Page 6 - Florida Sentinel 3-29-19

Political News
DeVos Criticized Over Plan To Cut Special Olympics Funding
Michelle Obama’s ‘Becoming’ Verges On Selling 10 Million Copies, Could Be
‘Most Successful Memoir Ever’
There are bestsellers, and then there’s Michelle Obama.
The #ForeverFirstLady has sold nearly 10 million copies of her memoir, Be- coming, making it one of the most popular books of the decade.
The parent company of publisher Penguin Random
MICHELLE OBAMA
House, German media pow- erhouse Bertelsmann, an- nounced Obama’s book sale numbers on Tuesday—along with a prediction from its CEO, Thomas Rabe.
“We believe this could be- come the most successful memoir ever,” Rabe told re- porters in Berlin, according to Bloomberg.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is facing sharp push- back over a proposal to cut federal funding to the Special Olympics.
Celebrities, politicians and activists have taken to social media to rebuke DeVos for her plan to cut funding for the group as part of $7 billion in reductions in 2020. The organization received $17.6 million from the Education Department this year, but DeVos says it should be sup- ported through philanthropy. House Democrats grilled DeVos in a budget hearing Tuesday, with Rep. Bar- bara Lee, D-Calif., calling the cut “appalling.”
Others calling on DeVos to rethink the decision include
SAN FRANCISCO — Face- book is extending its ban on hate speech to prohibit the promotion and support of white nationalism and white separatism.
The company previously allowed such material even though it has long banned “white supremacists.” The social network says it hadn’t applied its ban to expressions of white nationalism because it previously linked such ex- pressions with broader con- cepts of nationalism and separatism — such as Ameri- can pride or Basque sepa- ratism, both of which are still allowed.
But civil rights groups and academics called this view “misguided” and have long
BETSY DEVOS
former Ohio Gov. John Ka- sich, a Republican, and Julie Foudy, former captain of the U. S. women’s soccer team.
A department spokes- woman says DeVos supports the organization and has do- nated to it in the past.
The first word of caution came Monday night from the man who once led the Demo- cratic Party, as former presi- dent Barack Obama gently warned freshman Democrats to think carefully about the costs of their bold liberal pro- posals.
The next day, the current leader of the party, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.), told her caucus in a closed-door meeting to refo- cus attention on ideas that won Democrats the majority in 2018, particularly ensur- ing health care for millions of Americans.
Taken together, the Dem- ocratic leaders past and pres- ent delivered a message of pragmatism as they sought to unify their party ahead of 2020 elections, focus on their legislative agenda and move past impeachment talk after a special counsel did not find
NANCY PELOSI
a criminal conspiracy involv- ing President Trump asso- ciates and Russia during the 2016 campaign.
Trump, ironically, may have helped Democrats in that endeavor. The Justice Department’s decision Mon- day night to challenge the le- gality of the Affordable Care Act gave Democrats the op-
BARACK OBAMA
portunity to pivot to an issue that carried them to power in the House and highlight their new legislation protecting Americans with preexisting medical conditions.
Obama sang “Happy Birthday” to Pelosi during a meet-and-greet with fresh- man Democratic lawmakers. Pelosi turned 79 Tuesday.
Facebook Extends Ban On Hate Speech To ‘White Nationalists’
FACEBOOK
pressured the company to change its stance. Facebook says it concluded after months of “conversations” with them that white nation- alism and separatism cannot be meaningfully separated from white supremacy and organized hate groups.
Obama, Pelosi Stress Pragmatism As Democrats Seek To Move Past Mueller Report
White Supremacist Pleads Guilty In Fatal Charlottesville Car Attack
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — In a case that stirred racial tensions across the country, a self-avowed white supremacist pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal hate crime charges in a deadly at- tack at a white nationalist rally in Virginia, admitting that he intentionally plowed his speeding car into a crowd of anti-racism protesters, killing a woman and injuring dozens.
James Alex Fields Jr.
of Maumee, Ohio, pleaded guilty to 29 of 30 federal charges stemming from the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville on Aug. 12, 2017.
Under a plea agreement,
federal prosecutors will not seek the death penalty against Fields and will dis- miss the one count that car- ried death as a possible punishment. The charges he pleaded guilty to call for life in prison under federal sen- tencing guidelines.
Fields appeared stoic, with his hands folded in front of him for much of the hear- ing. He repeatedly responded “yes, sir,” when U. S. District Judge Michael Urbanski asked him if he was pleading guilty knowingly and volun- tarily.
PAGE 6-A FLORIDA SENTINEL-BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2019