To hear Musk tell it, Neuralink's hardware is either a state-of-the-art tool for understanding the brain, a clinical advance for people with neurological disorders, or the next step in human evolution
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Wednesday, July 17, 2019
Tech Giants Claim Competition Exists. House Dems Don't Buy It
Kim Kardashian advocates on the ‘gram for a convicted murderer accused in grisly family slaying
Kim Kardashian introduced to her fans a man she believes was wrongly imprisoned in an effort to fight for his release.
—Mother of Eric Garner writes powerful essay after decline to prosecute police officer who killed him—
The soon-to-be lawyer and reality star, who facilitated the release of non-violent drug offender Alice Marie Johnson, took to Instagram Tuesday to advocate for Kevin Keith, an Ohio man who was found guilty of a 1994 triple homicide.
Kardashian explained the circumstances surrounding his case that led to her support in his favor, The Daily Mail reports.
“Kevin Keith was convicted of a triple homicide back in 1994 in Ohio and was sentenced to death,” Kardashian wrote.
“I heard about Kevin Keith’s case last year & the more I learn about it, the more I believe the world needs to hear what happened to him! He was on death row & came within days of execution before the governor of Ohio commuted his sentence to life w/o parole.
“I had the pleasure of meeting Kevin Keith through a video visit & was so impressed w/ the amazing programs he created in prison to help others inside better themselves! So much evidence has been uncovered proving Kevin’s innocence. I hope justice is served soon & he is released.”
Kardashian added a link to JusticeForKevinKeith.org.
Police claim Keith entered an apartment on the evening of Feb. 13, 1994, and sprayed it with gunfire, killing Marichell Chatman, 24; her 4-year-old daughter, Marchae; and the Marichell’s aunt, Linda Chatman, 39.
—Meek Mill lawyers: Case could crumble if new trial granted—
Three others were wounded, including siblings Quanita Reeves, 7, and Quentin Reeves, 4.
Marichell Chatman was the sister of an undercover police informant whose efforts led to a drug raid weeks earlier during which Keith was arrested.
Keith’s attorneys questioned eyewitness testimony that identified Keith as the shooter, provided evidence of an alternate suspect and lined up four alibi witnesses.
Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland cited “legitimate questions” about evidence used to convict the inmate. But he also cautioned he did believe Keith committed the crimes.
The AP contributed to this report.
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Beach Tragedy: Black father dies while trying to save his two children swept out into ocean
A father of seven who urgently tried to save two of his children who were swept away by strong waters at a state beach, died during the ill-fated rescue effort.
—Meek Mill lawyers: Case could crumble if new trial granted—
On Sunday, Johnny Lee Vann Jr., of North Carolina found himself in troubled waters at Wrightsville Beach near Wilmington when his children were swept off a jetty wall and whisked away in the ocean.
Vann reportedly saved one child and but struggled to stay afloat when he went back to recover the second child, according to Capt. Jason Bishop of the Wrightsville Beach Police Department told ABC News.
Vann and the other child were subsequently rescued but the brave father was reportedly underwater for 30 seconds and could not be resuscitated.
“We came from church and we went to the beach to have fun. We wound up having a tragedy. You couldn’t ask for a better person,” the victim’s wife Dawn Vann told WWAY.
“You could have took anybody else,” she said. “I would’ve preferred to take me than him.”
“He never hesitated,” Dawn said about her husband’s heroic rescue efforts. “He threw everything down – phone keys and ran out there.”
Dawn said when people noticed that Vann was having difficulty, he told them, “Forget about me. Get my kids!” He didn’t care about nothing else,” she recalled. “They could’ve easily saved him,” she said explaining that he wanted them to focus on saving their children.
—Mother of Eric Garner writes powerful essay after decline to prosecute police officer who killed him—
“My dad always tells us, “You all are going to be together forever,”‘ said Vann’s daughter Kierstyn.
“His spirit is still alive and we’re all going to remember him as a hero,” she said.
The family has set up a GoFundMe to help pay funeral costs.
