Daily Archives: February 24, 2022

Washburn: Rutland Town Article 23 | Commentary | rutlandherald.com – Rutland Herald

Posted: February 24, 2022 at 2:53 am

As a resident of Rutland Town, Id like to voice my support for Article 23 on the Rutland Town Ballot, the construction of the Rutland Town Public Safety Building.

The current police department office is 320-square feet inside the Town Hall. There are three desks to be used by the four full-time officers and the records administrator. This alone occupies the majority of the office, but then add in the three filing cabinets, a fax/copier/scanner, air purifier and basic amenities, and you are left with a single path to move around the office.

The current office was remodeled in 2015 and was a temporary (three to four years maximum) fix to the single closet office the police department was in. It is now 2022 and the police department has long since outgrown the office. There is no interview room, processing area and with limited desks, if there is a major incident, an officer will have to wait for a desk to be available to type their report.

The McKinley Avenue Fire Station was built sometime in the 1960s to fit the need of the fire department at the time. The building was constructed with a cinder block foundation and wall, steel-beam roof supports and three bays. A lot has changed since the construction of the building. Modern-day fire departments are required to carry more equipment, meaning the fire trucks are bigger. In order to get the new trucks into the station, the truck must be built to fit under the steel beam roof supports, which limits what equipment can be added to the trucks.

While the trucks not fitting is a concern, the building itself is falling apart. Anybody who has ever had a cinder block foundation or wall, knows cinder blocks crack, deteriorate and require constant fixing to keep their stability. There are cinder blocks at the McKinley Avenue station that have begun to crack and turn to dust. This compromises the structural integrity of the building, and I would rather see the town be proactive in replacing the building, versus the building collapsing and millions of dollars in fire equipment getting destroyed, the town be without multiple fire engines while they are replaced, and at the end of the day, the town would need to put up a new building.

I know there are people who oppose the construction of this building, citing its more than what the town needs, and its too expensive. While I respect these individuals are exercising their First Amendment right, I feel I also should be allowed to voice my First Amendment right.

The planned for public safety building was designed by the fire department and police department. The building has the necessities both entities need to perform their duties. There are no added bonus rooms, or luxury areas, just space needed to perform daily operations. The building was also designed by both agencies with the intent to last for the next 30 to 40 years.

As far as the price tag, yes, the overall building would cost $4 million to build. However, because of capital improvement funds and federal funding, the town has the opportunity to put down $2 million, meaning the overall cost of the building would be $2 million, instead of $4 million.

On March 1, Ill be voting yes on Article 23, and I ask for the support of Rutland Town residents to approve this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Ted Washburn lives in Center Rutland.

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How the Court Became a Voting-Rights Foe – The Atlantic

Posted: at 2:53 am

The Supreme Courts recent decision, reversing that of a lower federal court, to reinstate Alabamas evidently gerrymandered voting map did more than just make it harder for affected voters to have a meaningful say in the November midterms. To be sure, according to the lower courts three-judge panel (which included two Trump appointees), the new map adversely impacts Black Alabamans in a way that violates the Voting Rights Act. The electoral stakes could hardly be higher, potentially determining whether control of Congress will shift to Republicans, leading to a cascade of implications, such as the termination of the United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack, efforts to impeach President Joe Biden, and possible election trickeryto say nothing of what would come of the normal business of legislating.

But beyond that, the frightening takeaway from Merrill v. Milligan is that a majority of Americas highest court again evinced a disdain for voters and their ability to pick their leaders, intent on cementing a system where this works in reverse, with the entrenched leaders picking their voters in a bid to stay in power indefinitely. By joining the dissent, even Chief Justice John Robertsnot exactly a historical champion of voting rightsseems to think the majority has gone too far, missing the most fundamental message of the U.S. Constitution: no more kings.

Adam Serwer: The lie about the Supreme Court that everyone pretends to believe

The Court neednt have allowed this to happen. Gerrymandering is the practice by which every 10 years, state and local governments carve up and manipulate the geographical boundaries of an electoral district to maximize the power of one political party over the other. Two common techniques are packingthat is, drawing a district in a tortured way that smushes in voters of a certain party, making it all but impossible for others to choose a candidate from a competing party for that district. And crackingtaking a logical geographic boundary that happens to contain a predominant number of voters from a particular party, breaking it up into pieces, and adding those fragments to other districts dominated by the competing party so that those voters voices no longer matter.

With Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Congress drew a legislative line banning gerrymandering based on race and enabling lawsuits to enforce it. And in Shaw v. Reno, the Supreme Court in 1993 held that gerrymandered boundaries that cannot be explained on grounds other than race violate the Constitutions equal-protection clause, declaring that bizarrely shaped districts strongly indicate racial intent. The Voting Rights Act, combined with the Courts earlier constitutional interpretation, provided it with a solid foundation for protecting voting rights and strengthening American democracy. But thats not what the Courts new conservative majority has chosen to do with its power. Instead, it has made an abject constitutional power grabthe tragic outcome of a judicial assault on voting rights that dates back to when, over a trio of rulings, the Supreme Court unnecessarily struck at the very heart of American democracy, potentially fatally.

The slide away from voting-rights protection began in 2010, in the Courts 54 decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which held that legislative restrictions on independent political spending from corporations violate the First Amendment right to free speech. Meanwhile, donations directly to campaigns and their committeessomething that individuals, but not corporations, can makeare capped. So, for individuals, donating more than $2,900 to a single candidate is illegal, on the rationale that a greater amount could corruptly sway an elected politicians decision making once in public office. However, if an individual or a corporation buys a $1 million Super Bowl ad containing electioneering communications, the majority reasoned, that speech cant be congressionally restricted, so long as the ad isnt coordinated with the candidate. The trick is that only extremely wealthy individuals and corporations can do such a thingleaving them with much more political power than average people. Its a David-versus-Goliath problem caused not by Congress but by the Supreme Court, which all but obliterated the legislatures gains in leveling the playing field on influencing elections through funding.

The Court ruled this way even though corporations are pure legal fictions, and even though Congress determined in legislation dating back more than 100 years that such spending might unduly influence candidates for office, and warrants regulation. It could easily have gone the other way, in accordance with its earlier precedents, as well as a commensurate respect for the U.S. Congress and the commonsense notion that ours is a democracy by the people, not corporations. To be sure, the Framers did not include an affirmative right to vote in the original Constitution, but corporate entities were nascent in 1791 when the First Amendment was ratified. For conservatives who bill themselves as textualists and originalists, it would have been easy to justify a ruling that the First Amendments free-speech protections were intended for individuals who work for corporations, but not for the legal creation of a corporate entity.

Three years later, in Shelby County v. Holder, the Court, in an opinion written by Chief Justice Roberts, again struck down a key portion of an act of Congressthis time, Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. Section 5 was designed to push back on states outmaneuvering of the Fifteenth Amendments postCivil War prohibition on laws restricting ballot access based on race. To keep Black voters from the polls, states enacted arbitrary hurdles to votingsuch as reciting the Declaration of Independence or counting the bubbles in a bar of soapas a precondition to ballot access. These schemes disproportionately impacted Black voters. Section 5 required states with unsavory histories of imposing such barriers to run proposed laws by the Justice Department before the laws could take effect.

The program was a legislative triumph, and Roberts himself wrote in Shelby County that the Act has proved immensely successful at redressing racial discrimination and integrating the voting process. Section 5 was reauthorized multiple times by substantial supermajorities in Congress. Nonetheless, the Supreme Court held that Section 5 was outdated and sent Congress back to the drawing board. Conceding that voting discrimination still exists; no one doubts that, Roberts wrote for the majority that the conditions that originally justified these measures no longer characterize voting in the covered jurisdictions. The formula for determining which states needed the DOJs approval to enact new voting lawsa process known as preclearancewas based on decades-old data and eradicated practices, Roberts reasoned, because minority-voter access had made great strides since 1965. The Court thus deemed the formula an unconstitutional infringement on states ability to regulate elections under the Tenth Amendment.

This was a sharp departure from prior precedent, as the Court had already rejected a similar constitutional challenge brought by Texas after Congress reauthorized the law in 2006. According to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, that congressional determination was based on exhaustive evidence-gathering and deliberative process. Surely, the Court didnt have to strike it down this time. Ginsburg famously quipped in dissent: Throwing out preclearance when it has worked and is continuing to work to stop discriminatory changes is like throwing away your umbrella in a rainstorm because you are not getting wet. The majoritys maneuver, she noted, was instead about the separation of powers: who decides this Court, or a Congress charged with the obligation to enforce the post-Civil War Amendments.

The third nail in the voting-rights coffin came in 2019, with Rucho v. Common Cause. Although the Court had banned racial gerrymandering in Shaw v. Reno, in Rucho, Roberts wrote for a 54 conservative majority that constitutional claims of partisan gerrymandering are political questions that cannot be heard in court. The courthouse doors are thus permanently closed to claims that packing and cracking electoral districts for purposes of entrenching party power are unconstitutional. Voters must go back to gerrymandered politicians for help by asking that they give up the reins of power that gerrymandering provides them with and divide up districts more fairly.

