The Twitter Public Policy team criticized the government of Uganda for ordering internet service providers to block access to social media sites ahead of the country’s Jan. 14 election shortly after executing a large-scale purge of U.S. users, including President Donald Trump himself. The Ugandan Communications Commission ordered internet service providers in the country to “immediately suspend any access and use” of social media and online messaging websites, according to Al Jazeera. Twitter called for “access to information and freedom of expression, including the public conversation on Twitter” less than a week after the social media site permanently banned Trump due to a “risk of [his] further incitement of violence.” Access to information and freedom of expression, including the public conversation on Twitter, is never more important than during democratic processes, particularly elections. #UgandaDecides2021 #KeepItOn https://t.co/Q2SJfsFUiD — Twitter Public Policy (@Policy) January 12, 2021 After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence. https://t.co/CBpE1I6j8Y — Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) January 8, 2021 Twitter later banned more than 70,000 other accounts that it claimed were “primarily dedicated to sharing QAnon content.” Many Twitter users with conservative and right-leaning audiences said that they lost thousands of followers as a result of the bans. (RELATED: After Reportedly Receiving Numerous Customer Complaints About Censorship, Local Internet Provider Offers To Block Twitter And Facebook) Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has held office since 1986 and been accused by opposition leaders of violently cracking down on his opponents, according to The Independent. Museveni reportedly responded by calling his chief challenger, Bobi Wine, an “agent of ...
Bia clarifies particular social group for asylum eligibility
Jeffries roasts McCarthy over Waters: ‘Clean up your own mess’
The head of the House Democratic Caucus went after Rep. Kevin McCarthy Kevin McCarthy White House readies for Chauvin verdict McCarthy to introduce resolution to censure Waters House GOP's McClain responds to Pelosi calling her 'that woman' MORE (Calif.) on Thursday, accusing the Republican leader of rank hypocrisy for denouncing the behavior of Democrats while largely staying silent on the controversies swirling around members of his own GOP conference. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries Hakeem Sekou Jeffries Race debate grips Congress Cheney: Afghanistan withdrawal a 'huge propaganda victory' for terrorists Democrats vow to go 'bold' — with or without GOP MORE (D-N.Y.) said McCarthy — who is pushing a resolution this week to censure Rep. Maxine Waters Maxine Moore Waters White House readies for Chauvin verdict McCarthy to introduce resolution to censure Waters House GOP's McClain responds to Pelosi calling her 'that woman' MORE (D-Calif.) for endorsing "confrontation" in combatting police violence — should shift his attention to the Republican lawmakers making waves this month. That list includes Reps. Matt Gaetz Matthew (Matt) Gaetz GOP struggles to rein in nativism 'Real Housewives of the GOP' — Wannabe reality show narcissists commandeer the party Boehner: 'America First Caucus is one of the nuttiest things I've ever seen' MORE (R-Fla.), who's under investigation for sex trafficking of a minor, and Marjorie Taylor Greene Marjorie Taylor Greene Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene says she's meeting with Trump 'soon' in Florida QAnon site shutters after reports identifying developer Republicans head to runoff in GA-14 MORE (R-Ga.), who's been linked to a group promoting "Anglo Saxon traditions." ADVERTISEMENT "Kevin McCarthy should focus on his own conference, because the Republicans in the House are a mess right now," Jeffries, the fifth-ranking House ...