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2019 Black Men XCEL Takes Celebration of Excellence To Miami
Black Enterprise will present the 2019 Black Men XCEL Summit, Aug. 28 through Sept. 1st, at the JW Turnberry Miami Resort and Spa. The new host location for the annual event will welcome more than 800 men and women who will celebrate and honor the leadership and excellence of today’s men of color.
After spending two years in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, the 3rd annual celebration will move to Miami to accommodate the larger audience and offer attendees a lot more, including: luxury rooms, a world class spa, top-notch golf courses, an amazing waterpark and much more. Black Enterprise will also introduce new elements to the event and more networking opportunities for the attendees. Black Men XCEL will feature nationally recognized leaders and provide attendees with thought-provoking sessions, a star-powered awards dinner, a hilarious night of comedy, a summer concert, and, golf and spa experiences.
The XCEL Awards will be a major highlight of the event. It will honor men who are the living embodiment of the purpose of Black Men XCEL: “Celebrating the best of who we are.” The XCEL Awards recognize outstanding trailblazers whose achievements, influence, impact, and leadership have helped to open doors of opportunity and present an inspiring example of success for others, especially men of color. XCEL Awards will be presented to Rev. Jesse Jackson, the founder and president of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition; Eddie Levert, one of the founders and lead singers of the legendary R&B group The O’Jays; Jerome “The Bus” Bettis, Pro Football Hall of Famer and one of the greatest running backs in NFL history; and Marc H. Morial, CEO of the National Urban League. The accomplishments of these honorees will continue to set the standard of success to which others aspire to match and exceed.
2019 Black Men XCEL attendees will also engage in development sessions and activities designed to train, equip, and inspire leadership. Topics will include Filling the Pipeline to Opportunity in Tech and Financial Services; Lessons on Leadership: What it Takes to Win the Trust of People, Teams, and Organizations; Mindy Body Spirit: How Black Men can Survive Trauma and Thrive,and more. Black Men XCEL will also host a golf tournament, executive leadership coaching, career opportunity showcase, concert, comedy show with Roy Wood Jr, Chris Spencer, Capone and Mark Viera, and networking mixers.
To register and get more information, visit www.blackenterprise.com/bmx.
The 2019 Black Men XCEL is hosted by FedEx, with presenting sponsors, AT&T and Prudential. Platinum sponsor Georgia-Pacific/Koch Industries. Corporate sponsors Apple and Walmart and Gold sponsor Accenture. To register for the Black Men XCEL or for more information, visit https://ift.tt/2tBH6CX. You can also search #BMXCEL for additional updates and information about the summit on social media.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Interested press should contact Johann Alleyne-Morris at 212-886-9598 or via e-mail at morrisj@blackenterprise.com.
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Da Brat defends Jermaine Dupri and his ‘genius’ after he was dragged online for criticizing ‘stripper rappers’
Da Brat is taking up for her big brother Jermaine Dupri and sounding off after he was blasted online for criticizing female rappers by saying with disdain, “it’s like drug dealers rapping.”
—After uproar on hip-hop ‘stripper’, comment Jermaine Dupri tries to offer olive branch—
Dupri was met with an almost instant backlash from many people in the hip-hop community, when he sat down with People TV and expressed his disappointment with female rappers and when he was urged to pick a favorite, he responded with a critique of women in the rap game today.
“For me, it’s like strippers rapping,’” Dupri criticized. “As far as rap goes, I’m not getting who is the best rapper. Oh, you got a story about you dancing in the club, you got a story about you dancing in the club, you got a story about you dancing in the club. OK, all right.”
In a video, Cardi defended her right to rap about whatever she wanted to and noted there is a gap in support for female rappers who don’t infuse their lyrics with sexually-charged content. She also shouted out new artists Tierra Whack and Rhapsody and criticized Dupri for not recognizing them.
Cardi B addressed Dupri’s shade aimed at mainstream rappers like herself and hit back at JD.
But on Tuesday, Brat called Dupri a “genius” and said despite the fact that he vilified female rappers his criticism turned out as a benefit to them because he plans to extend an olive branch and hold a female cypher.