Again, the Court neednt have gone down this path. The political-question doctrine is notoriously squishy and untethered from the constitutional text, and the majority did not deny the broader constitutional implications with political gerrymandering. It just refused to hear them. Justice Elena Kagan bemoaned in dissent: For the first time ever, this Court refuses to remedy a constitutional violation because it thinks the task beyond judicial capabilities. By 2019, Kagan was heavily outnumbered by five staunch conservatives who exercised their collective discretion to put a boot on the neck of voting rights, rather than championing them.

Read: The Supreme Courts dead hand

Voting-rights activists have grasped at other straws. The pending John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which has been languishing for months because of the threat of a Republican filibuster, was Congresss answer to Shelby County. In addition to working via Congress, voters turned to Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act for relief through the courts in the interim. But that strategy, too, was met with the Courts antipathy. In 2021, in Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee, Justice Samuel Alito wrote a 63 majority opinion (with Justice Amy Coney Barrett now on the Court) that effectively inserted a five-part legislative test into the Voting Rights Act as a prerequisite to voters seeking relief from laws inhibiting ballot access, making Section 2 lawsuits much harder.

By the time the Alabama case reached the Court this winter, voting-rights activists faced a panel with six far-right conservative justicesenough that they can lose Roberts to the Courts moderate wing and still have the majority. And thats just what happened.

Following the 2020 census, Alabama redrew its seven seats in the House of Representatives. Although its statewide population is 27 percent Black, only one of the newly drawn districts has a Black majority. All of the remaining six have a majority-white population. The lower court stayed the plan, giving the state legislature two weeks to draw another map that includes two majority-Black districts. Otherwise, the court said, it would hire an outside expert to do it.

In a single paragraph issued on a motion for a stay of the lower courts order, the Supreme Court reversed that decision and issued an injunction effectively putting the contested plan back in place. The Court did this without the benefit of full briefing and argumentanother invocation of its quick-and-dirty shadow docket procedure. (The Court declined to use this power to stay an unlawful ban on abortion in Texas, mind you.) In a concurring opinion, Justice Brett Kavanaugh emphasized that the stay order is not a ruling on the merits, but instead simply stays the District Courts injunction pending a ruling on the merits. His partial rationale was that the lower courts ruling was in the period close to an election.

Kavanaughs pretense that the injunction was only a technicality elevates form over substance. As with Texass S.B. 8 abortion law, the Court effectively left in place a potentially illegal law pending full briefing. Roberts again shot back: I respectfully dissent from the stays granted in these cases because, in my view, the District Court properly applied existing law in an extensive opinion with no apparent errors for our correction. Justice Kagans dissent, which Justices Stephen Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor joined, was sharper: After considering a massive factual record, developed over seven days of testimony, and reviewing more than 1,000 pages of briefing, a three-judge District Court held that Alabamas redistricting plan violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.

Roberts and Kagan underscored the ABCs of how the judicial system works. Unhappy litigants must wait patiently for their bid to come up on appeal. In the meantime, the lower-court rulings stand, absent some egregious immediate harm and a clear error of law.

So there we have it. Congress has in fact passed numerous laws to make elections fairer and ballot access easier. But based on its 1803 decision in Marbury v. Madison making it the arbiter of constitutional ambiguity, the Supreme Court has either slapped such legislation down or added material requirements to a statute to make bringing cases harder for voters. For a particularly problematic category of casespolitical gerrymanderingthe Court has barred all constitutional court actions and sided with states for statutory claims, regardless of the merits, on the theory that its better to err on the side of a potential Voting Rights Act violation because elections are around the corner (inevitably every year in some form or another).

This Court is going to continue to make voting more difficult, leaving it up to a Congress that was substantially voted in under those same unfair standards to fix the problem. Good luck with that. In the meantime, the revisionist justices are deep in the business of snatching power from a supposedly co-equal branch of governmentone that, unlike the Court, is accountable to the voters at the ballot box. This is the sleeping dragon, friends. One-party rule will come to federal, state, and local legislatures across the country. But it is already here on the Supreme Court, in the form of four men and one woman in black robes, with jobs for life and nothing to slow them down other than individual conscience.

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Letters to the editor Feb. 24 | Daily Inter Lake – Daily Inter Lake

Posted: at 2:53 am

Its the money

Never did such evil institution as money spring up to mortals; it seduces and corrupts the honest mind, turning its virtuous thoughts to deeds of baseness; it has taught men villainy and how to perform all impious works. - Sophocles (d. 406 BC) - ancient Greek writer of tragedies.

