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Entertainment

Little Island Unveils Free Monthlong Competition With Over 450 Artists

Little Island Unveils Free Monthlong Festival With Over 450 Artists

Little Island was dreamed up as a haven for the performing arts on the Hudson River, and in its first months, it is also being put forward as a playground for artists who have been kept from the stage for far too long.

The operators of the island announced on Tuesday that it would host a free monthlong arts festival starting in mid-August that would feature more than 450 artists in more than 160 performances.

There will be dance, including works curated by Misty Copeland, Robert Garland and Georgina Pazcoguin. There will be music, including the pianists Jenny Lin and Adam Tendler, the composer Tyshawn Sorey and the saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin and her band. And there will be live comedy, with television stars like Ziwe and Bowen Yang in the lineup.

The festival — which is being produced by Mikki Shepard, formerly the executive producer of the Apollo Theater — is another major effort by New York’s performing arts community to revive the arts after the pandemic darkened theaters and concert halls for over a year. For the performers, it is an opportunity to get paid to create new work and explore where their art is heading after months of pandemic restrictions, and in the wake of racial justice protests that swept the country.

“We wanted artists to have a voice in terms of, where are they now?” Shepard said. “Coming out of this pandemic, where do they want to be?”

By offering free performances, the festival’s objective is to host an audience that combines typical arts patrons with people who might not normally buy tickets to see live music or dance. The performances in Little Island’s 687-seat amphitheater will be ticketed, but shows located elsewhere on the island will not be, allowing tourists and other park visitors to stumble upon them as they’re walking around the 2.4-acre space.

“Nothing about it is refined,” said George C. Wolfe, a senior adviser working on the festival, which is called NYC Free. “It’s to give people a place to play.”

Copeland and Garland are co-curating a performance on Aug. 18 that features eight Black ballet dancers from three major companies: American Ballet Theater, New York City Ballet and the Dance Theater of Harlem, where Garland is resident choreographer. During the performance, Copeland will read aloud from American history texts on top of hip-hop, soul and funk music.

Other dance performances include Ballet Hispánico performing an evening of new works by Latina choreographers on Aug. 18, an evening of dance curated by the choreographer Ronald K. Brown on Aug. 25 and a performance by the tap dancer Dormeshia on Sept. 1.

As for music, the first day of the festival on Aug. 11 will feature John Cage’s work “4’33”” — in which the score instructs that no instruments be played. It will be performed by students of the Third Street Music School Settlement, led by Tendler. Other musicians include the jazz duo Cécile McLorin Salvant and Sullivan Fortner; Flor de Toloache, an all-women mariachi band; and Ali Stroker, the Tony-winning “Oklahoma!” performer, who will sing and tell stories onstage. The final night of the festival includes an all-women jazz performance, curated by the drummer and composer Shirazette Tinnin.

The comedy lineup features a stand-up show hosted by Michelle Buteau and a live show called “I Don’t Think So, Honey!,” hosted by Yang and Matt Rogers, that grew out of a segment on their podcast.

The festival is funded by Barry Diller, the mega-mogul who paid for Little Island and whose family foundation will bankroll the first two decades of the park’s operations. It will run from Aug. 11 to Sept. 5.

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Politics

Lawmaker to Name for Renewed Push to Free Paul Whelan, U.S. Marine Jailed in Russia

Lawmaker to Call for Renewed Push to Free Paul Whelan, U.S. Marine Jailed in Russia

Paul N. Whelan, the former US Marine who was sentenced to 16 years in prison in Russia on espionage charges, has been unable to contact his family or the US embassy since July 4, and relatives and members of Congress are increasingly concerned about his welfare. His.

“No one has heard from him,” said Haley Stevens, a Michigan Democrat who represents Mr. Whelan, in an interview. “We haven’t heard from him or really been able to speak to him since the beginning of July.”

Ms. Stevens and the family members of Mr. Whelan and Trevor Reed, another former Marine who has been sentenced to prison terms in Russia, will hold a press conference to discuss detention conditions and press for new Congressional resolutions calling for their release.

Speaking to the Capitol on Thursday, Ms. Stevens said Mr. Whelan had to work in a prison clothing factory six days a week, injuring his arm and being held by Russia for 944 days.

“That’s 944 days he’s been away from his friends and family,” Ms. Stevens said at the press conference. “It’s 944 days too long.”

In early June, Mr Whelan interviewed CNN, after which the Russian authorities restricted his access to cell phones, although he was still allowed to call his family. President Biden raised the cases of Mr Whelan, 51, and Mr Reed, 30, during his June summit with Russian President Vladimir V. Putin.