“Everything Jermaine Dupri does, he does strategically,” she told TMZ. “You should be thankful that the conversation is even started now, because now the focus in on us [female rappers]. New [rappers], seasoned [rappers], legends…everybody’s commenting.”
Afterward, Dupri took to Twitter on Friday to announce the creation of a So So Def cypher to uplift women coming up in the rap game.
—Cardi B claps back at Jermaine Dupri over ‘stripper rappers’ comments—
“I love Jermaine Dupri, he’s very smart at what he does and there’s always a method to his madness,” Brat added. She said his words were “absolutely taken out of context.”
But is it too late for him to clean up this mess and make amends?
After all the calls,DMs, angry tweets and other messages saying “I am a major gatekeeper in the hip hop world,why don’t I invest in a female who is out here hustling and making a name for herself?” I decided to create the #SoSoDefFemalecypher, details coming soon pic.twitter.com/Nyxl5KpPXZ
— Jermaine Dupri (@jermainedupri) July 12, 2019
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J-PAL North America announces second round of competition partners
J-PAL North America, a research center at MIT, will partner with two leading education technology nonprofits to test promising models to improve learning, as part of the center’s second Education, Technology, and Opportunity Innovation Competition.
Running in its second year, J-PAL North America’s Education, Technology, and Opportunity Innovation Competition supports education leaders in using randomized evaluations to generate evidence on how technology can improve student learning, particularly for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Last year, J-PAL North America partnered with the Family Engagement Lab to develop an evaluation of a multilingual digital messaging platform, and with Western Governors University’s Center for Applied Learning Science to evaluate scalable models to improve student learning in math.
This year, J-PAL North America will continue its work to support rigorous evaluations of educational technologies aimed to reduce disparities by partnering with Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Houston, a youth-development organization that provides education and social services to at-risk students, and MIND Research Institute, a nonprofit committed to improving math education.
“Even just within the first and second year of the J-PAL ed-tech competition, there continues to be an explosion in promising new initiatives,” says Philip Oreopoulos, professor of economics at the University of Toronto and co-chair of the J-PAL Education, Technology, and Opportunity Initiative. “We’re excited to try to help steer this development towards the most promising and effective programs for improving academic success and student well-being.”
Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Houston will partner with J-PAL North America to develop an evaluation of the BookNook reading app, a research-based intervention technology that aims to improve literacy skills of K-8 students.
“One of our commitments to our youth is to prepare them to be better citizens in life, and we do this through our programming, which supplements the education they receive in school,” says Michael Ewing, director of programs at Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston. “BookNook is one of our programs that we know can increase reading literacy and help students achieve at a higher level. We are excited about this opportunity to conduct a rigorous evaluation of BookNook’s technology because we can substantially increase our own accountability as an organization, ensuring that we are able to track the literacy gains of our students when the program is implemented with fidelity.”
Children who do not master reading by a young age are often placed at a significant disadvantage to their peers throughout the rest of their development. However, many effective interventions for students struggling with reading involve one-on-one or small-group instruction that places a heavy demand on school resources and teacher time. This makes it particularly challenging for schools that are already resource-strapped and face a shortage of teachers to meet the needs of students who are struggling with reading.
The BookNook app offers a channel to bring research-proven literacy intervention strategies to greater numbers of students through accessible technology. The program is heavily scaffolded so that both teachers and non-teachers can use it effectively, allowing after-school staff like those at Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston to provide adaptive instruction to students struggling with reading.
“Our main priority at BookNook is student success,” says Nate Strong, head of partnerships at for the BookNook team. “We are really excited to partner with J-PAL and with Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston to track the success of students in Houston and learn how we can do better for them over the long haul.”
MIND Research Institute seeks to partner with J-PAL North America to develop a scalable model that will increase students’ conceptual understanding of mathematical concepts. MIND’s Spatial Temporal (ST) math program is a pre-K-8 visual instructional program that leverages the brain's spatial-temporal reasoning ability using challenging visual puzzles, non-routine problem solving, and animated informative feedback to understand and solve mathematical problems.