The U.S. Supreme Courts 5-4 decision of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission in January 2010 struck down restrictions on independent expenditures from corporate treasuries as violations of the First Amendment (money is speech from prior SCOTUS rulings). As Ive heard some political commentators say we have a system of legalized bribery in American politics.

There can be no doubt of this truth.

Anyone who follows the downward trajectory of todays American politics cant escape the fact that money in politics is the root of problems of our sad dysfunctionality, blatant corruption among so many regardless of political party, news media with its purposeful ineptitude and increasing autocratic nation-like propaganda growing. The Koch Brother influence is astounding, with their political organizations; think tanks, etc., having equity in resources to the Republican National Committee. But there are a few wealthy donors for the Democratic Party as well, and the point is lost on blaming one side or the other, in that the root of the problem is the money involved, not the particular grouping of Americans involved.

Do we have any choice from eventual total national ruin of America other than reform of laws allowing floods of money to state its lawful poison, speaking for all 329.5 million of us, that which is not in our own best interest?

Erwin Curry, Missoula

Thank you. Two little words that convey so much.

We want to say thank you to each and every one of the 56 Montana county clerk and recorders and their dedicated staff. These Montana civil servants do their work with honesty and integrity.

We have voted here in Flathead County for every local, state, and federal election for nearly 50 years. It is every American citizens right and responsibility to vote. We have never doubted that every Montana election has been and is honest and true. Every election has been fair and accurate.

So I say again, thank you to each and every one of the 56 county clerk and recorders. We know our elections are safe with you.

However, we believe that there are dishonest elements in Montana that are trying to plant the seeds of doubt as to the fairness and honesty of Montanas elections. We say to all Montanans who live lives of honesty and integrity: Gather reliable information, and push back against these nefarious elements. Stand up against their misinformation and lies.

Montanas elections are fair, honest, accurate and above board. Tell all 56 county clerk and recorders (and staff) thank you.

Christina Granrud, Loraine Measure, Elizabeth Mollica, Jill Mueth, Kim Pinter, Lana Shura and Mary Wellemeyer

If you ever have doubted the integrity of our current president, surely you doubt no more. What could be more racist, predjudist, arrogant, and unlawful than the President declaring that obly black females will be considered for the Supreme Court?

If such a person is the best qualified great! But surely there are people of other genders and races who should be considered as well.

Gerry Hurst, Marion

So here we go with the two likely Republican candidates Zinke and Rosendale.

Lets start with Mr. Zinke, the disgraced former head of the Department of interior under President Trump. Please do recall that he stepped away from that position before the end of his term because of strong scandal headwinds and the likelihood that he would have been indicted for abuse of office. He will have strong oil and gas support because of this attempted rape of public lands on their behalf, so expect a big money intake there. I suppose if you want to further foul Congress and increase the endemic level of corruption in Washington, hes your man,

In the eastern district, we have the ultimate Trump ring kisser in Matt Rosendale. Aside from his statewide schmoozing tours, hes quite content to be a member of the no party. And dont forget, that among his many contentious negative votes in Congress was the vote against the native Afghan war interpreters rescue and sponsorship for U.S. citizenship. As I recall, he was one of very few from his own party to vote against these war heroes, with complete disregard to their very thorough vetting by the U.S. government. And then theres his ongoing legal battle with the dark money charges. Oh wait, this just in: On Feb. 8 he introduced legislation that would block security and military assistance to Ukraine until the U.S. southern border is secured. Does anyone really think that he thought of this all by himself? Nah, it has Trumps and by extension, Putins fingerprints all over it.

I think we can do better than these two bumblers. Just sayin.

Chuck Mollica, Bigfork

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Read Mayor Bowser’s 84-Month Progress Report | mayormb – Executive Office of the Mayor

Posted: at 2:52 am

A lot about our lives and how we do things has changed since the start of the pandemic, but one New Years tradition I am happy to continue is starting the year off by delivering an accountability report to the nearly 700,000 residents of Washington, DC.

I remain grateful for how our community has stepped up to respond to the pandemic with an appreciation for science, data, and keeping each other safe. While the Districts comeback is off to a strong start, we also know that COVID-19 has upended so much of our lives. Most obviously, it created new and unexpected health challenges and a financial crisis, especially for those who were already struggling to get by. It also upended our very fragile public safety ecosystem, created new challenges around homelessness, and new demands around housing. The pandemic has changed the way many people think about work and created a unique opportunity to reimagine how we move around and how we use public space.

