Thursday, September 17, 2015

Republican debate: Fact-checking the candidates

Washington (CNN)The CNN Fact-Checking Team worked through both Republican debates Wednesday night, comparing notable, surprising or otherwise interesting claims from the candidates against the facts.

The team, comprised of researchers, editors and reporters across CNN, picked the juiciest statements, analyzed them, consulted issue experts and then rated them either: True; Mostly True; True, but Misleading; False; or It's Complicated.

Saturday, September 12, 2015

What you need to know about Hillary Clinton’s e-mails

What happened
Hillary Clinton used a private e-mail server to carry out State Department business while she was Secretary of State. Some of her correspondence was between non-government e-mail addresses.
Records not under government control

Why it matters
Used private e-mail server

Records not involving government e-mail addresses were not under government control, raising issues concerning security and the State Department’s ability to follow open records laws.

The Shutdown Congress, And Why The GOP Can't Help Itself

<span class='image-component__caption' itemprop="caption">Speaker John Boehner has said no to more government shutdowns, but ...</span>The U.S. government shut down for 16 days in 2013 because some Republicans wanted to "defund" Obamacare. The shutdown hurt the economy and polls showed Americans blamed the GOP.
Several Republican lawmakers said it was a mistake.
House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) have both vowed there will be no more shutting down of the government. On Friday, McConnell called it "an exercise in futility." Last month, he summed up the folly by saying"there's no education in the second kick of a mule."
Nevertheless, a sizable contingent in their party appears ready for a remedial encounter with the hooves. The government will run out of money at the end of September, and while congressional leaders have yet to offer a plan to keep the lights on, some Republicans have already seized on the notion of linking that vital spending to a bill defunding Planned Parenthood -- a move that would guarantee deadlock.

Kim Davis released, but judge bars her from withholding marriage licenses

Kim Davis broke down in tears, then beamed as she stood before a cheering crowd after her release from jail Tuesday.
The Kentucky clerk, who was held in contempt of court for refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses, urged her supporters not to give in.
"Thank you all so much. I love you all so very much," she said. "I just want to give God the glory. His people have rallied, and you are a strong people. We serve a living God who knows exactly where each and every one of us is at. Just keep on pressing. Don't let down, because he is here. He's worthy."

Davis, who said issuing the licenses would violate her conscience and go against her religion, plans to return to work in Rowan County, Kentucky, this week and won't resign from her post, attorney Mat Staver said. Asked by a reporter whether her stay in jail was worth it, Davis smiled and nodded.

Rick Perry drops out of presidential race

Former Texas Governor Rick Perry addresses the 42nd annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) February 27 in National Harbor, Maryland.
Rick Perry, the former Texas governor who insisted he learned lessons from his disastrous 2012 presidential campaign, dropped his second bid for the White House on Friday after just 100 days.
"Today, I am suspending my campaign for the presidency of the United States," Perry said in an address in St. Louis that virtually mirrored his standard stump speech until the very end. "Life is good. I am a blessed man."

The departure of Perry, who had little support in early-voting states or among the GOP donor class, is unlikely to alter the contours of the Republican race. But Perry nevertheless implored his supporters in an email to back a candidate who embodies the principles of conservatism.

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

The 45-minute mystery of Freddie Gray's death

When Freddie Gray briefly locked eyes with police at 8:39 a.m. on a corner of an impoverished West Baltimore neighborhood two weeks ago, they seemed to recognize each other immediately. As three officers approached on bicycles along West North Avenue, the 25-year-old Gray was on the east corner of North Mount Street chatting with a friend, according to Shawn Washington, who frequents the block.
"Ay, yo, here comes Time Out," a young man on the opposite corner yelled, using a neighborhood term for police.
Gray swore, taking off on foot as the officers began hot-stepping on their pedals to catch up. One officer jumped off his bike to chase Gray on foot, police said.
"That was the last time I seen that man moving," said Washington, 48.

The 45-minute mystery of Freddie Gray's death
Investigators with the city police and other agencies are still trying to recreate the events of the next 45 minutes, during which Gray sustained a severe and ultimately fatal spinal cord injury while in police custody.
But in its own investigation, The Baltimore Sun found that police missed the opportunity to examine some evidence that could have shed light on events. For example, by the time police canvassed one neighborhood looking for video from security cameras, a convenience store camera pointed at a key intersection had already taped over its recordings of that morning.

Baltimore rioting kicked off with rumors of 'purge'

It started Monday morning with word on social media of a "purge" — a reference to a movie in which crime is made legal. It was to begin at 3 p.m. at Mondawmin Mall, then venture down Pennsylvania Avenue to the Inner Harbor.
With tensions in the city running high on the day of Freddie Gray's funeral, police began alerting local businesses and mobilizing officers.
The University of Maryland, Baltimore was one of the first institutions to acknowledge law enforcement concerns. With exams about to begin, school officials abruptly canceled classes "on recommendation of the BPD."
T. Rowe Price sent employees home; Lexington Market closed early. One by one, other businesses shut down.
When 3 p.m. came, 75 to 100 students heading to Mondawmin Mall were greeted by dozens of police officers in riot gear. The mall is a transportation hub for students from several nearby schools.
The students began pelting officers with water bottles and rocks. Bricks met shields. Glass shattered up and down Gwynns Falls Parkway. Officers sprayed Mace. Confrontations bled into side streets, where officers threw bricks back. A heavily armored Bearcat tactical vehicle rolled through the neighborhood.
One officer, bloodied in the melee, was carried through Westbury Avenue by his comrades. Police used tear gas to move crowds down the street.
Vaughn DeVaughn, a city teacher, watched the scene.

"This is about anger and frustration and them not knowing how to express it," he said. "Everyone out here looks under the age of 25. I'm out here for them.