Mr. Whelan called his parents in early July and then a second on July 4th.

“At that time he said, ‘If you don’t hear from me tomorrow, there will be trouble,'” said Elizabeth Whelan, his sister, in an interview.

Since then, neither the US embassy in Moscow nor Mr. Whelan’s parents have been able to contact him, Ms. Whelan said.

Joey Reed, Mr Reed’s father, said Thursday that his son had Covid and that he hadn’t heard from him in more than two weeks. “We are very concerned about his health,” he said. “Both of our families are concerned that Paul and Trevor might die in a Russian prison because of the poor conditions and lack of medical care.”

Evidence against Mr Whelan is thin, and nothing Russian prosecutors have produced has convinced American officials that he was spying on Russia.

Mr Whelan was arrested in late 2018 and, following his conviction last year, was detained in the IK-17 labor camp in Mordovia, about eight hours from Moscow.

Ms. Whelan said she believed her brother was returned to camp after being taken to hospital for treatment for an arm injury. But Mrs. Stevens said it was not clear where the Russians were holding him now. She also said that he was in solitary confinement.

Ms. Stevens, the Congresswoman, said, “The reality is that there has been no contact with him. This reaches another crucial moment. ”

Congress passed a resolution on Mr Whelan in 2019, but new action is in order, Ms Stevens said. She added that a vote would hardly force Mr Whelan’s release, but would demonstrate bipartisan opposition to Moscow’s tactics and “get under the skin of Russia.”

Rep. August Pfluger, the Texas Republican who represents the district Mr. Reed is from, urged Mr. Biden to step up pressure on Russia.

“We won’t compromise until we get Trevor and Paul home,” he said. “We will not tolerate American citizens being illegally detained by the Putin regime.”

Ms. Stevens said Moscow was trying to use Mr. Whelan and Mr. Reed to its own advantage.

“Americans absolutely cannot be used as political pawns for other countries, period, end of story, unacceptable,” she said. “These are the Russians who engage in the dark arts of political interference. I think this is part of an attempt to play with the inner psychology of our political structure. “

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Health

Europe struggles to interrupt freed from Covid restrictions as delta variant surges

Europe struggles to break free of Covid restrictions as delta variant surges

People celebrated the end of the coronavirus curfew in Barcelona, Spain, on May 9, 2021. Now, Catalonia is reimposing restrictions amid a surge in Covid cases.

NurPhoto | NurPhoto | Getty Images

LONDON — Europe is struggling to contain a surge in Covid-19 cases caused by the delta variant, but while several countries reimpose measures to control the spread, the U.K. is taking the plunge and lifting restrictions.

From residual vaccine skepticism in some countries, to surges in infections linked to nightlife resuming, Europe is having to contend with competing needs: the reopening of crucial economic sectors this summer, while at the same time, curbing surging cases.

It’s not an easy balance to strike and, erring on the side of caution, a number of countries – including France, the Netherlands, Greece and Spain – announced new restrictions on Monday in a bid to curb the rise in infections, particularly among younger people who are the last in the queue to be vaccinated against Covid.

Mandatory vaccines?

In France, President Emmanuel Macron announced that for health and care workers, vaccines would be mandatory, and that a “health pass” (an app showing one’s vaccination status or recent negative test) would soon be required to access culture or leisure venues of a larger capacity. From August, the pass will be mandatory to access cafes, restaurants, malls, planes and trains in France. Lastly, in a bid to encourage vaccination take-up, PCR tests will stop being free from the fall unless they’re part of a prescription.

“If we do not act today, the number of cases will continue to rise sharply, and will inevitably lead to increased hospitalizations from the month of August,” Macron told the public in a televised address.

Similarly, Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis also gave a televised address Monday in which he announced that Covid shots would be mandatory for nursing home and healthcare workers and that only vaccinated people will be allowed indoors in bars, cinemas, theaters and enclosed spaces.

Greece, like France, has struggled to encourage vaccine take up among more skeptical members of the public.

Imploring people to take up Covid shots, Mitsotakis said: “The country will not be shut down again by the attitude of some. It will give freedom to many. And protection for all. Because it is not Greece that is in danger, but the unvaccinated Greeks.”

Danny Altmann, professor of immunology at Imperial College London, told CNBC Tuesday that the divergent approaches showed just how nuanced the issue was.

“[It illustrates] how difficult it is and hard for any policy makers and scientists to make assertions against such a formidable and unpredictable foe,” he said. “We make predictions at our peril.”

