NewsHero (beta) Weekend Update Issue 3
October 26, 2019
Welcome to this week’s edition of NewsHero for October 26, 2019
NewsHero stories are the result of scanning the entire field of news platforms that cover the spectrum from left to right.
We are always on the lookout, not just for facts and the truth—we are on the lookout for the heroes. When we say there are more heroes in the world than those causing harm, we believe it. You’ll see it in our headlines, our coverage, our editorials and cartoons.
We give you what you need to keep you in the know, but NewsHero readers are always invited to continue the investigation by following our many links to sources into further detail.
Now, here’s what’s been going on.
Weekly Brief
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill that makes most animal cruelty a federal crime.
Changes in same-sex marriage and abortion laws mark victory for equality in Northern Ireland.
Teachers on strike in Chicago aren’t only raising issues of pay; demands for more nurses, counselors, and psychologists are growing.
Civil rights groups are urging Facebook to act against discrimination and voter suppression.
Under new U.S. legislation Google and Facebook could be forced to tell users how much their data is worth.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has pardoned three convicted immigrants to help block deportations.
The California state workers' pension fund, the biggest public pension fund in the U.S., is the latest to pull financial backing from private prison firms that run ICE migrant detention centers.
A school video made public shows an Oregon coach disarming a student then embracing him before police arrive.
Reports confirm the number of Americans in favor of stricter gun laws continues to grow.
In an effort to thwart censorship attempts, the BBC has made its international news website available via the Tor network, privacy-focused software used to access the dark web. The browser can obscure who is using it and what data is being accessed, which can help people avoid government surveillance and censorship.
An environmental group this week called on the Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate possible insider trading involving a mining company that is pursuing a massive gold and copper mine in Alaska.
The Federal Aviation Administration is demanding an explanation after text messages reveal Boeing employees discussing 737 Max problems in 2016.
A British engineer and father of eight has signed a multi-million dollar deal to produce an electric car battery. The former Royal Navy officer’s invention could take drivers as far as 1,500 miles without needing a charge.
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ACLU Work Reveals 1,556 Children Separated From Families
New count shows more than 5,400 total families split under Trump administration
Protest in front of Federal Courthouse in Los Angeles, June 26, 2018. Richard Vogel/Associated Press
The American Civil Liberties Union said Thursday that U.S. immigration authorities separated more than 1,500 children from their parents at the Mexico border early in the Trump administration, bringing the total number of children separated since July 2017 to more than 5,400.
Judge Dana Sabraw U.S. District of Southern California ordered the administration in June 2018 to halt the controversial practice of forcibly separating detained migrant parents from their children. The ACLU said the administration told its attorneys that 1,556 children were separated from July 1, 2017, to June 26, 2018.
The Justice Department declined to comment.
They can be difficult to find, but volunteers working with the ACLU are searching for some of the children and their parents from that period by going door to door in Guatemala and Honduras. Of those separated during the twelve-month period, 207 were younger than five, said attorney Lee Gelernt of the ACLU, which sued to stop family separation.
"It is shocking that 1,556 more families, including babies and toddlers, join the thousands of others already torn apart by this inhumane and illegal policy," said Gelernt. "Families have suffered tremendously, and some may never recover.”
In related news, the Justice Department is proposing to begin collecting DNA samples from hundreds of thousands of immigrants crossing the border, creating a massive database that officials say will be used to help authorities fight crime.
Immigrant advocates have denounced the proposal, arguing that genetic information from those crossing the border could have implications for family members living in the U.S.
“It's the most intimate information that you can take from someone. It is information you can use to find their family members, to know their histories,” Naureen Shah, senior advocacy and policy counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union, told NPR. “And we're going to be taking it from people against their will.”
Aid Workers Report More Syrians Fleeing To Iraq
Refugee crisis grows amid cease-fire, children kept in ISIS prisons
Boys peered out from their crowded prison cell. Ivor Prickett/NY Times
According to aid workers operating in northern Iraq, the number of Syrians fleeing over the border is growing. On a recent day, the Norwegian Refugee Council reported 1,736 Syrians crossed into Iraq. Most of them they said “are children, women and elderly people in a huge state of physical and psychological distress.”
