowed the rule to temporarily take effect, making it more difficult for immigrants to obtain permanent residency if they have used or are deemed likely to use public benefits such as food stamps and Medicaid. Individuals with disabilities as well as low-income families will be particularly affected.
Claudia Center, senior staff attorney with the ACLU’s Disability Rights Program, said: “This policy is yet another way for the Trump administration to hurt immigrants. It enshrines the false stereotype that people with disabilities do not contribute to our society. Families will suffer. Congress has repeatedly declared that disability discrimination violates federal law. This rule must be stopped.”
A mock-up of banned travelers’ passport is placed outside the U.S. Supreme Court, in Washington, DC, U.S., April 25, 2018. (Yuri Gripas/Reuters)
In Monday’s 5-4 ruling, it was the Supreme Court’s four liberal justices—Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elena Kagan, and Sonia Sotomayor—who would have prevented the policy from taking effect.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Monday called the Supreme Court decision “Shameful.” The Democrat from New York said, “America shouldn’t have a wealth test for admission,” she tweeted. “It’s a place where millions of people are descendants of immigrants who came w nothing & made a life.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James said on Monday that she is still working to put a permanent end to the rule. “Generations of immigrants have come to this country with little more than a dream in their pockets, but the president’s Public Charge Rule is an egregious attempt to infringe upon the values of our nation.”
Extra! Extra!
Sure Canada has its fair share of troubles just like other countries do, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently found himself at the center of a scandal he couldn’t have seen coming. Trudeau stopped in to Oh Doughnuts, a local shop in Winnipeg, to pick up some doughnuts for his cabinet meetings. Though supporting a local business, Trudeau wound up getting criticized for visiting a shop that people apparently considered too fancy-pants compared to the “real” doughnuts of Canada from national chain Tim Hortons. Trevor Noah had fun with the story on The Daily Show if you want to check it out. It’s understandable though, imagine how America would react if instead of going to Dunkin’ Donuts Donald Trump went to, oh, let’s see, Mar-a-Lago?
Sources:
Coronavirus Live Updates: Hong Kong Restricts Travel From Mainland China as Infections Exceed 4,500 - NY Times
More Americans went to the library last year than to the movies, a new Gallup poll finds - CNN
Climate change: UK has 'one shot' at success at Glasgow COP26 - BBC News
2020 UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 26) - IISD
COP26, the decisive climate change conference will be held in Glasgow in 2020 - LifeGate
Hundreds of accused clergy left off church's sex abuse lists - NCR
Catholic Leaders Promised Transparency About Child Abuse. They Haven’t Delivered - ProPublica
We Assembled the Only Nationwide Database of Priests Deemed Credibly Accused of Abuse. Here’s How. - ProPublica
List of Catholic clergy 'credibly accused' of sex abuse released, and results for Minnesota are shocking - Bring Me the News
25 Years After Beijing, What’s Next for Women Worldwide? - Ms. Magazine
Governments Set Plans for Beijing+25 in 2020 - IISD
Feminists Warm Up for Beijing+25 Reviews as the US Resists - PassBlue
ACLU Comment On Supreme Court Public Charge Ruling - ACLU
Ocasio-Cortez rips 'public charge' decision: 'The American Dream isn't a private club with a cover charge’ - The Hill
Supreme Court allows Trump administration to proceed with ‘wealth test’ rules for immigrants - Washington Post
Supreme Court allows Trump’s ‘public charge’ immigration rule to take effect - CNBC
Supreme Court Allows Trump Admin to Implement ‘Public Charge’ Test for Immigrants - National Review
Supreme Court allows enforcement of 'public charge' rule for green card - Univision
Ilya Kaminsky on Twitter - Twitter
Trevor Noah mocks Canada for Trudeau's doughnut drama - 660 News
Justin Trudeau’s Doughnuts, The Daily Show - YouTube