Nightlife

The highly-transmissible delta variant of the coronavirus is reeking particular havoc among Europe’s younger populations as economies had started to allow their nightlife leisure venues to reopen, some after many months of closure. Vaccination rates among younger people lag in the region, however, with many only just being invited to receive their first dose.

While countries like France and Greece are still struggling to convince everyone to get the vaccine, other countries are rushing to administer shots to younger people, seen as both vectors of the virus through socializing, and more vulnerable given their partial or unvaccinated status.

A study in the U.K. in May found that two doses of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or AstraZeneca-University of Oxford vaccine give effective protection against the delta Covid variant, first discovered in India. Having just one dose, or being unvaccinated, makes individuals far more vulnerable to infection, however.

Rising Covid infections saw Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte admit on Monday that Covid restrictions had been lifted too soon at the end of June. On Monday, 8,522 new Covid cases were confirmed and on Saturday, the country reported its highest number of cases since Christmas.

Rutte’s comments came after the government conceded it was caught off-guard by the rising infection rate. It announced Friday that it would have to reimpose rules on bars and restaurants and close nightclubs, just days after they were reopened, in a bid to curb the spread among younger people.

Spain has also had to backtrack on the lifting of measures. On Monday, officials said the country’s two-week Covid-19 contagion rate was still rising, more than tripling in two weeks, Reuters reported. However, health emergency chief Fernando Simon said the pace of increase had reduced in recent days and the latest wave could be nearing its peak.

Nonetheless, new restrictions were announced in Catalonia and Valencia last week, including the closure of most night-time venues, as well as limits on social gatherings. In Valencia, the regional government asked its court to authorize a curfew on towns with more than 5,000 inhabitants that are considered high-risk, including on its capital Valencia and tourist favorite Benicassim.

For its part, Germany is seeing a slow rise (albeit from a low level) in Covid infections as many parts of the country relax restrictions.

There is a reluctance among officials (including Chancellor Angela Merkel and Foreign Minister Heiko Maas) to continue restrictions any longer than necessary. Nonetheless, the country is watching what’s happening in neighboring nations carefully. 

Since Sunday, Germany has imposed stricter restrictions on visitors from Spain who must now present proof of vaccination against Covid, proof of recent recovery from the virus or negative test results otherwise they must quarantine on arrival.

In sharp contrast, the UK

In sharp contrast to its continental cousins, the U.K. government confirmed on Monday that it will lift its remaining restrictions on July 19, despite its own infection rate remaining high, Over 34,000 new cases were reported in the U.K. Monday, marking the sixth consecutive day that Covid infections have been above 30,000.

Speaking in Parliament, Health Secretary Sajid Javid said that after monitoring the latest data, the government does not expect Covid infection rates to put unsustainable pressure on the National Health Service.

“We firmly believe that this is the right time to get our nation closer to normal life,” Javid said.

“Now, to those who say: Why take this step now? I say, if not now, when? There will never be a perfect time to take this step because we simply cannot eradicate this virus.”

Professor Altmann said the U.K.’s strategy was “a gamble,” but noted that, with its advanced vaccination program, the country was not in the same place as in the start of the year when the alpha variant emerged.

“Because of the vaccine we’re in a different place but let’s not construe that as meaning that the NHS isn’t under pressure or NHS doctors aren’t terrified of another wave. There are still dangers out there,” he said.

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Politics

Supreme Courtroom guidelines for Pennsylvania cheerleader in class free speech case

Supreme Court rules for Pennsylvania cheerleader in school free speech case

Microphones placed in front of the US Supreme Court building in Washington, DC, the United States, on Tuesday, November 10, 2020.

Stefani Reynolds | Bloomberg | Getty Images

The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that a Pennsylvania high school violated the First Amendment rights of a cheerleader by punishing her for using vulgar language criticized on social media by the school.

The 8-1 statement upheld the lower court rulings against Mahanoy Area High School’s decision to suspend then-student Brandi Levy from her junior cheerleading roster for a year via two Snapchat posts she sent off-school .

The judges had weighed whether a 1969 Supreme Court ruling that gave public schools the ability to regulate certain idioms was applicable to a case where the speech was off campus.

In its ruling on Wednesday, the Supreme Court said, “Courts must be more skeptical of a school’s efforts to regulate off-campus language as it may mean the student cannot make this type of speech at all.”

“The school itself has an interest in protecting a student’s unpopular expression, especially when the expression is off-campus,” because “America’s public schools are the kindergartens of democracy,” wrote Judge Stephen Breyer, who wrote the majority opinion.

Judge Clarence Thomas, who turned 73 on Wednesday, disagreed.

Levy said in a statement, “The school has gone too far and I’m glad the Supreme Court approves.”

