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Erie County Legislature Chairwoman April Baskin angrily denounced Republican legislators Thursday after committee meetings, accusing them of not truly caring about racism.

"Ever since May 14, you ain't said (expletive) about racism. Since May 14. You haven't raised your hand to call out racism before. Ever," she yelled atRepublican Legislator Chris Greene, of Clarence, and a group of other Republicans.

She hurled the accusations across the Legislature floor after a Buffalo News reporter asked about two resolutions addressing allegations that the Clover Group operated under a racially biased policy to keep its housing developments out of Black communities.

The Clover Group controversy on Thursday broke open simmering resentments between Republican legislators and the Legislature chairwoman, who has championed issues of racial equity.

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The Lancaster-based company has strongly denied the allegations against it.

When the issue came before the Legislature last week, Greenebrought up the topic of Clover and the audio recording of Clover executives referring to African Americans as "Canadians" and saying they wouldn't build senior housing in communities where more than 20% of the residents were Canadian.

Greeneand the rest of the Republican minority caucus subsequently shared a resolution with the Democrats calling on the boards of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and the AKG Art Museum to suspend Clover President Michael Joseph from their boards until an investigation into the allegations could be completed.

Joseph has contributed thousands to New York Democratic governors and contributed $16,000 to the campaign of Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz from 2011 to 2014.

A Democratic staffer later presented the Republicans with an alternateresolution that did not mention Joseph but included broader language about standing up against racism and referenced Buffalo being a target of racist attacks such as the May 14, 2022, mass shooting.

Unlike the Republican resolution, which focused on Joseph, the Democratic resolution called for Clover to fire the individuals heard on the recording,for the company to make a statement against racial housing discrimination, and for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to investigate Clover.

The Republican resolution failed on party lines. All legislators voted in favor of the Democratic resolution.

A reporter asked Baskin and Legislator Howard Johnson, two Democratic city legislators who represent districts with large Black populations, why Joseph's name was not included on the Democratic resolution and whether any outside Democratic leaders had asked Democratic legislators to leave his name out of their resolution.

Clover Group, a real estate development firm headquartered in Lancaster, is about to get hit with two federal lawsuits that accuse the firm of deciding where to build senior housing on the basis of race.

Democratic legislators and staffers strenuously denied this, saying they received no calls from anyone about that.

Peter Anderson, a spokesman for Poloncarz,said any suggestion that there was any outside political involvement in the Democratic resolution is "100% wrong."

"Neither the County Executive nor anyone from this administration told the Legislature to do anything regarding a vote," he said.

Baskin went on to say she doesn't know Joseph and would never defend someone who might be racist for political reasons.

Baskin then angrily accused Greene of suddenly caring about racism when it involves someone with a history of contributing to Democratic officials.

"You tried to use me and Howard ... you tried to use racism as a political victory lap!" she said.

"Roll the tape back! Find the meeting minutes where you talk about racism."

Greene said he's always cared about racism, that he's strongly opposed racist behavior and pushed back against Baskin's assertions that he hasn't been supportive of racial equity issues that have come before the Legislature. He agreed with comments by Baskin and Johnson that racism was a community issue.

He also pointed out to The Buffalo News later that the Republican resolution was modeled on Buffalo Common actions. He noted that Council Council Member Rasheed Wyatt was demanding that Joseph step down from board positions.

"It's insulting to me that she's using the decade-old trope that somehow Republicans don't care about racism," he said.

Michael Joseph had been on Roswell Park's board for 19 years, including the last 16 as board chair, but had recently faced a growing chorus calling for his removal from that post after his development company was hit last week with a federal racial discrimination lawsuit.

Baskin and Johnson falsely accused Republicans of never otherwise saying anything denouncing racism.

Legislators on both sides of the aisle have expressed opposition to racism and racial discrimination, especially after the May 14 attacks, though Democrats and Baskin in particular have been the ones to push issues of racial justice in floor resolutions.