Many have resorted to high-priced smugglers to get them across the border to refugee camps, while other costs may be encountered by some. Khalsa Aid founder Ravinder Singh said his team went to the border this week to offer food and water to refugees lining up. According to Singh there were several rogue soldier and armed militia groups that he said were “taxing them to cross.”
It’s estimated that more than 7,140 have entered into Iraq since the start of Turkey’s incursion. Aid groups and the UN are planning for up to 50,000 in the coming months.
More than 166,000 Syrians have been forced from their homes so far, and the need for assistance is rapidly increasing. Aid group Preemptive Love said “Our Syrian team has run out of food.” A statement posted on the group’s website reported, “We’re on the ground. Our mobile clinics are providing urgent medical care, and our teams are feeding thousands. But the need is enormous.”
President Trump announced this week that conditions were met for what he called a “permanent cease-fire,” and that the U.S. is lifting sanctions on Turkey that were implemented following the invasion. Speaking at the White House, Trump said that while a “permanent cease-fire” will be tough to maintain, he hopes it will last.
In other news this week in Syria, Turkey’s invasion has reportedly led to the escape of more than 100 ISIS prisoners, while children of ISIS detainees are left in prison cells of their own to wonder their fate.
A Syrian Kurdish man in his 30s set himself on fire outside the UN refugee agency headquarters in Geneva. He was airlifted to a hospital in Lausanne for treatment.
Russian strikes at a Syrian rebel stronghold are raising fears of an offensive by the Assad regime.
President Trump sent $4.5 million in aid to the Syrian Civil Defense, a volunteer organization known as the White Helmets operating in parts of Syria and Turkey.
It was reported Thursday that the Pentagon may order tanks and soldiers to eastern Syria, marking the first time tanks have been deployed there. U.S. officials said the tanks would come from a unit already deployed to the Middle East.
And finally, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi led a group of U.S. lawmakers on a surprise visit to Jordan to discuss "the deepening crisis" in Syria amid the cease-fire. The visit came as parties on both sides have criticized President Trump for his withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria.
NewsHero Editorial
Art by Mark Minnig
In researching and sourcing NewsHero stories we’ve discovered that beneath the most shocking of headlines there are often brilliant articles—thoroughly fact-checked and accurately reported.
When looking for the hero in a story, we usually needn’t look far.
No matter a reader’s political leanings, we feel it's important they remember that these shocking headlines are designed to grab eyeballs, therefore grabbing ratings and ad revenue.
NewsHero however looks to tell these stories from the point of view of those who are helping over those doing harm.
Our editorial team deliberates on just who these heroes are in each story, and aims to make sure we don't give the hero status—the headline—to the worst in the story, simply because it will be easier to promote.
Since there are always people showing up to help, we’re confident we can lead with them, even if it might not be as catchy or clickable.
Under Pressure From Continued Protests Hong Kong Withdraws Extradition Bill
Murder suspect who prompted controversial bill freed from prison
A pro-democracy protester being detained by riot police on Oct. 21. Anthony Kwan/Getty Images
The Hong Kong government announced this week that it was withdrawing a controversial extradition bill that sparked months of protests for democratic change. The bill, seen as an example of Chinese authorities clamping down on Hong Kong’s high level of autonomy, could have allowed Hong Kong to send criminal suspects to places where it has no extradition agreement, including mainland China, Taiwan, and Macau.
“I now formally announce the withdrawal of the bill,” Secretary for Security John Lee told the city’s legislature. “Civil unrest” was cited as a reason for the withdrawal, but there are no signs that the removal of the bill will quiet the protests, now in their fifth month.
The long-expected scrapping of the bill was overshadowed by the release from a Hong Kong prison of the murder suspect at the center of the extradition case controversy. Chan Tong-kai, who completed a separate sentence for money laundering, told reporters after his release that he wished to turn himself in to authorities in Taiwan, where he’s wanted for killing his pregnant girlfriend, Poon Hiu-wing.