“We’re thrilled and honored to begin this partnership with J-PAL to build our capacity to conduct randomized evaluations,” says Andrew Coulson, chief data science officer for MIND. “It's vital we continue to rigorously evaluate the ability of ST Math's spatial-temporal approach to provide a level playing field for every student, and to show substantial effects on any assessment. With the combination of talent and experience that J-PAL brings, I expect that we will also be exploring innovative research questions, metrics and outcomes, methods and techniques to improve the applicability, validity and real-world usability of the findings.”
J-PAL North America is excited to work with these two organizations and continue to support rigorous evaluations that will help us better understand the role technology should play in learning. Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston and MIND Research Institute will help J-PAL contribute to growing evidence base on education technology that can help guide decision-makers in understanding which uses of education technology are truly helping students learn amidst a rapidly-changing technological landscape.
J-PAL North America is a regional office of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab. J-PAL was established in 2003 as a research center at MIT’s Department of Economics. Since then, it has built a global network of affiliated professors based at over 58 universities and regional offices in Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, North America, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. J-PAL North America was established with support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and Arnold Ventures and works to improve the effectiveness of social programs in North America through three core activities: research, policy outreach, and capacity building. J-PAL North America’s education technology work is supported by the Overdeck Family Foundation and Arnold Ventures.
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Unmasking mutant cancer cells
As cancer cells progress, they accumulate hundreds and even thousands of genetic and epigenetic changes, resulting in protein expression profiles that are radically different from that of healthy cells. But despite their heavily mutated proteome, cancer cells can evade recognition and attack by the immune system.
Immunotherapies, particularly checkpoint inhibitors that reinvigorate exhausted T cells, have revolutionized the treatment of certain forms of cancer. These breakthrough therapies have resulted in unprecedented response rates for some patients. Unfortunately, most cancers fail to respond to immunotherapies and new strategies are therefore needed to realize their full potential.
A team of cancer biologists including members of the laboratories of David H. Koch Professor of Biology Tyler Jacks, director of the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT, and fellow Koch Institute member Forest White, the Ned C. and Janet Bemis Rice Professor and member of the MIT Center for Precision Cancer Medicine, took a complementary approach to boosting the immune system.
Although cancer cells are rife with mutant proteins, few of those proteins appear on a cell’s surface, where they can be recognized by immune cells. The researchers repurposed a well-studied class of anti-cancer drugs, heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) inhibitors, that make cancer cells easier to recognize by revealing their mutant proteomes.
Many HSP90 inhibitors have been studied extensively for the past several decades as potential cancer treatments. HSP90 protects the folded structure of a number of proteins when cells undergo stress, and in cancer cells plays an important role in stabilizing protein structure undermined by pervasive mutations. However, despite promising preclinical evidence, HSP90 inhibitors have produced discouraging outcomes in clinical trials, and none have achieved FDA approval.
In a study appearing in Clinical Cancer Research, the researchers identified a potential reason behind those disappointing results. HSP90 inhibitors have only been clinically tested at bolus doses — intermittent, large doses — that often result in unwanted side effects in patients.
RNA profiling of human clinical samples and cultured cancer cell lines revealed that this bolus-dosing schedule results in the profound suppression of immune activity as well as the activation of heat shock factor 1 protein (HSF1). Not only does HSF1 activate the cell’s heat shock response, which counteracts the effect of the HSP90 inhibitor, but it is known to be a powerful enabler of cancer cell malignancy.
In striking contrast, the researchers used cancer mouse models with intact immune systems to show that sustained, low-level dosing of HSP90 inhibitors avoids triggering both the heat shock response and the immunosuppression associated with high doses.
Using a method devised by the White lab that combines mass spectrometry-based proteomics and computational modeling, the researchers discovered that the new dosing regimen increased the number and diversity of peptides (protein fragments) on the cell surface. These peptides, which the team found to be released by HSP90 during sustained low-level inhibition, were then free to be taken up by the cell’s antigen-presenting machinery and used to flag patrolling immune cells.