As weve said throughout the pandemic, though, each of these challenges is also an opportunity an opportunity to build a future that better matches our DC values and the needs of our community.

Already, in the months since DC reopened, weve hit the ground running, building on the progress of the last seven years and working to build a more equitable DC. We celebrated a 73% reduction in family homelessness by launching Homeward DC 2.0, a plan to replicate that success with single adults. We made good on a promise to families to reopen our public schools for in-person learning for approximately 90,000 students, and in doing so, opened 11 new or newly modernized DCPS schools, including the brand-new Banneker Academic High School. We opened a new grocery store in Ward 8, but not before giving out almost $9 million in grants to eight local food businesses that will expand in Wards 7 and 8.

But theres more to do, and Im energized by the work ahead. I know that Washingtonians across all eight wards are eager to keep moving our city forward. Seven years ago, we set bold goals; and, together, we are reaching them. Step by step and year by year, lets keep pushing.

Sincerely,

Muriel BowserMayor

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Irans internet bill expected to progress despite overturned vote – Al Jazeera English

Posted: at 2:52 am

Hardline proponents of the legislation faced a setback but are unlikely to give up on the bill.

Tehran, Iran A controversial snap vote by Iranian lawmakers on progressing an internet restrictions bill has been overturned, but proponents are still expected to move forward with the legislation.

Hours after the outlines of the so-called Protection Bill were approvedin a controversial meeting of 19 lawmakers on Tuesday, the parliaments regulations department overturned the vote.

It said in the late hours of the night that the meeting and the vote which were held despite parliament guidelines that state all reviews must be halted when parliament is focused on the budget bill were invalid.

Voting on and reviewing the bill has been delegated to a specialised committee after proponents invoked an article of the constitution that allows some bills to be deferred to such committees that would have the power to ratify and experimentally implement legislation.

But after the vote on Tuesday, which was streamed live and faced significant backlash online, the sole lawmaker who voted against the bill mounted an effort to return it to voting in parliament.

Jalal Rashidi wrote on Twitter on Wednesday morning that his petition to take the legislation out of the specialised committee has so far garnered 130 signatures out of 290 lawmakers and more are signing up.

Proponents of the bill, who maintain its aim is to safeguard the population from harmful content on the internet and support local businesses, have repeatedly said they wish to finalise it before the Iranian calendar year ends on March 20.

Opponents of the legislation believe it will introduce significant new restrictions on online freedoms in Iran while also stifling competition and harbouring corruption with its myriad new state permits and funding.

The people will be free to use whatever platforms they have available and these claims have nothing to do with this bill, Lotfollah Siahkali, spokesman of the specialised committee, told state television on Tuesday night in response to fears that the legislation will block remaining global services like Instagram and WhatsApp.

Reza Taghipour, who heads the specialised committee on the bill, was defiant on Wednesday and said he will oppose the overturning of the vote as he believes it did not go against regulations.

I also see some media have said this overturn signals the termination of the bill, which is just malign and malicious media behaviour, he said.

Most popular global services and websites, including YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Telegram are filtered in Iran, prompting Iranians to use virtual private networks (VPNs) to circumvent restrictions. But the bill also aims to criminalise the distribution of VPNs through jail terms and fines.

Moreover, internet speeds especially connections to global services and those using VPNs have significantly slowed in recent months, prompting fears that some elements of the bill are already in motion.

This has been denied by government officials and lawmakers supporting the bill, who maintain that slowing connection speeds are due to increased demand and because the administration of former President Hassan Rouhani did not sufficiently develop infrastructures.

Review of the legislation, which was first introduced three years ago, was temporarily suspended by its hardline proponents in July 2021 after an overwhelming backlash by the public, the business community, and even government officials.

An online petition to scrap it garnered more than 1.1 million signatures last year. Online backlash against the bill has been consistent since, and continued after Tuesdays vote, with several related hashtags trending.

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Roberts pleased with changes, progress of ESPN’s NBA shows – SFGate

Posted: at 2:52 am

Dave Roberts received one of the NBAs biggest rebuilding jobs last August. Instead of being tasked with turning around a team, it was getting ESPNs studio shows and coverage back on track.

As the league comes out of the All-Star break and the push toward the playoffs intensifies, Roberts is pleased with the early results. Game viewership on ESPN is up 10%, and the new NBA Today studio show has seen a 35% increase.

I think that were on the right track, Roberts said. Were not all the way there but the teams, both in the studio and on the game side, have done a good job of working together and being a cohesive group. And I think that the early results are pretty positive.