Chan admitted to Hong Kong authorities that he killed his pregnant girlfriend in Taiwan in 2018, but they were unable to prosecute or extradite him because of the absence of an agreement with Taiwan.
Carrie Lam, Hong Kong’s chief executive, used Chan’s case as an example for the need for a wide-ranging extradition bill. Lam’s policies have stoked fears of Beijing’s creeping influence over Hong Kong.
It was reported this week that Beijing is considering replacing Lam. Quoting sources, the Financial Times said the Chinese government is developing a plan to replace Lam with a possible successor who could be installed by March. Asked by CNBC if there are plans for a leadership change, a representative of the Hong Kong’s Chief Executive’s Office said it would not comment on speculation.
Career Diplomat Offers Key Testimony To Impeachment Investigators
U.S. judge validates legality of Democrat-led inquiry
William Taylor arriving on Capitol Hill on Tuesday. J. Scott Applewhite/Associated Press
In what has been called a “crushing blow” to President Trump, the top American diplomat in Ukraine testified behind closed doors this week to impeachment investigators. William Taylor’s testimony claimed that a number of senior administration officials told him that Trump blocked military aid to Ukraine and refused to meet the country’s leader until he agreed to investigate Trump’s political rivals, including former Vice President Joe Biden. Trump has denied any wrongdoing and says Democrats are trying to impeach him because they cannot win the 2020 election.
Laura Cooper, a top Pentagon official who oversees policy on Ukraine and Russia, also testified this week. Cooper’s deposition came only after a disruption from Republicans in which about two-dozen stormed closed-door proceedings with complaints regarding the impeachment inquiry process. Cooper offered a technical explanation of how foreign aid is disbursed. Several officials say her testimony helped show that the Ukraine aid deviated from the typical process.
Also this week:
Fox News reported this week that support for President Trump’s impeachment has reached a new high.
A U.S. district judge ordered the State Department to comply to a request for documents pertaining to the investigation.
The Associated Press reported that Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskiy felt pressure from Trump before taking office.
Representative Adam Schiff fired back at Republicans after a resolution attempting to censure him failed on the House floor.
The Justice Department is reportedly opening a criminal inquiry into its own Russia investigation, potentially exposing Attorney General William Barr to accusations that he is trying to deliver a political victory for Trump. The New York City Bar Association posted a statement on its website saying that the attorney general should recuse himself of legal review on Ukraine matters.
In a victory for House Democrats on Friday a judge in federal court validated the legality of the impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump and ordered the Justice Department to turn over documents from the investigation into Russia’s involvement in the 2016 election, including an unredacted copy of the Mueller report.
House Democrats told BuzzFeed News they hope televising impeachment proceedings will help inform the public while ending Republican complaints of secrecy as the 2020 election nears.
Protesters In London Want New Brexit Vote
Johnson calls for election amid deadlock
Demonstrators gathered in London to call for a new referendum on whether Britain should leave the European Union. Simon Dawson/Reuters
Hundreds of thousands of Britons marched through London recently to demand a new Brexit referendum, also celebrating an official vote to postpone Britain’s departure from the EU.
Labour member of the House of Lords Andrew Adonis commented the same day that “voters will neither forgive nor forget” if lawmakers allowed “this miserable Brexit to proceed without people being given the final say.”
Unable to see his Brexit plan approved by the October 31 deadline and having asked for an extension until January 31, Prime Minister Boris Johnson challenged lawmakers this week to approve a general election in December, with hopes of winning a popular mandate to fulfill his Brexit vision.
The opposition Labour party sees the move however as political gameplay rather than a genuine effort to effectively solve the Brexit crisis.
As officials prepare to debate Johnson’s deal, hundreds of angry unionists in Northern Ireland gathered to plan how they would resist the agreement should it become the law. Johnson’s proposal they say would draw a border down the Irish Sea, as Northern Ireland remains in the EU’s customs union and single market amid Britain’s withdrawal.
One activist expressed feelings of betrayal by calling the Brexit negations a “one-sided peace process.”
