Category Archives: Progress

Jared Hunter (center) (Jacob Arthur/Alabama Crimson White)

When is progress actual progress and when is it an act of tokenism? Thats the question some have pondered since the election of Jared Hunter as student president at the University of Alabama.

While many praised his victory as a symbol of progressthe 21-year-old junior being only the third black student to win the student government presidency in 54 years since the school began admitting black studentsmany other students, especially black students, were skeptical.

Particularly because Hunter had the backing of the Machine.

A secret society that has long dominated campus politics and social life, the Machine has an infamous history when it comes to race relations.

Officially named Theta Nu Epsilon, the Machine is a 100-year-old secret society made up of a select group of traditionally white fraternities and sororities that has long pulled the strings of campus politics, at times with allegedly coercive tactics. Not only is it a powerful force on the university campus, but it has historically served as a training ground for local and national politicians. Just a few years ago, the elite group was accused of rigging a local school board election to benefit a UA alum.

Thus, while the president of UAs National Pan-Hellenic Council (the governing body of black fraternities and sororities) endorsed Hunter in a campaign video, black Greeks have generally been quiet about his victory.

Shelby Norman, a senior and member of the largest black sorority on campus, Alpha Kappa Alpha, said student elections are just not a priority for Alabamas black Greek-letter organizations, which are more focused on community involvement off campus.

Clearly, though, that wasnt the only reason she and her friends werent out celebrating.

The Machine candidate doesnt make progress. It just shows the Machine continually manipulating, added Norman, who didnt support Hunter because she felt he downplayed the Machines racist past. It was very saddening for the minority community. I was let down.

Hunter has done little press since his election, and declined my numerous requests for an interview. But he went public about the Machines endorsement a week before the election and promised to act independently: The Machines stigma casts a shadow on the history of this university to this day. I wrestled with the dilemmaand eventually realized I had an incredible opportunity. I knew my campaign and my ideas were my own. No matter who chose to support me, I would run on my own terms, he wrote in the school paper, the Crimson White.

That didnt do much to assuage those skeptical of the hoopla around his win. Within the responses of the many Alabama students with whom I spoke, were the echoes of black Americans reactions to political firsts on the national stage: How many times has the election of a black official been heralded as a signal of changeregardless of whether the institution behind the win has shown any intention of tackling the systemic discrimination many African Americans still face?

To paraphrase the title of The Root contributor Michael Arceneauxs essay back in 2014 following the election of South Carolina U.S. Sen. Tim Scott and Utahs U.S. Rep. Mia Love: Black wins may be historic, but theyre not (necessarily) progress.

Arceneaux maintained Love and Scott could succeed precisely because they are black faces to political views typically associated with white men.

That may not be the case with Hunter. The first African-American member of UAs chapter of Theta Chi, he carried 54 percent of the vote in the three-candidate race and vowed to foster inclusion and promote transparency in student elections. But in helping elect him, the Machine seems to have continued to employ the tactics that often prevent independent students from succeeding in campus politics by rallying Greek students to support one of their own instead. According to a recent expos by the Crimson White, the Machine threatens to jeopardize the social life of fraternities, sororities and their members if they dont follow the secret societys wishes.

Fitzgerald Mosley is a UA senior and student organizer for the campus civil rights group BamaSits. He was disappointed by the Machines imprint on the new presidents campaign, describing Hunters decision to run with the Machines support as a question mark, adding, It didnt sit right with the community.

And he had a more concrete bone to pick with Hunters election: allegations about campaign violations (not infrequently made against the Machines candidate), which, in Mosleys eyes, should have disqualified Hunter.

Early this year, the UAs Elections Board (pdf) found that Hunters campaign went over the spending limit and paid a $500 tab for students at a kickoff party. On its website, the board also urged students to come forward and give information about the Machine.

The Office of Student Conduct said it is currently investigating Hunter and additional allegations concerning several groups and individuals who may have tampered or interfered with the SGA election process. The universitys Elections Board has cited the Machines endorsement and Hunters failure to complete community service as possible campaign violations, and has urged the Office of Student Conduct to consider all sanctions, including Hunter losing his right to serve.

In a Crimson White article, Hunters campaign manager, Caitlin Cobb, said the UAs Elections Board unfairly targeted her candidate. The number of emails we received from the Elections Board, some totally frivolous, combined with the many times our team was called to appear before them was unlike any [investigation] the University has seen before, she wrote.

A university spokesperson told me that Hunters term has not yet ended and the university cannot speculate on the potential outcomes of future decisions that will be based on future findings.