“I was frustrated, I was 14 years old and I expressed my frustration the way teenagers do today. Young people need the ability to express themselves without worrying about being punished in school,” said Levy.

“I never imagined that a simple snap would turn into a Supreme Court case, but I’m proud that my family and I stood up for the rights of millions of public school students.”

Brandi Levy, a former cheerleader at Mahanoy Area High School in Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania, poses in an undated photo taken by the American Civil Liberties Union.

Danna Singer / ACLU | REUTER’S METHOD

Levy, whose name was abbreviated to “BL” in court records, did not make it into her school’s cheerleading team as a high school student in May 2017, but instead won a place on the junior college roster.

While at a Cocoa Hut convenience store, she posted two messages on Snapchat to vent her frustration at missing out on college and not getting the position she’d been on the softball team the school wanted.

“F — school f — softball f — cheer f — everything,” she wrote in the first snap, which showed a picture of Levy and a friend with their middle fingers raised.

The second picture had a caption that read, “Love, like me and [another student] I am told that we need a year jv before we go to college, but that is[t] doesn’t matter to others? “This post also featured an upside-down smiley face emoji.

The news was reported to the cheerleading coaches and principal at Mahanoy City School, who found they had broken the rules and suspended Levy from the squad for the coming year.

The Supreme Court’s opinion found that the 3rd District Court of Appeal had ruled in favor of Levy on the grounds that the 1969 decision – Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District – “did not apply because schools did not have a special license to regulate student speaking off campus. “

But the Supreme Court on Wednesday disagreed with that view.

Instead, it noted that “Although public schools may have a particular interest in regulating some students’ off-campus speech, the particular interests offered by the school are insufficient to reflect BL’s interest in freedom of expression in this case overcome.”

Breyer wrote that there were three characteristics of the language of off-campus students that influenced a school’s ability to regulate it, as opposed to on-campus language.

The first characteristic, according to the court, is that a school is rarely “in loco parentis” – instead of the parents – when a student is off campus.

Its second characteristic is that schools have a “heavy burden” justifying off-campus language rules, otherwise they would be technically able to intervene in what a student is saying throughout the 24-hour day.

The third characteristic, wrote Breyer, is that schools, as “kindergartens of democracy”, should have an interest in protecting unpopular expressions of opinion, “especially when the expression of opinion takes place off-campus.”

David Cole, the American Civil Liberties Union legal director who campaigned in the Supreme Court on Levy’s case, said, “Protecting the freedom of young people to speak outside of school is vital, and this is a great victory for the freedom of speech Millions of students attending our country’s public schools. “

“The school has asked the court in this case to punish speech that it considers ‘disruptive’ regardless of where it occurs,” said Cole in a statement. “If the court had accepted this argument, it would have jeopardized all manner of speech by young people, including what they said about politics, school operations and general teenage frustrations.”

“The message of this judgment is clear – freedom of speech is for everyone, and that includes public school students,” said Cole.

But Thomas, in his solitary disagreement, wrote that “the majority fail to consider whether schools will often have more, not less, authority to discipline students who broadcast language on social media.”

Thomas explained that since language spoken on social media can be seen and shared on campus, “there is often a greater tendency to harm the school environment than face-to-face conversation off campus.”

He also wrote that the majority could not explain why they were breaking a previous rule that schools can regulate language off campus “as long as it tends to harm the school, its faculty or students, or its programs”.

The “basis” of majority decision-making is independent of anything stable, “wrote Thomas,” and courts (and schools) will almost certainly not know what exactly the opinion of the court means today. “

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Business

Anheuser-Busch to present away free beer when America hits its vaccination objective.

Anheuser-Busch to give away free beer when America hits its vaccination goal.

Brewing giant Anheuser-Busch said on Wednesday that he would offer Americans another incentive to get vaccinated: free beer.

The company said in a statement that it will buy “America’s next round” of beer, seltzer or soft drink once the country meets President Biden’s goal of giving 70 percent of the adult population at least one coronavirus vaccination by July 4 receive. 63 percent of American adults have received at least one dose.

“We are proud to perform in times of need as well as at times of great celebrations, and last year was no different,” said Michel Doukeris, CEO of Anheuser-Busch. “We look to brighter days with renewed optimism and are proud to work with the White House to make a meaningful impact on our country, our communities and our consumers.”

Reaching your vaccination goal by Independence Day may not be easy. The pace of vaccination in the US has slowed, but the greatest advances in recent weeks have been in vaccinating 12-15 year olds who are not eligible for the free beer. However, progress has been made to reach some groups, including Latinos and those without college degrees, with the highest rates of vaccination reluctance, according to the Kaiser Foundation.