“These results connect a fundamental aspect of cell biology — protein folding — to anti-tumor immune responses” says lead author Alex Jaeger, a postdoctoral fellow in the Jacks lab and a former member of the laboratory of the late MIT biologist and Professor Susan Lindquist, whose work inspired the study’s HSP90 dosing scheule. “Hopefully, our findings can reinvigorate interest in HSP90 inhibition as a complementary approach for immunotherapy.”
Using the new dosing regimen, the researchers were able to clear tumors in mouse models at drug concentrations that are 25-50 times lower than those used in clinical trials, significantly reducing the risk for toxic side effects in patients. Importantly, because several forms of HSP90 inhibitors have already undergone extensive clinical testing, the new dosing regimen can be tested in patients quickly.
This work was supported in part by the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation, the Takeda Pharmaceuticals Immune Oncology Research Fund, and an MIT Training Grant in Environmental Science; foundational work on HSF1 was supported by the Koch Institute Frontier Research Program.
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Beyonce drops ‘Spirit’ video featuring Blue Ivy from ‘Lion King’ soundtrack
Beyonce dropped her “Spirit” video exclusively during The Lion King: Can You Feel the Love Tonight special with Robin Roberts special that aired Tuesday on ABC.
And it was brimming with all the blackness that we’d expect from the Queen Bee.
“The concept of the video is to show how God is the painter, and natural beauty in nature needs no art direction,” said the singer, who voices Nala in the film. “It’s the beauty of color, the beauty of melanin, the beauty of tradition.”
And remember when reports broke that Beyonce was whisked into exclusive Grand Canyon tribal grounds to film a music video? Well the magnificent waterfall in the ‘Spirit’ video was likely from the super exclusive Havasu Falls campsite at the Grand Canyon.
And there was a surprise special guest in the video by the name of Blue Ivy. Baby Blue was right by momma bear Bey’s side and was looking cute in her pink outfit with matching hair.
Watch #SPIRIT now #TheLionKing https://t.co/RYtZbQYCvn
— BEYONCÉ (@Beyonce) July 17, 2019
During the one-hour special, Beyonce debuted the music video for her latest single “Spirit” and discuss how The Lion King inspired her to create a new album The Lion King: The Gift. The album was executive produced by Queen Bey and features JAY-Z, Childish Gambino, Pharrell, and Blue Ivy Carter.
Here’s why James Earl Jones is not promoting ‘The Lion King’
“The soundtrack is a love letter to Africa and I wanted to make sure we found the best talent from Africa and not just use some of the sounds and do my interpretation of it. I wanted to be authentic to what is beautiful about the music in Africa,” Beyonce says in the clip.
“A lot of the drums, the chants, all of these incredible new sounds mixed with some of the producers from America, we’ve kind of created our own genre and I feel like the soundtrack becomes visual in your mind. It’s a soundscape. It’s more than just the music because each song tells the story of the film.”
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MIT and Fashion Institute of Technology join forces to create innovative textiles
If you knew that hundreds of millions of running shoes are disposed of in landfills each year, would you prefer a high-performance athletic shoe that is biodegradable? Would being able to monitor your fitness in real time and help you avoid injury while you are running appeal to you? If so, look no further than the collaboration between MIT and the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT).
For the second consecutive year, students from each institution teamed up for two weeks in late June to create product concepts exploring the use of advanced fibers and technology. The workshops were held collaboratively with Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA), a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based national nonprofit whose goal is to enable a manufacturing-based transformation of traditional fibers, yarns, and textiles into highly sophisticated, integrated, and networked devices and systems.
“Humans have made use of natural fibers for millennia. They are essential as tools, clothing and shelter,” says Gregory C. Rutledge, lead principal investigator for MIT in AFFOA and the Lammot du Pont Professor in Chemical Engineering. “Today, new fiber-based solutions can have a significant and timely impact on the challenges facing our world.”