Black students on campus arent the only ones wondering how much the election reflects any real change in the Machines philosophy. For many students, the election was less about Hunter as a candidate than about the Machines effort to keep up with changing social and political dynamics on campus.

The fact that even the Machine has to run an African American for president speaks about the progress the university has made in the last couple of years, said Josh Shumate, a white student who helps lead a campus watchdog organization that monitors UA elections called the United Alabama Project.

As I helped report in Fusion TVs investigative documentary The Naked Truth: Frat Power, the Machine has a dismal record when it comes to its relations with black Alabama students: from burning crosses, to protesting the election of the first black student government president in the 1970s, to viciously threatening candidates, to fighting student efforts to integrate UAs Greek system as recently as 2014.

The Machine has adapted over the years, especially when its power has been under threat. In 2013, allegations surfaced thattraditionally white sororities were blocking black women from joining. Sorority women were first allowed to join the secret society in the 1970s right after they voted against the Machine candidate and helped to elect the first black student government president. In 2016, the group reportedly supported a white sorority woman for executive office, which students say is very rare, after the Machine candidate lost the presidency once again to an independent African-American student.

In response to years of allegations about discrimination, since 2013, Alabama has developed an action plan, with the assistance of the U.S. Department of Justice, to increase diversity in traditionally white Greek-letter organizations. By fall of 2016, there were 104 black students in white fraternities and sororities. Thats less than 1 percent of the total membership, but more than 16 times the number of black members five years ago.

The change reflects calls for more diversity within the Greek system at other big Greek schools like Vanderbilt (pdf) and Stanford universities. According to University of Connecticut Associate Professor Matthew Hughey, who has studied race relations in America for more than two decades, people of color make up only about 4 percent or 5 percent of Greek organizations membership nationwide.

Hughey is also wary of reading too much social change into Hunters win. I dont know how an elite, secret anti-democratic white power organization backing a black candidate is a sign of progress, he told me. They were the elite of the already elite, and they were used as vehicles to retain power and prestige. They are functioning as they were designed to function.

Hughey said Americans have a tendency to focus on the exceptions, citing the election of the countrys first black U.S. senator, Hiram Revels, in the 1800s. At the time, people claimed that his election to Congress represented the end of racism, he said. [White] people were arguing the same with the election of President Obama, and they are going to do the same with Hunter. You have these black faces in high places without any actual changes in the system.

Similar prognostics about broader change were made when Michael Steele became the first African-American chairman of the Republican Party in 2009.

The discussions around inclusion that Hunters election has sparked go beyond race. While Greek students represent less than 40 percent of UAs undergraduate student body, fraternity and sorority members hold most of the executive and senatorial positions in student governmentmany thanks to the Machines support.

They have an automatic voting bloc that preclude [non-Greek] students from participating, Jordan LaPorta, news editor of theCrimson White, who says Greek power also excludes people from student government on the basis of socioeconomic status.

There is undeniable power in Hunters election, in seeing a black face at the helm of the student body at an institution like Alabama. The Root contributor Andre Perry has written about how having a black president of the United States showed his 5-year-old son that he, too, could become POTUS. Sometimes one person can make a big difference. Obama had the most diverse cabinet in recent history, and issues like criminal-justice reform and racial disparity became central topics for his administration.

And, yet, as the oft-cited Zora Neale Hurston quote goes, All my skinfolk aint kinfolk.

Amanda Bennett, an African-American graduate student who organized anti-discrimination protests in 2015, sais she is willing to give Hunter the benefit of the doubt. She agrees his election is a symbol of change, adding: Only time will tell if its a symbol of progress, and if the Greek system is really adapting to modern times.

Connie Fossi is an Emmy-nominated and award-winning investigative producer at Fusion with special skills in politics, criminal justice and immigration.

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Does a Black Face in a White Place Count as Progress at the University of Ala.? - The Root

Alcoa Corp. (NYSE:AA) reported first-quarter earnings that looked better than they really were. But even after taking out a one-time gain, the global aluminum maker has clearly made important progress on key goals since it separated from Arconic Inc.late last year. Here are some of the things you need to understand from the company's most recent results.

The headline number for Alcoa's first-quarter earnings was $1.21 per share. That was a notable improvement from the loss of $0.68 in the final stanza of 2016, the company's first as a stand-alone company. It was also much better than the pro forma figure of a $1.15 loss in the year-ago period.

Image source: Alcoa Corp.