Baskin said she didn't believe Greene was sincere in his positions about racism because he and the rest of the Republican minority caucus opposed the creation of an Office of Health Equity and opposed the women- and minority-owned business modernization act that would give preferential treatment to such business owners in government contract deals.

Greene said he didn't believe people should be treated differently by government based on their race or gender, and that while he supports funding to address health disparities, he did not support the creation of a new, permanent county department.

Johnsonsaid the Legislature, in general, does not talk in any meaningful, bipartisan way about the issue of racism, which makes it hard to trust the intentions and motivations of the Republican caucus.

News Staff Reporter Stephen T. Watson contributed to this report.

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Baskin accuses Republicans of not truly caring about racism - Buffalo News

Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/Reuters

Republicans say theyre simply following due process. Democrats say theyre trying to do right by voters and Congress. And all the while, as the two sides bicker, indicted Rep. George Santos (R-NY) will remain in Congress.

After Republicans turned a long-shot motion to kick Santos out of Congress into a vote to refer the matter to the Ethics Committee, Democrats were quick to cry foul, complaining that Republicans were just using due process as an excuse to keep Santos in Congress indefinitely.

The House voted 221-204-7 on Wednesday along party lines, with seven Democrats voting present, on a procedural motion to refer the matter of Santos expulsion to the Ethics Committee. That decision will allow Santos to continue serving while a slow-moving judicial process takes place, and it gives Republicans the cover they wanted to not remove Santos. (They didnt vote to not remove Santos; they simply voted to refer the matter to the Ethics Committee.)

Republicans said they wanted to wait for either House Ethics to hand down some recommended sanctions, or for Santos to be formally convicted after his indictment on 13 federal charges last week, to actually remove Santos from Congress. But as Democrats noted, all Republicans really did was buy Santosand themselvessome time.

George Santos Staffer Faces Discipline for Menacing Sexual Comments to Reporter

Ethics investigations are slow. Prosecutions for criminal misconduct are potentially even slower. And the Department of Justice generally asks House Ethics not to investigate something they are also investigating.

By delaying a Santos expulsion, Republicans get to keep their slim majority from getting even slimmerparticularly ahead of critical votes on the debt limit and federal budget. If he were to be expelled, or to resign, it would spark a special election in his swing district, which went to President Joe Biden in 2020.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-C) has urged House Ethics to move rapidly. And hes insisted the committee will move forward, even if DOJ objects.

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Still, not all of his members think its that simple.

Does Ethics ever work quickly? Its kinda hard to say, said Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) on Wednesday. I will vote to refer it to ethics, thats the right move. In the past we have expelled members when there's a conviction. I did a little bit of research on the history and precedent and that's how we've done it in the past but I will say this: George Santos should resign. Period.

Santos has a year-and-a-half left in office, in which hell live on a taxpayer-funded salary, receive the perks of staff and resources given to members of Congress, and be the voice representing his hundreds of thousands of constituents. Hes running for re-election, too, and has shown no willingness to resign.

All the same, every single House Republican in attendance on Wednesday voted in favor of sending the referendum to the Ethics Committee. Democrats voted against, except for seven Democrats that voted present, most of whom were on the Ethics Committee themselves. (Its highly unusual for members on House Ethics to vote on a referendum to come to themand the support from House Republicans raised some eyebrows.)

Three memberstwo Democrats and one Republicansimply didnt vote.

A number of House Republicans have called on Santos to resign. But it seems that outright expelling him is a different storyas even those anti-Santos Republicans fell in line with McCarthy plan Wednesday.

Some Republicans have justified their opposition to expulsion by insisting its a political move by Democratsand that expulsion historically has been reserved for members who are already convicted.

Democrats say its a matter of not kicking the can down the roadand getting Santos out sooner rather than later.

Republicans in the House now have an opportunity to stand with the American public and their constituents or to stand with someone who has been indicted on 13 counts, Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA), who introduced the resolution, said at a press conference Wednesday morning. We also understand that expulsion is serious.