The students had the opportunity this year to respond to a project challenge posed by footwear and apparel manufacturer New Balance, a member of the AFFOA network. Students spent their first week in Cambridge learning new technologies at MIT and the second at FIT, a college of the State University of New York, in New York City working on projects and prototypes. On the last day of the workshop, the teams presented their final projects at the headquarters of Lafayette 148 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, with New Balance Creative Manager of Computational Design Onur Yuce Gun in attendance.
Team Natural Futurism presented a concept to develop a biodegradable lifestyle shoe using natural material alternatives, including bacterial cellulose and mycelium, and advanced fiber concepts to avoid use of chemical dyes. The result was a shoe that is both sustainable and aesthetic. Team members included: Giulia de Garay (FIT, Textile Development and Marketing), Rebecca Grekin ’19 (Chemical Engineering), rising senior Kedi Hu (Chemical Engineering/Architecture), Nga Yi "Amy" Lam (FIT, Textile Development and Marketing), Daniella Koller (FIT, Fashion Design), and Stephanie Stickle (FIT, Textile Surface Design).
Team CoMIT to Safety Before ProFIT explored the various ways that runners get hurt, sometimes from acute injuries but more often from overuse. Their solution was to incorporate intuitive textiles, as well as tech elements such as a silent alarm and LED display, into athletic clothing and shoes for entry-level, competitive, and expert runners. The goal is to help runners at all levels to eliminate distraction, know their physical limits, and be able to call for help. Team members included Rachel Cheang (FIT, Fashion Design/Knitwear), Jonathan Mateer (FIT, Accessories Design), Caroline Liu ’19 (Materials Science and Engineering), and Xin Wen ’19 (Electrical Engineering and Computer Science).
"It is critical for design students to work in a team environment engaging in the latest technologies. This interaction will support the invention of products that will define our future," comments Joanne Arbuckle, deputy to the president for industry partnerships and collaborative programs at FIT.
The specific content of this workshop was co-designed by MIT postdocs Katia Zolotovsky of the Department of Biological Engineering and Mehmet Kanik of the Research Laboratory of Electronics, with assistant professor of fashion design Andy Liu from FIT, to teach the fundamentals of fiber fabrication, 3-D printing with light, sensing, and biosensing. Participating MIT faculty included Yoel Fink, who is CEO of AFFOA and professor of materials science and electrical engineering; Polina Anikeeva, who is associate professor in the departments of Materials Science and Engineering and Brain and Cognitive Sciences; and Nicholas Xuanlai Fang, professor of mechanical engineering. Participating FIT faculty were Preeti Arya, assistant professor, Textile Development and Marketing; Patrice George, associate professor, Textile Development and Marketing; Suzanne Goetz, associate professor, Textile Surface Design; Tom Scott, Fashion Design; David Ulan, adjunct assistant professor, Accessories Design; and Gregg Woodcock, adjunct instructor, Accessories Design.
To facilitate the intersection of design and engineering for products made of advanced functional fibers, yarns, and textiles, a brand-new workforce must be created and inspired by future opportunities. “The purpose of the program is to bring together undergraduate students from different backgrounds, and provide them with a cross-disciplinary, project-oriented experience that gets them thinking about what can be done with these new materials,” Rutledge adds.
The goal of MIT, FIT, AFFOA, and industrial partner New Balance is to accelerate innovation in high-tech, U.S.-based manufacturing involving fibers and textiles, and potentially to create a whole new industry based on breakthroughs in fiber technology and manufacturing. AFFOA, a Manufacturing Innovation Institute founded in 2016, is a public-private partnership between industry, academia, and both state and federal governments.
“Collaboration and teamwork are DNA-level attributes of the New Balance workplace,” says Chris Wawrousek, senior creative design lead in the NB Innovation Studio. “We were very excited to participate in the program from a multitude of perspectives. The program allowed us to see some of the emerging research in the field of technical textiles. In some cases, these technologies are still very nascent, but give us a window into future developments.”
“The diverse pairing and short time period also remind us of the energy captured in an academic crash course, and just how much teams can do in a condensed period of time,” Wawrousek adds. “Finally, it’s a great chance to connect with this future generation of designers and engineers, hopefully giving them an exciting window into the work of our brand.”