But the first-quarter number wasn't what it seems because of a one-time gain from an asset sale. Earnings came in at $0.63 a share once adjusted for that. And the fourth quarter, adjusted for one-time items, came in at $0.14 a share. So it was a solid first quarter, helped along by rising aluminum prices, but it wasn't the blowout that it might at first appear to have been. It's reasonable to expect more noise as management navigates through its first full year as a stand-alone company.

That, however, doesn't mean that positive steps aren't taking place, because they are. For example, one of management's key focuses is cost-cutting. On that front, SG&A and research and development expenses fell 20% sequentially from the fourth quarter.

There's likely to be more improvement here, too, because Alcoa has merged six business units into just three. The hope is that it will allow the company to trim costs and increase synergies across the business. It is also shutting eight offices around the world and consolidating those functions into the Pittsburgh office. Management expects to save around $5 million annually with this move. Although the top-line number gets the headline, the little things that management is doing underneath are important as well.

That includes dealing with the company's debt, which is a reasonable 20% (or so) of the capital structure, excluding non-controlling interests. The aluminum maker's cash balance was $800 million, down slightly from the fourth quarter. Clearly, Alcoa's balance sheet is in decent shape and management didn't do anything to change that situation in the quarter. However, the fly in the ointment are the company's employee retirement obligations, which stand at nearly $3 billion combined.

Alcoa is being conservative with debt because it has big pension obligations. Image source: Alcoa Corp.

The company's pension and other post retirement obligations aren't going away anytime soon. So its conservative approach to debt is something you'll want to watch closely. One quarter doesn't make a trend, but it is nice to see that Alcoa is living up to its promise to be careful with its balance sheet. That's particularly true since the first quarter for Alcoa is a seasonally weak one in terms of cash flow.

At the end of the day, there are two real takeaways from Alcoa's first-quarter earnings. The first is that 2017's results are likely to be a little difficult to read because of the late 2016 breakup of "old" Alcoa. But that's not surprising since 2017 is really best looked at as a transition year. The second is that, despite the haze, Alcoa appears to be making progress on the goals it's set for itself, and that is very nice to see. You will, however, want to keep an eye on things to make sure the trend continues.

Reuben Brewer has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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Alcoa Corp.'s Earnings Show Progress Toward the Future - Motley Fool

Mario Gotze was diagnosed with metabolic problems in February.

Germany coach Joachim Low has said Mario Gotze is "feeling better all the time" as the Borussia Dortmund midfielder continues his recovery from metabolic problems.

In March, Dortmund confirmed that Germany international midfielder Gotze would not play again this season as he receives treatment for a metabolic disorder.

The 24-year-old was diagnosed with the disorder in February, and Dortmund said he "can start back training in early summer" if he responds well to treatment.

Speaking in Hamburg on Thursday, Low said he had been in contact with Gotze around "two or three weeks ago" and added: "He's feeling better all the time.

"He is getting physician-directed therapy and this has worked pretty well. But he should take all the time he needs and then possibly return in preseason.

"Before the diagnosis, it was always a bit unclear what was wrong with Mario. He trained a lot, he always put in extra shifts, he was very professional.

"It was a relief for him to find a reason. He will be able to cope with a heavy workload again, and he will be able to play again."

Stephan Uersfeld is the Germany correspondent for ESPN FC. Follow him on Twitter @uersfeld.

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BVB's Gotze is making good progress - Low - ESPN FC

In Silicon Valley, it is unthinkable to introduce a new product that has fewer features, higher cost, and is unusable by millions of existing customers. Thats beyond absurd. The new version of the deeply flawed, Republican and now Freedom Caucus-backed, American Health Care Act makes no improvement on the original draft, and neither attempt to improve healthcare.

It cut services, increased costs to consumers, and made it inaccessible to tens of millions of ordinary Americans. It was the public policy equivalent of asking people to give up their iPhones and return to using Motorola Razrs.

And yet they have no fundamental guiding principles, no overarching ideology that remains consistent between each iteration of the bill. In fact, the only constant in each revision of the bill is the tax cut it would provide to wealthy Americans. Its no surprise they were so secretive about the bill-- they knew that it is unlikely to obtain approval from most Americans. Perhaps some of the 1% would like it. But not us.

We think that it is wrong and regressive to push healthcare reform that takes away services and protections from the American people. Not only that, we think it is bad business to sell people a service that is a worse version of the what they already have.