Another frequent critic of Santos, freshman Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY), was emphatic that criminal standards of law shouldnt be the standard for serving in Congress.

Indictment Highlights One of George Santos Greatest Hypocrisies

We should not be in a body where criminal law concepts of due process dictate whether or not someone belongs here, Goldman said. The measure of whether someone deserves to be a member of Congress is not merely whether they are a criminal or not.

In the past, there has been a high bar for expelling a member of Congress, one even Santos hasnt quite reached. The last expulsion happened two decades ago after Rep. Jim Traficant (D-OH) was convicted for bribery, tax evasion and racketeering. Before that, it was Rep. Michael Myers (D-PA), who was expelled after he was convicted of bribery. Before that, it was the 1800s, when more than a dozen members were convicted for supporting the confederacy.

But the quantity of evidence against Santos for so many different misdeeds is, to say the least, staggering.

Santos has already admitted to some of his embellishments, acknowledging in January that he jazzed up his resume for the sake of electability. But hes adamantly denied wrongdoing in many of the reports that have come out since, ranging from him stealing puppies from an Amish dog breeder, to numerous questionable campaign finance filings of $199, to his massive campaign loans probably not being legal.

In order for an actual expulsion vote to succeed, all Democrats and 77 Republicans would have to vote for the measure, which was always unlikely. A vote to refer the issue to House Ethics only requires a simple majorityand it saved Republicans from actively to taking a vote to save Santos.

To be sure, there is also an obvious political motivation for Democrats in the expulsion vote: On top of potentially taking out a Republican vote, it was a chance to put Republicans on the record protecting the scandal-plagued member.

As of Wednesday, Democrats House Majority Forward had already begun making robocalls in districts held by vulnerable House Republicans, encouraging voters to pressure their members to support the expulsion, according to Axios.

Meanwhile, Santos appears to be outright enjoying the attention. He changed his Twitter profile picture to a shot of him exiting the courthouse last week, surrounded by reporters.

On the House floor Wednesday evening, Santos did, in fact, support delaying a vote on his expulsion too. He told reporters on the Capitol steps as he exited that he believes he has a "constitutional right" to defend himself.

When The Daily Beast asked if he would willingly comply with an Ethics Committee recommendation that he step down, Santos said, Well, of course, I mean, I'm not chaining myself here. If the ethics committee makes that recommendation that's a different story.

Santos says he has been cooperative with the Ethics Committee but has not yet appeared before them.

Santos ultimately cut out of the gaggle as two of his New York colleaguesReps. Jamaal Bowman and Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY)started heckling him.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Republicans Pull Off Face-Saving Gambit to Keep George Santos in Congress - Yahoo News

US politics

Experts say partys tough-on-crime approach for 2024 could spark rise in violence and worsen US mass incarceration

Republican and rightwing rhetoric over the state of crime in the US could spark a rise in violent incidents and worsen the countrys mass incarceration problem, experts say, as tough-on-crime political ads and messaging seem set to play a large role in the 2024 election.

Violent crime was a huge focus for Republican candidates during the 2022 midterm elections. Republicans spent about $50m on crime ads in the two months leading up to those elections, the ads pushing a dystopian vision of cities ridden by murder, robbery and assault, and of Democratic politicians unwilling to act.

As the 2024 contest heaves into view, it is clear that Republicans plan to follow the same playbook.

Joe Biden and the defund-the-police Democrats have turned our once-great cities into cesspools of bloodshed and crime, Trump said in a recent campaign video.

Trump said if elected president he would order police forces to reinstate stop and frisk a police tactic which has been shown to disproportionately target young Black men and said he wanted to introduce the death penalty for drug dealers.

Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor who is expected to be Trumps closest rival for the Republican presidential nomination, has also leaned into tough-on-crime rhetoric and policy. Last month, DeSantis signed a law lowering the death penalty threshold in Florida, allowing people convicted of certain crimes to be sentenced to death if eight or more jury members recommend it.