Last August, Roberts was named ESPNs senior vice president for NBA and studio production. The move came one month after it was reported Rachel Nichols was accidentally recorded while in the Orlando bubble suggesting colleague Maria Taylors promotion to host the 2020 NBA Finals was diversity-related.

The New York Times report came two days before last years NBA Finals detailed the comments. It also came less than three weeks before Taylors contract was set to expire with ESPN and after she rejected an extension.

Nichols was pulled from NBA Finals game coverage. After the championship series concluded, Taylor signed with NBC.

Nichols The Jump also ended its run after Roberts took over. It was replaced with NBA Today.

Roberts took over after the Finals and met with the networks NBA unit during the Vegas Summer League with a simple message he would be accessible and involved, but wouldnt micromanage.

Roberts goal with NBA Today was to make sure it wasnt The Jump 2.0.

NBA Today has thrived with Malika Andrews as host. Andrews has been one of ESPNs rising stars for the past two years and took over as the sideline reporter for the Finals last year in place of Nichols.

Andrews who also does sideline reporting during some games has been a quick study in getting commentators on set involved in conversations and quickly pivot when news develops. Roberts lauded Andrews performance during the Feb. 10 trade deadline special. That was the most-watched NBA Today episode with 544,000 viewers.

NBA Today overall is averaging 334,000 viewers.

Shes poised, shes prepared, and shes committed to the journalism part of what were doing, Roberts said. She can operate as an excellent point guard, if you will, to make everyone else on that set better. That commodity is central to doing those types of ensemble programs. It also has to be insightful, fun and entertaining.

Roberts turned to familiar faces for NBA Countdown. After Taylors departure, Mike Greenberg took over as host, and Stephen A. Smith received a more prominent role with Michael Wilbon and Jalen Rose.

Besides working with them on NBA, Roberts oversees Greenberg and Smiths morning shows and ESPNs Audio Network.

We wanted to get the biggest brand names that we have covering the NBA together, Roberts said. And then you have Mike, who I believe is one of the best hosts of any content in the industry who can corral all of those big personalities to make a cohesive high-impact program.

Roberts has also been pleased with the development of analysts JJ Reddick and Vince Carter, and getting most of the networks key announcers, and analysts signed to long-term contracts.

Im proud of our teams efforts to reimagine NBA coverage this season under Daves strong leadership, said Jimmy Pitaro, the chairman of ESPN and sports content. We have built upon our solid foundation by adding distinctive content and dynamic personalities, and its resonating with fans.

___

More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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From ‘Knucklehead’ to ‘Thug’: Murphy, COVID Progress, and a New World Crisis – InsiderNJ

Posted: at 2:52 am

Phil Murphys COVID briefings are coming to an end.

The last briefing is set for March 4, which is the two-year anniversaryof the states firstrecorded case of what was then called the coronavirus. So, you can say the circleis about to close.

We believe now is the time to end these briefings, Murphy said today.

The governor said the time is right for a number of reasons. New cases and hospitalizations are down. More people are getting vaccinated and the school mask mandate ends on March 7.

Murphy said virtually all governors in the country convened regular pandemic briefings, but he said he takes pride in holding more than anyone else.

The governor began regularly briefing the press and public on the virus as soon as the pandemic erupted in March, 2020. Initially, the briefings were seven days a week, but were then scaled back to weekdays only.

As the pandemic ebbed, Murphys briefings were reduced to three days a week and lately, to once a week.

In summing up where we are now, and why the briefings are ending, the governor said, Were pretty much getting back to where we want to be, which is normal.

Its easy to forget how the world was two years ago, but one thing is clear Murphys visibility at the time was not all that high. The briefings changed that and quickly.

Murphys name recognition and poll numbers soared, at least in the beginning of the pandemic.

After all, the governor was on TV every day. He not only updated the numbers, but expressed sympathy for those who perished by highlighting three victims of the virus at every briefing.

The regular briefings introduced the term, knucklehead, into the states political lexicon. That was the label Murphy gave to those who brazenly violated pandemic regulations. The briefings also gave publicity to two people normally unknown to average New Jerseyans Pat Callahan, the head of the State Police, and Judy Persichilli, the commissioner of the state Health Department. Both attended virtually every briefing. At just about every session, Murphy called Persichilli the woman who needs no introduction.

As he did today, the governor also used his briefings to answer questions about broader points. Today, he called Vladimir Putin a thug and said Donald Trump should be ashamed of himself for praising the genius of Russias move into sections of Ukraine.