The offer from Anheuser-Busch comes because other companies and federal states have introduced their own promotional gifts to promote vaccinations. West Virginia Governor Jim Justice said Tuesday that the state would be giving away guns and other prizes, including trucks and lifetime hunting and fishing licenses, to vaccinated residents.

Other states, including California, New Mexico and Ohio, have started lottery drawings to give out cash prizes to those vaccinated.

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Health

The Covid Vaccine Is Free, however Not Everybody Believes That

The Covid Vaccine Is Free, but Not Everyone Believes That

When Paul Moser thinks about getting a coronavirus vaccine, he also thinks about his outstanding medical debt: $ 1,200 from some urological visits he couldn’t pay for.

Mr. Moser, 52-year-old gas station cashier in New York State, has friends who have been surprised by bills for coronavirus testing, and fear the same could happen to the vaccine. At the moment he is holding back with his admission.

“We were told by lawmakers that all testing should be free, and then it’s surprising that it costs $ 150,” he said. “I agree that getting vaccinated is important, but I have no sense of urgency.”

Congress passed laws banning pharmacies and hospitals from charging patients for coronavirus vaccines. Signs at vaccination centers indicate that vaccination is free. From the start, health officials and government leaders have told the public it won’t cost anything. And there have been few reports of people being charged.

Even so, some unvaccinated adults cite concerns about a surprising bill as a reason not to get the vaccination. Many of them are used to a healthcare system where the bills are frequent, high, and often unexpectedly high.

A recent survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that about a third of unvaccinated adults were unsure whether insurance would cover the new vaccine and feared they would have to pay for the vaccine. Concern was particularly high among Hispanic and Black respondents.

“The conversations we have are like, ‘Yeah, I know it’s good. Yes, I want it, but I don’t have insurance, ‘”said Ilan Shapiro, medical director of AltaMed, a community health network in southern California that serves a large Hispanic population. “We’re trying to make sure everyone knows it’s free.”

The confusion may be due to a lack of information or a skepticism that a doctor’s visit will not be followed by a bill. Liz Hamel, director of survey research at Kaiser, said it might reflect people’s experience of the healthcare system: “People might have heard it was free but they don’t believe it.”

Congress has tried to protect patients from bills for coronavirus vaccines and tests. At the start of the pandemic, it ordered insurers forego co-payments and deductibles for both services and set up a fund to reimburse doctors who see uninsured patients.

Even so, patients faced bills for tests – some for over $ 1,000. Some doctors billed uninsured patients for testing instead of the new federal fund. Others have charged unexpected fees and services for the test visit.

The rules for billing vaccines have been tightened. In order to become vaccinated, doctors and pharmacies had to sign a contract in which they did not charge patients for vaccinations.

The stronger protection seems to have worked. While many patients have come across coronavirus bills for testing – the New York Times has documented dozens of cases in bills submitted by readers – there have only been a handful of vaccines.

Still, some unexpected charges have been flunked: Patients in Illinois, North Carolina, and Colorado have incorrectly received vaccination bills. In all cases, the vaccine providers have reversed the charges and apologized for the mistakes.

The federal government has received some complaints about unexpected fees and recently warned doctors not to bill patients.

Surprising bills for coronavirus vaccines, tests, and other medical supplies can make an impression on patients. According to a 2013 study by Lucie Kalousova by Lucie Kalousova, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of California, Riverside, Americans with medical debt are more likely to skip required care than people with other types of debt, such as outstanding credit card bills or student loans.

“For someone in medical debt, they may be told by the media and everyone else that the vaccine is free, but they have also had this very negative, previous encounter with the medical system that has generated suspicion. ” She said.

Some patients worried about the cost of a coronavirus vaccine said they always expect a bill after a doctor’s appointment. Quoting stories from friends or family members who ended up having expensive coronavirus tests and treatment bills, they wondered why the vaccine would be any different.

“This is America – your health care ain’t free,” said Elizabeth Drummond, a 42-year-old Oregon mother who is not vaccinated. “I just have a feeling that this is how the vaccination process will work. They will try to capitalize on it. “

It’s also possible that survey research is exaggerating how many Americans are afraid of receiving a surprise vaccine bill. When the Times conducted follow-up interviews with the help of Kaiser, some respondents expressing this concern said it didn’t matter much to them.

Instead, they said they acted like this to express their frustration with the vaccine or the general American healthcare system.