They think thats the way to score political victories, said Udi Ofer, a professor at Princeton University and the former deputy national political director of the American Civil Liberties Union.

I think theres a bit of a kneejerk, and, quite frankly, lazy attitude that tough-on-crime is the only way to win an election, despite the fact that we have so much evidence today that shows there are other ways.

There is also an element of Republicans, and, Ofer said, some Democrats, pouncing on an increase in violent crime during the Covid pandemic.

The Brennan Center for Justice found that the number of murders per 100,000 people rose by nearly 30% nationwide in 2020, while aggravated assault rose by 11.4%. The rate of murder rose in big cities, which tend to vote Democratic and which are repeatedly demonized by Republicans and the rightwing media. But it also rose across the rest of the country.

So-called red states actually saw some of the highest murder rates of all, the Brennan Center said.

Since that peak, most types of violent crime have now dropped. Crime declined in 35 large cities in 2022, according to the Council on Criminal Justice, although rates remain higher than pre-pandemic levels. Still, the rate of homicide in major cities was about half that of historic peaks in the 1980s and early 1990s.

The 1980s was when tough-on-crime rhetoric exploded, Ofer said. It culminated in the election of prosecutors who promised more convictions and longer sentences.

The impact, Ofer said, was an exponential growth in incarceration in the US. About 300,000 people were in prisons and jails in 1973, but by 2009 that number had grown to 2.2m making the US the largest incarcerator in the world.

This was a result of hundreds of new laws and practices at the local level, at the state level, at the federal level, including new mandatory minimum laws, more cash bail and pre-trial detention, and more aggressive prosecutorial and policing practices, Ofer said.

In this crime crackdown, not everyone was treated equally. Black people have been historically more likely to be arrested than white people, which led to higher rates of incarceration. A 2003 report by the Bureau of Justice Statistics found that in 2001 an estimated 16.6% of adult black males were current or former State or Federal prisoners. Just 2.6% of adult white males had been incarcerated.

Some progress has been made in the last two decades. By 2020 the number of people in jail or prison was down to 1.2 million meaning the US still has the fifth highest incarceration rate in the world but the obsession with tackling crime, through measures including more arrests, more prosecutions and more imprisonments, could see a reversal.

We are on the verge again of seeing the types of policies that devastated particularly low-income communities of color grow again as it did in the 1980s and 1990s.

Republicans have led the charge on crime rhetoric, Ofer said. But now Democrats are getting in on the act we are seeing a growing movement within the Democratic party pushing for more tough-on-crime policies, Ofer said.

The rhetoric and fearmongering over crime has led, in part, to an expansion of stand-your-ground laws in the US. In the past 10 years, 14 states in the US have added some form of the law, which can rule that people determined to have acted in self-defense can escape prosecution for actions up to and including murder.

A 2022 investigation by Reveal found that 38 states now have some version of stand your ground and the laws have proved devastating: a study published in 2022 found that the legislation was linked with an 8-11% increase in homicides.

Ironically, given the accusation from the right that Democrats are too soft on crime, it appears to be traditionally red states that have the more serious crime problem.

The murder rate in the 25 states that voted for Donald Trump has exceeded the murder rate in the 25 states that voted for Joe Biden in every year from 2000 to 2020, Third Way, a US thinktank, reported in January. Third Way also found that in 2020 murder rates were 40% higher in Trump-voting states than Biden-voting states.

Although Republicans harangued Democrats over crime in the 2020 midterms, the strategy seems to have had mixed success. Republicans largely underperformed in those elections, and Ofer pointed to the success of progressive prosecutors across the country as evidence that a tough-on-crime message is not always a successful route to take.

As well as the impact on incarceration and violent offenses, the tough-on-crime approach can also lead to the demonization of certain communities, said Stephen Piggott, a researcher at Western States Center, a non-profit organization which works to strengthen democracy.