Fight Over Georgia Voting Restrictions Triggers National Debate
WASHINGTON - Republican Mitch McConnell, the U.S. Senate minority leader, has taken a novel stance on freedom of expression, saying major corporations should continue writing hefty checks for political campaigns but at the same time keep quiet on controversial issues of the day. McConnell, a longtime lawmaker from the mid-South state of Kentucky, assailed Major League Baseball, Coca-Cola and Delta Air Lines in recent days after they came out against a new law in the Southern state of Georgia that tightens voting restrictions. Democratic critics say the law will make it more difficult for Black voters to cast ballots in future elections. But McConnell's stance could reverberate far beyond Georgia's borders. Prominent national and regional companies, already significant funders of U.S. political campaigns, are trying to figure out their role in the public debate as Republican state lawmakers throughout the country look to change election laws they believe led to former President Donald Trump's loss in the November election to Democrat Joe Biden, now the country's 46th president. Any response by business leaders could prove perilous for their financial interests, with some customers threatening to stop buying their products if they don't take a stand and others threatening boycotts if they do. The soft drink maker Coca-Cola and Delta, a major airline, are both headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia's biggest city, while Major League Baseball pulled its annual All-Star Game from the city in protest of the new voting law. McConnell has long championed expansive rights for corporations to make whatever donations they want to political campaigns, defending the largess as a form of free speech protected by the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment. But when the companies castigated the voting law, McConnell rebuked them, accusing them of "bullying" politicians. "My warning, if you will, to corporate America is to stay out of politics," McConnell said Tuesday. He ...
Shots in Little Arms: When Can Kids Get the Vaccine?
School children wearing facemasks walk outside Condit Elementary School in outside Houston, Texas. Photo: François Picard/AFP via Getty Images On Monday, every adult became eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine. So when will children be able to get their shots? While children under 16 have not been approved to receive any of the currently available shots, clinical trials to get shots in little arms are underway. Delivering the vaccine to children will be necessary to tame the virus, experts say, and could remove uncertainty around when students will fully return to in-person learning as they already prepare for the upcoming fall 2021 school year. Here’s what we know so far about the vaccine and children. Drug companies have launched critical trials for younger children and their results are expected to be released to the public by the summer . Both Pfizer and Moderna are testing their two-dose vaccines in children as young as 6 months old. (Clinical trials in children require permission from their legal guardians.) According to Dr. Megan Freeman, a specialist in infectious diseases in children at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, when they’ll be “just depends on how quickly they’re able to turn around that data.” Already, Pfizer announced a trial of its vaccine in kids 12 to 15 years old showed it was safe and fully effective . The drugmaker has requested the FDA’s permission to allow teens in that age group to receive the shots. Given that most kids are at low risk for complications from COVID, the need for a pediatric vaccine for the disease may not seem pressing. Research even suggests younger children are less likely to transmit the virus than teens. “We know that kids tend to do pretty well with this infection, but they certainly can spread it to others,” Freeman says. It is therefore crucial to have vaccines available for kids to curb the spread of the coronavirus and to protect high-risk young people, she adds. Freeman is hopeful that the ...
US Businesses Increasingly Taking Stands on Political Issues
WASHINGTON - In the weeks since the Republican-controlled Legislature in the state of Georgia passed a law making it more difficult for many citizens to vote in its elections — a move that is expected to disproportionately affect African Americans and other minority groups — hundreds of business leaders have signed open letters deploring efforts to restrict access to the ballot box. The movement has attracted companies associated with the new information-era economy, such as Facebook and Twitter, as well as stalwarts of the old guard of American business, such as General Motors and IBM. All four were among the hundreds of companies and business leaders who signed an open letter in support of voting rights that spanned two pages in The New York Times last week. Seeking shared values Historically, most businesses have tried to avoid taking stands on issues outside the realm of their corporate interests. But as a younger generation of business leaders and consumers gains influence, that is changing, according to corporate experts. "What's happening today is that people want to work for companies that share their values; people consume goods and services from companies that they think reflect their values," said Craig Robinson, a co-founder of the Leadership Now Project, which helped organize a meeting of CEOs that led to the letter in the Times. "So companies are more than just in the business of creating shareholder value. The broader stakeholder system is today, more than ever, expecting companies to do more." According to Robinson, a former senior executive at WeWork and a member of various startup company boards, corporations are very attuned to the fact that younger business executives have expectations about the companies they work for that may not have been as openly expressed in previous generations. "[They] want to see their values reflected in the brands of the goods that they purchase, but also the companies they work for," he told VOA. ...