By building upon their different points of view from design and science, the teams demonstrated what is possible when creative individuals from each area act and think as one. “When designers and engineers come together and open their minds to creating new technologies that ultimately will impact the world, we can imagine exciting new multi-material fibers that open up a new spectrum of applications in various markets, from clothing to medical and beyond,” says Yuly Fuentes, MIT Materials Research Laboratory project manager for fiber technologies.
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Mother of Eric Garner writes powerful essay after decline to prosecute police officer who killed him
Eric Garner’s chokehold death, captured on cellphone video, will not lead to federal charges for the NYPD officer who killed him.
This decision, announced yesterday, angered his family who had waited five years for Officer Daniel Pantaleo to be brought to justice.
—Breaking News: Eric Garner’s chokehold death will not lead to federal charges for NYPD officer—
Garner’s mother Gwen Carr wrote a passionate piece for The New York Daily News saying her son who died after being choked into submission, was killed all over again on Tuesday.
“Five years ago, my son said “I can’t breathe” 11 times as officers placed him in a banned chokehold and killed him. After patiently waiting, following the rules, hoping for accountability and closure, we now learn that the Department of Justice has decided not to bring federal charges against Officer Daniel Pantaleo,” Carr wrote.
“The DOJ has killed Eric all over again, and today we are the ones who are finding it difficult to breathe.”
Carr, and many others, believe Pantaleo and the other officers involved got away with murder.
“Everyone saw what happened; the entire world watched as my son’s life was taken by those who swore an oath to protect and serve. It was all captured on video, in plain view, and yet somehow Pantaleo and all of the officers involved in Eric’s murder have been able to walk away with a slap on the wrist — if that.”
Pantaleo, Carr said, was never penalized and has continued to receive his nearly $120,000 pay over the years and even got $20,000 more in overtime pay.
“In fact, the only “punishment” he ever received was being placed on desk duty, where he’s been able to rack up pay and pension benefits.
“Meanwhile, I will never get my son back. My grandchildren will never have their father. My family will never see Eric’s beautiful smile again,” she wrote.
—Meek Mill lawyers: Case could crumble if new trial granted—
“The NYPD failed us. Mayor de Blasio failed us. And now the DOJ has failed us. But we aren’t going anywhere and we will not be silenced.”
Carr said she and her family will continue to push to get Pantaleo and the other officers fired. According to the New York Times, it will be up to Commissioner James P. O’Neill to decide whether to fire Officer Pantaleo.
“We are asking Police Commissioner James O’Neill to fire Pantaleo and all of the officers responsible for Eric’s death. They all must be off the force.”
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Texas Democrat Al Green introduces articles of impeachment against Trump
Texas Rep. Al Green has introduced articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, potentially forcing a vote this week on whether to remove the president from office.
The vote would come too soon for most Democrats, as a majority of the caucus appears to oppose impeachment, for now. But Green is seeking to capitalize on a growing sentiment for impeachment in the wake of Trump’s racist tweets over the weekend.
Green introduced the measure shortly after the House voted to condemn Trump for tweets that four Democratic congresswomen should “go back” to their home countries. All are Americans.
Under House rules, a single member of the House can force an impeachment vote. Green did so twice, unsuccessfully, when Republicans controlled the House.
For now, a majority of House Democrats appear to oppose impeachment. And House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has resisted launching official proceedings without broad bipartisan support.
Green said Tuesday that Trump is unfit for office and “enough is enough.”
Any member of the House can force an impeachment vote. Green has done so twice before, unsuccessfully.
The Democratic-led House has voted to condemn President Donald Trump’s tweets telling four Democratic congresswomen of color to “go back” to their countries of origin.
Tuesday’s vote was 240-187 and was solidly opposed by Republicans. It came after Trump and top congressional Republicans denied he is a racist and urged GOP lawmakers to oppose the Democratic measure.