Republican talking points about the danger of immigrants and people who live in inner cities could be behind an increase in attacks on minority groups. In recent years, theres been a real mainstreaming of both violent and dehumanizing rhetoric, and its espoused by elected officials and media personalities, Piggott said.

And its really served to kind of normalize this political violence. When you have individuals with large platforms, like elected officials and media personalities, and theyre talking about things like an impending civil war, it could lead to folks kind of taking that to heart and then acting on it.

The number of hate crimes in the US increased by 12% in 2021, according to the FBI, although the true number is likely to be much higher, given data from some of Americas largest cities was not included in the FBIs report.

About 65% of the hate-crime victims were targeted because of their race, according to the report, while 16% were targeted over their sexual orientation and 14% of cases involved religious bias.

So there are direct consequences on the ground for people of color, immigrants, the LGBTQ+ community, Piggott said.

Theres a lot of impact going on right now.

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Stark warning over Republicans dehumanizing rhetoric on crime - The Guardian US

A snap decision to step away has become a lifestyle shift for Philippa Moore. Though keeping up with friends can be tricky, she has no regrets

Wed 17 May 2023 11.00 EDT

On 10 January 2022 I thought I was going a bit mad.

Or maybe, after everything that had happened over the past two years and with the country in the grip of yet another Covid surge, Id just had enough. If my social media feeds were anything to go by, so had everyone else. Every time I opened Instagram or Twitter I felt caught up in a maelstrom of anger and hopelessness.

After reading one self-righteous rant too many, I made the snap decision to step away from social media. I didnt announce it. I just disappeared. I was curious to see what might happen and, more importantly, whether it would help.

As virtual dust settled on my profiles, I realised this decision had been building for some time. I didnt know whether social media was the problem or whether I was. All I knew was something had to give.

Within a week, my screen time was down a whopping 81%. And it wasnt just time I had regained. I felt as though I had my brain back. I had the ability to focus, to think clearly and deeply. I had more energy. I was sleeping better. I felt more creative and confident. My fear of missing out had vanished.

As the weeks passed, I noticed how much more relaxed I was, despite everything going on around me. It felt rebellious, thrilling even, to have vanished into thin air. My Fitbit reported the lowest resting heart rate Id had in months.

Initially I decided to see if I could make it through a week. Then two. Its now been 16 months and counting.

Every time I consider returning, the case against it is stronger. I dont want to go back to feeling anxious, sad, inadequate or in need of external validation every time I pick up my phone. Of course I havent stopped feeling those things but theres been a drastic reduction. I notice those feelings faster and, because theyre not being fed, they dont linger as they used to.

Stepping away from social media also made me take my work more seriously. Instead of channelling my creativity into captions, it went into my actual writing my PhD thesis, a novel. Without the ability to tab elsewhere, I stayed in my chair when I hit writers blocks and then pushed through them. I wrote more in 2022 than I ever have. I applied for fellowships and entered competitions, and won some. Social media, it seemed, had not been the bolstering place of inspiration I thought.

I also discovered a community of people who had done the same thing and I found great comfort knowing it wasnt just me. Where did I find them? Good old-fashioned blogs.

I began writing online nearly 20 years ago, when the word blog was still unfamiliar to many. I loved blogging and built a strong community without any of the platforms at our disposal now. When blogs became unfashionable, that energy was transferred into social media. So last year I stepped back in time and started blogging again. Some people came looking for me there that was heartening.

Trying to keep up with friends has been a bit trickier. Some friendships have flourished during my social media absence. Im grateful that most happily transferred over to text or email. Ive even become old-fashioned penpals with several interstate friends. But there are a few whom I considered very good friends whose communication has dropped off, too. This has been the only real downside of the whole experiment. Ive tried not to take it too personally it was my choice to step away. But I wasnt stepping away from those friendships, nor asking them to do the same.