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McClain: Going from 3.4 to 4.2 would accelerate progress in Texans’ running game – Houston Chronicle

Posted: at 2:52 am

Imagine how productive the Texans offense could be next season if they solve a problem with the running game the way they did in 2010 Gary Kubiaks fifth season as coach.

In 2009, leading rusher Steve Slaton generated only 437 yards rushing. The next season, the Texans turned to second-year running back Arian Foster, and he produced 1,616 yards.

Think coach Lovie Smith and offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton would be happy with that?

The running game has to be the top priority for Smith, Hamilton and general manager Nick Caserio, who has final say on all personnel decisions. The Texans have a lot of needs, but theyre desperate to improve the running game.

Not only was it the worst in the NFL with an average of 83.6 yards a game, it was the worst in team history even worse than the 2002 expansion team average of 84.2.

Rex Burkhead led the Texans with 427 yards rushing, setting another record for fewest yards by the teams leading rusher.

So what is Caserio going to do about it?

The Texans dont have money to burn in free agency, but they do have nine draft choices, including the third overall pick.

The Texans need three new starters in the offensive line and four if left tackle Laremy Tunsil is traded. If he keeps Tunsil to play opposite Tytus Howard and enough with this Howard is a better guard bull from last season Caserio can focus on the interior.

Caserio also needs two new backs to go with Burkhead, including a starter and backup.

While Hamilton will call the plays, returning running backs coach Danny Barrett and new offensive line coach George Warhop have to do the grunt work of preparing their players to play the way Smith will demand.

Barrett, who coached for Bill OBrien and David Culley, knows what his ideal back would be.

Talent is the key, of course, he said. You want a home run hitter. You put the ball in their hands, and they can take it the distance.

You want to get someone thats consistently available and understands what youre trying to accomplish, whether its inside or outside. Hes got to be durable enough to handle all of that.

Toughness is essential.

Any time you can get physicality at running back, youll take it, Barrett said.

Caserio doesnt have to draft a back in the first round. Of the top 10 rushers in the NFL last season, the only two first-round picks were Najee Harris (Steelers) and Ezekiel Elliott (Cowboys).

Jonathan Taylor (Colts), Nick Chubb (Browns), Joe Mixon (Bengals), Dalvin Cook (Vikings) and Derrick Henry (Titans) were second-round picks. Antonio Gibson (Commanders) and Damien Harris (Patriots) were drafted in the third round. Elijah Mitchell (49ers) was a rookie selected in the sixth round.

The position has evolved over the years, Barrett said. If you have a guy thats durable and can help you in the running game and passing game, those are the guys you want to have, an every-down back.

Theres a good chance Caserio will draft an offensive lineman in the first round. Alabamas Evan Neal (tackle) and North Carolina States Ickey Ekownu (tackle/guard) are the top-rated prospects.

Warhop is the Texans third offensive line coach in three years after Mike Devlin and James Campen. The Texans are the eighth team thats employed him to coach the line in his 27-year NFL career.

Warhop, who came to the Texans from Jacksonville, has an interesting philosophy.

The way I look at the run game, its about yards per carry, he said. We cant dictate how many carries a backs going to get in a game based on how the games going. If were getting a lot of carries, great. Then we might have 140 or 150 yards rushing.

But the one thing Im always going to look at is our yards per carry. Id like for it to be above 4.2, 4.3, 4.4 somewhere in there.

The Texans averaged 3.4 yards a carry last season worst in the league. They also ran for only eight touchdowns, tied with the Giants for fewest in the league.

Even though the Jaguars had the NFLs worst record, they averaged 4.5 yards a carry. Second-year running back James Robinson averaged 4.7.

If its just on the line, were going to be a 3.8- to 4-yard average team, Warhop said. If everybodys involved in it and we have a real back and everybodys doing what theyre supposed to do, then we average 4.5, 4.6 or 4.7 a carry.

Getting everybody involved means the tight ends and wide receivers. Ben McDaniels, who was the assistant wide receivers coach last season, was elevated to passing game coordinator/wide receivers.

We have a vital role, McDaniels said about receivers blocking in the running game. Most big runs include the receivers doing their jobs at the second level or beyond.

Were sometimes at the starting point at the point of attack in the running game. Were going to give great effort, bring physicality and detail our jobs in the running game just like we will in the passing game.

Wide receiver isnt a need position like running back and the offensive line. Theres a long way to go in the evaluating process, but its no secret where the Texans are desperate: offensive line, running back, defensive end and safety.

