Page 6 - Florida Sentinel 7-23-19

White House And Political News
2,200 Incarcerated People To Be Released Early Under First Step Act
Trump Doubles Down, Says
On July 19, at least 2,200 federally incarcerated people were set to be released under the First Step Act, which was signed into law by Presi- dent Donald Trump with support from both Republi- cans and Democrats. The leg- islation was spearheaded by #cut50, an initiative of The Dream Corps, aiming to re- duce the number of people in our prisons and jails.
As part of the First Step Act, more than 1,600 inmates have qualified for a reduced sentence, while more than 1,100 have already been re- leased, the Department of Justice told the Associated Press.
When the legislation was first introduced last year, it faced criticism for not doing enough to reduce the length of prison sentences on the front end.
#cut50 co-founder Jes- sica Jackson, who went into law when her husband
in the First Step Act retroac- tively reduced the sentences of nearly 2,600 inmates not affected by the previous leg- islation.
“When it comes to sen- tencing and the crack cocaine disparity, you have to think about the Black people who have been excessively prose- cuted,” Reed told BET. “This bill rectifies this situation and allows folks to retroac- tively be released.”
“Yesterday, I met with someone who served 20 years in a life sentence, he was sentenced under the crack cocaine provision in 2005. He was released within a week after the First Step Act was signed into law,” Reed added.
The law also addresses the mandatory minimum sen- tences under federal law by expanding the “safety valve” judges use to avoid handing down mandatory minimum sentences in certain cases.
'Should Apologize To America'
was incarcerated, and #cut50 national organizer Louis Reed, who spent 14 years in prison, told BET they re- worked the proposed legisla- tion by incorporating changes from their personal experiences.
The provisions in the First Step Act go even further than the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010, which helped to reduce the disparity between crack and cocaine sentences on the federal level. The provisions
President Trump on Sunday doubled down on his attacks against a group of mi- nority congresswomen, say- ing that they should "apologize" to the United States for the things they have said.
"I don’t believe the four Congresswomen are capable of loving our Country," Trump said in an early morning tweet. "They should apologize to America (and Is- rael) for the horrible (hateful) things they have said. They are destroying the Democrat Party, but are weak & inse- cure people who can never destroy our great Nation!"
The comments from Trump come a week after he sparked an uproar by telling the four freshman House De- mocrats — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.),
PRES. TRUMP
Ilhan Omar (Minn.), Rashida Tlaib (Mich.) and Ayanna Pressley (Mass.) — to "go back" to the "crime infested places" they came from before speaking out about U. S. policies. Omar is the only one of the four born outside the U. S.
Progressive Congresswomen
Judge Upholds A Trump Admin Alternative To Obamacare
International Poll Crowns Michelle Obama The ‘Most Admired Woman’ In The World
Former First Lady Michelle Obama responds to questions as she is interviewed by actress Sarah Jessica Parker during an ap- pearance for her book, "Becoming: An Intimate Conversation with Michelle Obama" at Barclays Center Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2018, in New York.
The lawsuit, brought by a coalition of non-profit insurers that sell plans on the Afford- able Care Act exchanges and by patient assistance groups, centers on the administration extending the duration of short-term health insurance plans to just under one year, instead of three months. The rule, which was issued last year, stems from an executive order President Donald Trump issued in the fall of 2017.
"Plaintiffs have strived mightily to frame the 2018 rule as such an 'extraordinary' ad- ministrative action, striking a blow to the heart of the ACA in a manner that is both unprece- dented and unworthy of judi- cial deference," Judge Richard Leon of the U. S. District Court for the District of Columbia wrote in his deci- sion. "Unfortunately for the plaintiffs, neither the law nor the facts supports that conclu- sion."
The ruling represents a win for the administration, which recently has suffered a string
of setbacks in court over its ef- forts to chip away at the Af- fordable Care Act and to reduce health care costs.
Short-term plans, which have been available for years and were originally designed to fill a temporary gap in cov- erage, are typically cheaper than Obamacare policies. But that's because they are allowed to exclude those with pre-ex- isting conditions and base rates on an applicant's medical history, unlike Obamacare plans.
Opponents of these policies say they could hurt patients who need coverage and could roil the Affordable Care Act markets by drawing healthier consumers away from the ex-
changes and pushing up the premiums for those who re- main.
"Indeed, the district court itself recognized that adminis- tration's decision allows junk insurance to compete directly with comprehensive, Afford- able Care Act-compliant insur- ance plans," said Margaret Murray, chief executive offi- cer of the Association for Com- munity Affiliated Plans, the lead plaintiff. "That result sub- verts the health care protec- tions of the ACA. Junk insurance, no matter what it's called, is an inferior and haz- ardous substitute for compre- hensive coverage."
Murray indicated the as- sociation will continue the legal battle, saying, "We are confident that the appellate court will see this differently."
The Trump administra- tion is currently appealing an- other district court judge's decision invalidating its effort to make it easier for small businesses to band together and buy coverage in associa- tion health plans.
Michelle Obama has gained the moniker, “our for- ever First Lady,” since leav- ing the White House, but according to a new poll taken across the globe, her popular- ity far surpasses her Ameri- can fanbase.
According to a recent YouGov.com poll, which sur- veyed 42,000 people in 41 countries, Obama tops the list as the “Most Admired Woman in the World,” re- placing actress and human rights activist Angelina Jolie.
The former FLOTUS even beat out good friend, media mogul and talk show legend Oprah Winfrey, who came in right behind her in second
place. Jolie fell to third while Queen Elizabeth II, who last year became an in-law to Meghan Markle, was fourth on the list.
First Ladies are found around the YouGov list this year. Former Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, is found on the list at no. 8 and cur- rent First Lady Melania Trump slid into the top 20 at no. 19.
On the Most Admired Men’s list, former president Barack Obama, came in at number two, right behind tech billionaire and philan- thropist Bill Gates who topped the list this year.
PAGE 6 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, JULY 23, 2019