The resolution says the House “strongly condemns” Trump’s “racist comments that have legitimized and increased fear and hatred of new Americans and people of color.”
Republicans say Democrats are using the uproar over Trump’s comments to score political points. But Democrats say such comments were revolting and needed to be vilified, especially coming from the president.
Trump didn’t back down and tweeted that lawmakers unhappy with the U.S. “can leave.”
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Meek Mill lawyers: Case could crumble if new trial granted
Lawyers for Meek Mill asked an appeals court Tuesday to overturn a 2008 drug and gun conviction that has kept the rapper on probation for a decade and made him a celebrity crusader for criminal justice reform.
Defense lawyers believe the city judge who has overseen his case and sent him to prison in 2017 over minor parole violation has become too involved in the performer’s life — once checking on his community service efforts at a homeless shelter — and lost her impartiality.
And, they say, the only prosecution witness at the nonjury trial was a drug squad officer whose credibility is now in doubt.
“He now has been discredited,” lawyer Kim Watterson of Los Angeles told the three-judge panel. “They (prosecutors) do not have confidence in his testimony and will not call him at retrial.”
The retired officer, Reginald Graham, is on an internal do-not-call list of police officers District Attorney Larry Krasner won’t use in court because of credibility concerns, according to a brief Krasner’s office filed that supports the new trial bid. Krasner, a former civil rights lawyer, took office last year.
“Although he was not charged federally with the other officers in the narcotics unit, Graham resigned from the police department prior to being formally dismissed,” Krasner’s office wrote, referring to a 2015 police corruption trial that ended with the acquittal of six officers. “The Commonwealth cannot call a witness whose credibility it mistrusts.”
Assistant District Attorney Paul George echoed the point in court, making for an unusual, uncontested appeal. He said the office wouldn’t call Graham due it its “legal, ethical and constitutional obligations.”
Prosecutors could choose to drop the case if a new trial is granted, leaving Williams unconvicted and free of the court’s oversight.
The court typically takes several months to rule.
Mill, whose real name is Robert Rihmeek Williams, became a champion for criminal justice reform after Judge Genece Brinkley sentenced him in 2017 to two to four years in prison for the parole violations. He spent five months in prison before a court ordered him released last year.
He has hired a large team of high-priced litigators to clear his name, including lawyers from Los Angeles, New York and Philadelphia who were on hand for Tuesday’s hearing. Brinkley, for her part, has hired her own high-profile city lawyer to defend her actions.
“She’s a tough judge across the board,” said her lawyer, A. Charles Peruto Jr. “When you have this kind of money and fame you use it to your advantage to try to show she’s prejudiced against him. . If he wins, it just demonstrates that he’s above the law.”
At the 2008 trial, Graham testified that the 19-year-old Williams pointed a gun at him during the arrest outside his southwest Philadelphia home. Williams has acknowledged having a gun but denied pointing it at police. Brinkley found him guilty of drug and gun charges and sentenced him to about one to two years in jail, followed by 10 years of probation.
Williams, now 32, has frequently tangled with the judge over terms of the parole, especially over reporting requirements and travel rules that he says conflict with his soaring music career.
Brinkley, after a 2015 hearing that included testimony from Williams’ then-girlfriend, superstar Nicki Minaj, said she “has done nothing but try to help the defendant.”
The presiding judge on Tuesday’s panel, President Judge Jack Panella, said the violations and resulting prison term become moot if the court grants a new trial.
“Pretty much everything falls apart if we grant (post-conviction) relief on the first trial,” Panella said.
Williams, whose top-selling albums include the 2015 “Dreams Worth More Than Money” and last year’s “Championships,” is a fixture at NBA games in Philadelphia and has the support of many high-profile celebrities and athletes.
He appeared in last month’s season finale of “Saturday Night Live,” performing beside DJ Khaled, John Legend, SZA and other artists in a tribute to slain rapper Nipsey Hussle.
A documentary on his legal travails, produced by music mogul Jay-Z, is set to be released next month.
The post Meek Mill lawyers: Case could crumble if new trial granted appeared first on theGrio.
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