“Cost is the smallest detail,” said Cody Sirman, a 32-year-old who works in manufacturing in Texas who chose not to get vaccinated. He said he wouldn’t mind paying for the vaccine if he trusted him – but he doesn’t: “I think the vaccine is a complete farce. It was just a way to see how much control the government can have over the population. “

For many, the potential cost of a vaccine is only part of a set of reasons to stay unvaccinated. It can often be difficult for pollsters to pinpoint the determining factor – or even identify patients. Separate research by the Census Bureau last month found Americans were more concerned about vaccine side effects than potential fees.

“Most people don’t say they are only concerned about one thing; Usually there are many, ”says Ms. Hamel from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Tiffany Addotey, a 42-year-old school bus driver in North Carolina, has concerns about the cost. This is mainly due to their experience of taking a coronavirus test.

“It worries me that some places were charging $ 200 for coronavirus testing,” she said. “I haven’t paid. I went home. I already have enough bills. “

There are other things that concern them, such as the safety of the vaccine given its rapid development, as well as Johnson & Johnson’s recent vaccination hiatus.

When Ms. Addotey was informed that federal law makes the vaccine free for all Americans, she replied, “So I just have to pay my co-payment?”

Learning that it was really going to be free, with no additional payment, “helped a little,” she said. But it wasn’t enough to reassure her with the vaccination, at least not yet.

“I’ll try and wait a little longer,” she said. “I feel like I’ll get it after a little more research and a little more time.”

Categories
Politics

‘We’re Free As a result of They Have been Courageous’

‘We’re Free Because They Were Brave’

Memorial Day 2021, a day honoring the sacrifices of the nation’s veterans, was particularly poignant a year after many memorial ceremonies – and many family outings and barbecues – were curtailed because of the coronavirus pandemic. The parades, which were canceled in 2020, took place again in 2021. The services held online last year were continued in person this year. The holiday traffic returned, as did the beach trips – at least in parts of the country that were not cursed with cold rainy weather.

President Biden honored the fallen at Arlington National Cemetery and delivered an emotional speech under blue, sunlit skies just one day after the five-year anniversary of the death of his son Beau, who served in Iraq. “It can be painful to remember, but the pain is how we feel and how we heal,” Biden said after laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown. He urged the Americans to keep the fallen military in mind. “We are free because they were brave,” he said.

President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.

A member of the military stands near the Tomb of the Unknown before a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.

Members of the military are reflected in the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington.

Beach goers on South Beach in Miami Beach, Florida.

Veterans during a Memorial Day parade in Myrtle Beach, SC

A family in search of horseshoe crabs on Orchard Beach in the Bronx.

Light a fire to keep warm on Orchard Beach and longtime Bronx residents playing dominoes.

Hughes Van Ellis, a veteran who survived the Tulsa Race massacre, is awarded a medal on the event’s 100th anniversary.

In Barnstable, Massachusetts, a police honor guard remembered the town’s war dead.

The Oakmont-Verona Memorial Day Parade in Oakmont, Pennsylvania.

Kyle Watts, an Ohio vacationer, uses a metal detector in Myrtle Beach.

Crowds enjoy the waves on Myrtle Beach.

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Business

Twitter Calls on Indian Authorities to Respect Free Speech

Twitter Calls on Indian Government to Respect Free Speech

NEW DELHI – Twitter on Thursday opposed India’s increasingly persistent efforts to control online language, urged the government to respect freedom of expression and criticized the country’s police force “intimidating” tactics.

The statement comes as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Indian government faces mounting pressure to deal with a devastating second wave of the coronavirus. Many of these complaints have been broadcast on Twitter and elsewhere online.

The government has tried hard to get the narrative back. On Thursday, Twitter said it had received a notice of non-compliance with Indian information technology laws. The notice asked the company to remove content critical of the government’s handling of the coronavirus and farmers’ protests, including some published by journalists, activists and politicians.

Under Indian law, Twitter executives in India could face up to seven years’ imprisonment if the company fails to follow government instructions to remove content it deems subversive or a threat to public order and national security adheres to.

In its statement, the San Francisco-based social media service said it plans to persuade India’s leaders to change new regulations that give authorities more leverage over online platforms.

“At the moment we are concerned about recent events regarding our workforce in India and the potential threat to freedom of expression for the people we serve,” the statement said.

Citing the new information technology regulations, he added, “We have concerns, along with many in civil society in India and around the world, about the police’s use of intimidation tactics in response to enforcement of our global terms of use, as well as core elements of the new IT rules. “

Twitter’s statement came just days after officers from an elite counter-terrorism police force visited the company’s New Delhi offices. They protested the way the company had labeled posts by high-ranking officials from India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)

These officials had posted documents on Twitter that provided evidence that opposition politicians were planning to use the country’s coronavirus crisis as a political stick. Twitter described them as “manipulated media” in response to allegations that the documents were forged.