Fans should hope Caserio provides Barrett and Warhop with the kind of players they need to improve the most glaring weakness on the team.

We want to give our backs the best chance to be successful, Warhop said. We want them (linemen) to be physical and tough, and we want them to have a mindset that were not going to take crap out of anybody.

When Warhop was asked what kind of coach he is, he hesitated, laughed and gave an indication of what he expects from his players.

Demanding (and) fair, he said about himself. Ill hold them to the same level of accountability I hold myself. I know how I like to be treated, and I try to treat my players the same way.

One reason I love working for Lovie is theres no gray (area) with what the expectations are, and were going to work toward those expectations. Im being held to that level, and Im going to hold them to that level.

john.mcclain@chron.com

twitter.com/mcclain_on_nfl

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Clemson DT Bryan Bresee Making Progress in Return to Football – Clemson Maven

Posted: at 2:52 am

Bryan Bresee hasn't played a snap of football since Sept. 25, 2021.

The Clemson defensive tackle tore his ACL on that day in Raleigh, N.C., where the Tigers lost in overtime to NC State. But Bresee, who was one of the many Clemson players to get injured in 2021, is making progress in his return to the game.

He posted a video on his Twitter account of him jogging and then sprinting a short distance at the team's indoor practice facility on Tuesday.He's seen wearing a knee brace on that left leg, and it's something he's likely to play with this fall.

Clemson ended its longest losing streak in nine years without its two leading scorers. With P.J. Hall nursing his injured foot and Hunter Tyson a broken clavicle, the Tigers stunned Wake Forest with an 80-69 victory at Littlejohn Coliseum.

In his first career start, freshman Billy Barlow showed what the future might look like for Clemson pitching for the next few seasons. Then his teammates showed off what Clemson pitching might look like for the rest of the year.

Bresee reaching the sprinting phase of his rehab is an important development as he's about five months into rehabilitation. The typical recovery time is six months, with athletes usually being able to return in full 9-12 months after the injury.

It's unlikely he'll do much in terms of on-field work when Clemson opens spring practice on March 2, but Bresee should be ready to roll when fall camp starts in August.

Bresee is one of the defense's most impactful players. One of the nation's top-3 recruits in the 2020 class, Bresee was a preseason All-ACC selection in 2021. He had three tackles for a loss and 1.5 sacks in just four games last season, which still landed him on the All-ACC third team.

As a freshman in 2020, the Damascus, Maryland, native had 6.5 tackles for a loss and four sacks. He'll play a huge role in Clemson's stellar returning defensive front, which is also made up of veterans Tyler Davis, Xavier Thomas, K.J. Henry, Myles Murphy and Ruke Orhorhoro, among others.

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Biden team sees progress shifting economic gains to the poor – Reuters.com

Posted: at 2:52 am

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Poorer Americans are seeing the benefit from strong U.S. economic growth, the Biden administration said on Wednesday, citing research suggesting that COVID stimulus and other measures may have eased inequality.

U.S. President Joe Biden hosts a virtual roundtable on securing critical minerals at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 22, 2022. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, used new tools to evaluate growth in national income, and their data showed the economy was delivering gains to the bottom half of the income ladder, even without counting the pandemic aid.

After adjusting for inflation, adult labor and capital income - before taxes and government benefits - rose by 5.6% overall in the fourth quarter of 2021 compared to a year earlier, but it jumped by 10.9% for adults in the bottom half of the earning scale, it showed.

The data was highlighted in a blog published on Wednesday by the White House Council of Economic Advisers.

In recent decades, U.S. economic growth has increasingly rewarded the richest disproportionately, but Biden administration officials say the new data shows their policies are rebuilding a pandemic-scarred economy more equitably.

The data showed that so-called market incomes excluding government benefits for the bottom half of earners fell 25% in the second quarter of 2020 due to COVID-19 shutdowns, but rebounded by the fourth quarter of 2021, after adjusting for inflation, and were now 4% higher on average.

Income including government cash and other transfers also rose sharply due to pandemic relief, but has since tapered off, although it remains above pre-pandemic levels, the blog said.

Market incomes for the bottom 50% were 2% higher on average in the fourth quarter of 2021 than they before the pandemic, while disposable incomes were up 11%.

While all income groups saw incomes rising in 2021, those between the 50th and 90th percentile saw their market income grow more slowly than those in the bottom half or the top 10%.

The blog noted that Americans were not necessarily feeling better off, despite the income growth, and that many appeared concerned that inflation could wipe out these gains.

Reporting by Andrea Shalal and Trevor Hunnicutt; editing by Tim Ahmann

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