Protests escalate in New Delhi, Anti-lynching act passed, New Mexico adopts 'red flag' law, Climate advocates win at Heathrow + 'Duck Army' ready for action
NewsHero - Feb 27, 2020 - Issue 43
Welcome to this edition of NewsHero for Thursday, February 27, 2020.
We decided that being NewsHero—putting the hero of every story in the headlines as our priority—we’d go ahead and readily identify those heroes in each piece of coverage.
Going forward, heroes will be designated as follows:
🦸♀️🦸♀️🦸♀️ - the hero, hands down. - Meaning that it wasn’t even a close call.
🦸♀️🦸♀️ - the hero, but… - Meaning that in this situation the call needed to be looked at in a little more detail. For example, they did the right thing but there have been some questionable calls in the past.
🦸♀️ - the hero, but only here, and it was a close call. - Meaning that in this instance they did the right thing but it was either out of character or a maddeningly close call.
We love feedback. Whether it’s about this system or our choice of hero or anything else, feel free to let us know what you think here.
As always, thank you for your support as we strive to grow as an independent news source so we can offer more for our readers.
Please share us with anyone you think might like what we do—or might need another perspective.
NewsHero Notes
Facebook - 🦸♀️
Facebook says it is banning misleading ads on its platform that promise to cure, prevent, or otherwise cause panic around the coronavirus. In a statement given to The Verge, Facebook said it is working to support the World Health Organization’s efforts, “including taking steps to stop ads for products that refer to the coronavirus and create a sense of urgency, like implying a limited supply, or guaranteeing a cure or prevention. For example, ads with claims like face masks are 100% guaranteed to prevent the spread of the virus will not be allowed.”
Officials supporting the bill - 🦸♀️🦸♀️🦸♀️
Following approval by the budget committee and support from a majority of lawmakers, a climate change bill in Oregon hit a roadblock when 11 Republican state senators fled the capitol. The stunt was to deny the Democratic supermajority a quorum for voting on the bill, which caps greenhouse gas emissions. According to the Oregonian, the 11 Republicans who walked out represent just 36% of the state’s population.
Afternoon Brief
Emmett Till Antilynching Act
410 voters in the House of Representatives - 🦸♀️🦸♀️🦸♀️
The House of Representatives approved legislation on Wednesday that makes lynching a federal hate crime for the first time in U.S. history. The Emmett Till Antilynching Act was approved in a vote of 410-4. “This act of American terrorism has to be repudiated,” Illinois Democrat Bobby Rush, who sponsored the legislation nearly two years ago, told NPR. And “now it's being repudiated. It's never too late to repudiate evil and this lynching is an American evil.” That vote again was 410-4. Yes, four people voted against it: GOP members from Florida, Texas and Kentucky, plus the chamber's lone Independent from Michigan. Republicans accused the legislation of being an overreach by the federal government and encroaching on states' rights.
New Mexico Gun Control
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham - 🦸♀️🦸♀️🦸♀️
New Mexico is moving forward with “red flag” laws for gun safety in the state. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed into law Tuesday legislation that will allow courts to temporarily seize guns from individuals deemed a danger to themselves or others. “The Legislature had the strength to pass this measure because we all recognize: Enough is enough,” Lujan Grisham said in a statement. “This law is sensible and balanced. It is a good public safety measure. If it saves even one life, and it will, we will have done good work here.” New Mexico joins 17 other states that have passed similar “red flag” laws. Referring to law enforcement officials who say the legislation, called the Extreme Risk Firearm Protection Order Act, violates the Constitution, Lujan Grisham said, “They cannot not enforce," she said. "And if they really intend to do that, they should resign as a law enforcement officer and leader in that community.”
Runway Project
Opponents of Heathrow’s third runway - 🦸♀️🦸♀️🦸♀️
In a victory for climate activists, an appeals court blocked the British government’s plans to build a third runway at London’s Heathrow Airport, citing environmental reasons. Judges at London’s Court of Appeal said the plans did not fully align with Britain’s commitment under the Paris Agreement. London's mayor, Sadiq Khan, welcomed the decision on Thursday. “We won!” Khan tweeted after the ruling. “A new runway at Heathrow would have serious consequences on climate change, on air quality, on noise pollution, on road and rail networks and on the quality of life in our city,” he added in a statement.