I lamented over a friends silence to my husband. Have I upset them? I asked, a little panicked. He shook his head. They still like and respond to everything I put on Instagram. I dont think theyd do that if they were upset. Its just, to some people, if youre not on socials, you dont exist. Weirdly, that made me feel a little better.

Social media exploits a primal human need connection. And it is harder to find when you dont want to hang out where everyone else is. But now when I open my phone I rarely come away feeling lost. Rather than letting an algorithm dictate my life, Im living it on my own terms.

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In the year since I quit social media, my screen time has fallen, my mood is up even my resting heart rate is lower - The Guardian

A virtual or electronic business card, sometimes a digital one, replaces the traditional paper business card. A virtual business card may include links to a persons social media networks and websites in addition to the conventional name, title, and contact information found on a traditional business card.

Virtual business cards may be quickly sent via email, text messaging, or online networking sites like LinkedIn or VCard. They are more versatile than traditional business cards and less wasteful. Sharing and preserving Virtual business cards differs significantly from storing and exchanging physical cards.

Due to the obstacle of conventional business cards physical character, exchanging them physically may be uncomfortable and time-consuming. On the other hand, virtual business cards offer the benefit of being easily shared and stored digitally, which expedites and simplifies sharing of contact information with others.

Virtual business cardshave many benefits over traditional business cards, the most important of which is their convenience. In addition, they are better for the environment since they do not need paper or other physical items. This can potentially reduce business cards environmental impact while promoting long-term viability.

Another advantage of Virtual business cards is their design and editing flexibility. You may only use information that fits on a normal business card; if any of that information changes, you must order new cards. If contact information or aesthetic preferences change, Virtual business cards remove the need to produce new cards regularly.

In addition to these benefits, Virtual business cards may provide advantages that conventional business cards do not. For example, links to your online accounts and portfolios may be included on your Virtual business card. People can locate and interact with you online more readily if you do this, increasing your online presence.

Virtual business cards are the best and least expensive way to get customers attention without spending much money or time. Many small businesses spend too much time and money creating and printing paper cards. The only cost of making digital gifts, though, is the time it takes to do so. Because of this, the total cost is less than it would be with standard calling cards.

Most workers give and get business cards at trade shows and gatherings. Virtual business cards can be sent quickly and easily online, giving the receiver complete access to whatever you wish to showcase. In addition, your buyers and friends can easily share your business card with people in their networks without having a physical copy.

Youll stand out fast since most people are not on the Virtual business card bandwagon. It shows how modern you are and how up-to-date you can be. This is a great way of making a good first impression.

If you add media assets to Virtual business cards, customers may learn more about your business and its past. For example, there could be movies, sign-up sheets, and other links to the outside world. This is a great way of encompassing everything you wish to showcase in your card.

Traditional business cards need to be carefully planned to fit all the important information, notes, and pictures on a small piece of paper. You can add details like your website, social media accounts, phone number, and more to Virtual business cards. Since there are only links to the data, you can add as much as you like to ensure the potential buyer has all the information.

Changing the text on paper cards requires a new print run. But this can be done quickly and easily with digital cards. It also tells your friends right away about any changes you make.

When youre through creating your Virtual business card, you have many choices for distributing it. The link may be sent through email or text, placed on social networking sites such as LinkedIn, or printed in physical form, if required, with a QR code that people can scan. Your contact information on your Virtual business card should always be up to date. This information may also be useful in your email signatures.

Virtual business cards, electronic reproductions of paper business cards, are becoming increasingly popular as a convenient and ecologically friendly alternative to traditional business cards. Virtual business cards offer the benefit of being easily updated and customizable and adding features like links to social media accounts and websites. In addition, they can be easily shared and stored electronically. Whether a small business owner, freelancer, or job seeker, a Virtual business card may help you network and market your firm.

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Virtual Business Cards: The Future of Networking - Eye On Annapolis