Even before the coronavirus hit, Mr Modi’s government and the BJP had taken ever stronger steps to contain disagreements in the 1.4 billion country.

In February, Twitter blocked over 500 accounts and removed an unspecified number of other accounts in India after the government accused those accounts of making inflammatory remarks about Mr Modi in connection with protests by angry farmers. Farmers have been camping outside of New Delhi for at least six months to protest the farming laws.

Twitter previously said it would not take action against accounts owned by media organizations, journalists, activists or politicians, and it did not believe the order to block those accounts was “in accordance with Indian law.”

However, on Thursday the company admitted that it had withheld some unverified accounts in these categories from India despite believing the content was “legitimate free speech” under Indian and international law. The company announced last week that it was reopening its review process to allow government officials, media organizations, journalists and activists to apply for a blue tick, a token of credibility online, a process that has been on hold since 2017.

In April, Mr Modi’s government ordered Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to remove dozens of social media posts that were critical of how the pandemic was being handled. The order was addressed to around 100 opposition politicians and included calls for Mr. Modi to step down.

Under the new Internet rules in India, social media companies are required to appoint India-based executives who may be criminally liable for violations and create systems to track and identify the “first author” of posts or messages sent by as The government is classified as “offensive”.

The rules apply to a wide variety of media, including digital news agencies, streaming services like Netflix and Amazon, and social media platforms. According to the regulations announced in February, social media companies were given Tuesday to identify the executives who could be held liable. Streaming services and news agencies were not affected by this particular rule.

Twitter called the requirement “dangerous overreach that is inconsistent with open, democratic principles”. On Wednesday, WhatsApp sued the Indian government in a highly unusual move by Facebook’s own messaging platform, arguing that the guidelines were unconstitutional. Digital rights advocates and groups say the rules could fundamentally change the way Indians use the internet.

“The IT rules violate India’s democratic framework and constitutional guarantees,” said Apar Gupta, executive director of the Internet Freedom Foundation, a rights group. “Several requirements among them are unconstitutional and undermine freedom of expression and privacy for millions of Internet users in India.”

Understand India’s Covid Crisis

India isn’t the only country that has tried to enforce stricter regulations on the internet. The steps have raised questions about how freedom of speech can be reconciled with security and privacy.

In the US, politicians have targeted big tech companies like Facebook and Amazon to influence what people buy and read and how companies treat users’ personal information. European officials are working on new laws that would give the government more powers to remove misinformation and other material deemed toxic.

On Thursday, the Department of Electronics and Information Technology, the Indian branch of government that pressured Twitter to remove material, released a response to the companies’ statement on Koo, a competing service.

“The new rules are only intended to prevent abuse and abuse of social media,” Ravi Shankar Prasad, India’s Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, said in the statement. “The government welcomes criticism, including the right to ask questions.”

In a separate statement on Thursday, the ministry criticized Twitter for its comments, calling them “completely unfounded, false and an attempt to defame India”. The protection of freedom of expression in India is not the “prerogative” of the company.

Last week, the government urged social media platforms, including Twitter and Facebook, to remove all content related to coronavirus variants in India, especially those that indicated the variants were spreading in other countries. Twitter confirmed that it had received the request but had not removed the posts until Thursday evening. Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

At least one of the variants first seen in India, known as B.1.617.2, now outperforms all other versions of the virus in the UK, scientists in the UK have said, and is present in at least 48 other countries. The government request called this claim “totally wrong”.

Free speech attorneys said the government has no legal basis to ask social media platforms to remove this content, which could apply to news reports and major scientific discussions about the virus in India, where it continues to kill thousands of people every day The country’s health system far beyond its borders.

“The new rules are like a choke collar,” said Devdutta Mukhopadhyay, a lawyer working on freedom of speech in India. “The government will pull on it if it wants to.”

Categories
Politics

Uber, Lyft Will Give Free Rides to Vaccine Websites, Biden Says

Uber, Lyft Will Give Free Rides to Vaccine Sites, Biden Says

President Biden said Tuesday that Uber and Lyft, two of the largest ridesharing in the country, would be offering free rides to vaccination sites starting May 24. This agreement is designed to help him achieve his goal of fully vaccinating 160 million adults by July 4th.

Mr Biden said the ride-sharing initiative would last until then.