UN Says India’s Citizenship Law Of ‘Great Concern’
Critics deem law biased against Muslims
Activists from different organizations hold banners calling for peace and communal harmony following violence in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020. (Rajesh Kumar Singh / associated press)
Anti-government protesters - 🦸♀️🦸♀️
Peaceful protesters - 🦸♀️🦸♀️🦸♀️
A citizenship law in India introduced last December has led to clashes between those supporting it and those against it. The law essentially makes it easier for non-Muslims from some neighboring Muslim-dominated countries to gain Indian citizenship. Critics say the law is biased against Muslims and undermines India’s secular constitution.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party has denied having any prejudice against India’s 180 million Muslims, saying that law is required to help persecuted minorities.
U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said the new law adopted is of “great concern” and she was worried by reports of police inaction in the face of assaults against Muslims by other groups. “I appeal to all political leaders to prevent violence,” Bachelet said in a speech to the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva.
A man carrying a child walks past security forces in a riot-affected area following clashes between people demonstrating for and against a new citizenship law in New Delhi, India, February 27, 2020. (Reuters/Adnan Abidi)
Anti-government protests centered in Muslim communities ongoing for months angered India’s Hindu nationalists, resulting this week in the worst communal rioting in New Delhi in decades, with security forces deployed, leaving 32 people dead.
Justice S. Muralidhar, a Delhi High Court judge who was hearing a petition into the riots and had criticized the government and police inaction on Wednesday, was abruptly transferred. Opposition Congress party leader Manish Tiwari said every lawyer and judge in India should strongly protest what he called a crude attempt to intimidate the judiciary.
Extra! Extra!
Duck Legion - 🦆🦆🦆
You know how sometimes you watch a movie trailer and then you feel like you’ve just seen the whole movie? News headlines can do that to you too sometimes. The following is a flock of headlines that we found, when read in succession, to be both entertaining and thorough. Full disclosure: we only read the headlines and not the story. We “watched the trailer.” Apologies for ruffling any feathers.
China may send ducks to battle Pakistan's locust swarms (BBC)
China may send 100,000 ducks to swallow locust plague (CNET)
Chinese experts mull using duck legion to help Pakistan wipe out locust plague (Global Times)
Army of 100,000 Chinese Ducks Ready to Fight Locust Swarms (Bloomberg News)
Questions raised about of China anti-locust ‘duck army’ (Washington Post)
China will not send ducks to tackle locusts in Pakistan, says expert (The Guardian)
So, that’s it? We went from “may send” to mulling it over, to battle-ready ducks waiting for the command, to “wait, we have some concerns about the duck army,” then to finally not sending the ducks. Guess we’re stuck with the locusts. But it’s good to know at any given time there might be a quack squad of 100,000 hero ducks ready to swoop in and save the day.
Sources:
Facebook confirms ban on misleading coronavirus ads - The Verge
Oregon Republicans shut down state Senate and run away to block climate bill - Salon
Four Lawmakers Vote Against House Bill to Make Lynching Federal Hate Crime, Cite 'Government Overreach’ - Newsweek
'It's About Time': House Approves Historic Bill Making Lynching A Federal Crime - NPR
Congress makes lynching a federal crime, 65 years after Emmett Till - NBC News
New Mexico's governor signed a red flag gun measure into law and urged sheriffs to enforce it or resign - CNN
New Mexico governor says sheriffs unwilling to enforce new red-flag gun law should resign - CBS News
New Mexico Governor to Sheriffs: Enforce Gun Law or Resign - US News
Heathrow third runway ruled illegal over climate change - The Guardian
Climate activists just blocked plans to expand Heathrow, one of the world's biggest airports - CNN
Heathrow expansion: Is this the end for the third runway? - BBC News
Scars of violence haunt India’s capital after deadly riots - AP News
Citizenship riots in Delhi turn deadly while Trump talks up religious unity in India - ABC News
New Delhi riots leave 38 dead as India balks at U.S. reaction to the religious violence - CBS News
Delhi riots: Anger as judge critical of violence removed - BBC News
Death toll rises to 32 in religious violence in India's capital - Reuters
China may send 100,000 ducks to swallow locust plague - CNET
Chinese experts mull using duck legion to help Pakistan wipe out locust plague - Global Times
China may send ducks to battle Pakistan's locust swarms - BBC News
Army of 100,000 Chinese Ducks Ready to Fight Locust Swarms - Bloomberg News
Questions raised about of China anti-locust ‘duck army’ - Washington Post
China will not send ducks to tackle locusts in Pakistan, says expert - The Guardian