In a meeting with a group of six governors from states such as Ohio, Utah, and Maine, he also outlined other initiatives, including setting up vaccination sites at community colleges and another to send FEMA officials across the country to encourage residents to get a shot. The announcement marked an aggressive new phase in the government’s efforts to address vaccine hesitation and expand access.

“We’ll be able to take a serious step towards normalcy by Independence Day,” said Biden, referring to a benchmark he set in March. “And there is still a lot to be done to get there. But I think we can get there. “

Although at least 152 million people in the United States had received at least one vaccine by Monday, according to the Centers for Disease Control, the rate of vaccination has slowed in recent weeks.

Experts say they expected a slowdown, but vaccine reluctance – in part due to an 11-day hiatus in administering the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine – will remain a significant barrier. Only a small percentage of Americans who haven’t been vaccinated say they definitely will, according to recent polls.

Some governors, including West Virginia’s Jim Justice, have begun experimenting with incentives that could sway hesitant or disinterested Americans, though officials are still trying to work out the details of the program. In New York, officials are offering free train and subway tickets with vaccinations.

The governors, who met the president virtually on Tuesday, had their own ideas. Maine Governor Janet Mills announced to Mr. Biden that the state will be offering LL Bean coupons, free fishing and hunting licenses, and tickets to local sporting events as incentives.

“We call this ‘your shot to get outside,'” Ms. Mills said. “Oh, it’s cheesy, I know, but we do know that during the pandemic, the people of Maine took refuge in relief and Mother Nature.”

Mr. Biden seemed amused by the idea and replied, “I suspect this will probably work.”

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said the Ohio National Guard has set up small vaccination stations in nursing homes across the state. Utah Governor Spencer Cox said pop-up clinics were popping up in churches and health officials were working with clergy to deliver information about the vaccines to parishioners.

Mr. Cox also commended the Food and Drug Administration’s move to approve the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine for children ages 12-15: “Mr. President, we’re really good at having kids here, so we’re excited to have this opportunity, ”he said.

In New York, officials are looking even further afield for potential buyers for their allocation of cans. Governor Andrew M. Cuomo said Monday that the state was waiving residency requirements for vaccination in New York City, meaning tourists from around the country and around the world could come and get vaccinated for free.

The move was first suggested by Mayor Bill de Blasio as a means of increasing tourism, and a vaccine pop-up clinic in Times Square is already serving tourists. More locations in places popular with tourists are expected to follow.

“We had historic tourism levels before the pandemic, up to 67 million tourists in a single year,” said de Blasio on Tuesday. “We want this to come back and I think it’s just a smart thing to roll out the red carpet, welcome people back and say if you need to be vaccinated we want to help you.”

Categories
Health

Uber and Lyft will supply free rides to vaccination websites

Uber and Lyft will offer free rides to vaccination sites

A Lyft logo is featured on a Lyft driver car next to an Uber sticker in Pittsburgh.

Gene J. Puskar | AP

Uber and Lyft will offer free rides to vaccination sites through July 4th as part of a new partnership at the White House, the Biden government said on Tuesday.

“By helping Americans get to a vaccination site for free, Lyft and Uber are removing a potential barrier and bringing America closer to the president’s goal of reaching 70% of the US adult population with at least one shot by July 4th “White said House in a press release.

Both companies had already partnered with other companies to expand transport access to Covid vaccination sites. Tuesday’s announcement, however, builds on these commitments and introduces a formal government partnership.

The White House said the initiative would start within the next two weeks.

Uber didn’t immediately announce what the rides would look like on its app, but Lyft said a “ride code” will be available through its website or app by May 24th. Although the White House advertised the rides as free, Lyft said it would cover $ 15 one way each way. Lyft said in a statement that the amount should cover “most, if not all” of the fare based on previous trips to vaccination sites he has observed.

Users can get a code on Lyft’s website or app to get to a nearby vaccination site after providing some details. The codes can be used for standard rides as well as for scooters or bicycles offered through Lyft during standard pharmacy opening hours of 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

“The vaccine is key to getting us all moving again and we are proud to be doing our part to move the country forward,” said Lyft co-founder and president John Zimmer in a statement. “We have always believed that transportation has the power to make people’s lives better, and this initiative makes that truer than ever. When more Americans get vaccinated, it will help the Lyft community of drivers and drivers, and we are the Biden -Administration grateful for prioritizing access. “

“Vaccines are our best hope to beat this pandemic, and soon everyone in America can take a free Uber to get their shot,” Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in a statement. “We are honored to deepen our previous global commitments and to work with the White House and Lyft to offer free rides to vaccination sites in the United States. This is a proud moment for me, for Uber, and for our country.”

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