Though ObamaCare was imperfect it still exemplified progress. It allowed people who had never had access to health insurance before to be insured for the first time and made insurance affordable for the people who need it most: those with pre-existing conditions.

The new Republican bill should have continued the progress of ObamaCare and looked to fix the things that are not working. Instead the bill continues to give tax cuts to those like us who do not need it and now will likely increase even further the number of people who lose their insurance.

Republican backers of the bill should have learned their lesson from the first time the AHCA failed. Instead, they have made the same bad bill even worse.

Congressional Republicans must start being honest with the American people. Their primary goal is to make the wealthiest Americans pay less taxes. They can call it many different things: trickle-down economics, supporting the job creators, and so on. All of this is nonsense. They should just tell the truth: they want to give money to their supporters at the expense of real progress for ordinary Americans.

Real healthcare reform should be innovative and efficient, working to correct the problems in the system and to provide better and more inexpensive care. And most importantly, its main focus should be on improving healthcare, not cutting corners to give us a tax break we dont need.

But it does not look like Republicans have any intention of changing the AHCA into anything that resembles real healthcare reform. It seems like the only real change between the last failed iteration and the newest one is an amendment that effectively allows states to deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions. This is disgusting.

We had hoped that this time if they insisted on keeping the bill as regressive as they have that they would call it what it really is: the American Wealth Care Act (AWCA), the a regressive tax cut for the care and feeding of the wealthy.

Rich Boberg is a serial entrepreneur, Boberg co-founded or was an early employee at several startup companies in Silicon Valley. Heis a co-founder and managing partner of Innovation Quest, a nonprofit promoting entrepreneurism for the benefit of universities.

Charlie Simmons has lived in Silicon Valley for 42 years, having worked in defense electronics, commercial lasers, and then almost 10 years at Sun Microsystems. He retired from NetApp, a leading supplier of computer storage, as VP of Corporate Development.

The views expressed by contributors are their own and are not the views of The Hill.

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Silicon Valley entrepreneurs call for progress in healthcare, not just 'reform' - The Hill (blog)

100 days into President Barrows rule, Amnesty International presents a human rights agenda for the country

Commitment to International Criminal Court and release of political prisoners welcomed as major progress

Amnesty calls for repeal of repressive laws, reform of security forces, accountability for past human rights violations and abuses and abolition of the death penalty

The Gambian authorities can make a decisive break from the countrys brutal past by repealing repressive laws, reforming the security services and ensuring accountability for past serious violations of human rights, Amnesty International said today as Gambian President Adama Barrow marks 100 days in office.

Recognizing the major progress made since President Barrows inauguration on 19 January, including the release of dozens of political prisoners and retraction of Gambias withdrawal from the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, Amnesty International has published a series of recommendations covering 10 areas of reform.

The document, Human rights priorities for the new Gambian government was produced in consultation with Gambian civil society organizations and handed over to President Barrow during a meeting on 31 March with Amnesty International delegates in the capital Banjul. During the meeting President Barrow promised that there would be zero tolerance for human rights violations under his government.

President Barrows first 100 days have included some momentous steps forward for human rights in Gambia, but there remains a huge amount to do in order to make a decisive break with the countrys brutal past

President Barrows first 100 days have included some momentous steps forward for human rights in Gambia, but there remains a huge amount to do in order to make a decisive break with the countrys brutal past, said Alioune Tine, Amnesty Internationals West and Central Africa Regional Director.

Draconian laws, unaccountable security forces and a weak justice system provided the machinery of repression during Yahya Jammehs rule, and the work to reform them begins now. Gambia should also seize the opportunity of becoming the 20th country in Africa to abolish the death penalty.

Amnesty International is also calling on the international community and regional organizations, including donor countries as well as bodies such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights, to support Gambia in this long term process of reform through financial support and technical assistance.

Arbitrary arrest and torture

Amnesty International urges President Barrow to ensure that the security services are reformed including disbanding paramilitary groups implicated in previous human rights violations such as the Jungulers and that torture is established as an offence under Gambian law. Under the previous regime, the United Nations described the practice of torture as prevalent and routine and suspected perpetrators were never held to account.

The organization also calls for investigations into allegations of torture, the closure of unofficial detention centres, and access to all detention sites by independent national and international human rights monitors.

Under Yahya Jammeh, so many people were detained unlawfully and tortured. President Barrows government must send a clear signal that the era of illegal detentions, torture and a prison system built to instill fear in the population is over, said Alioune Tine.

Freedom of expression and assembly

Amnesty International is calling for the repeal of a range of draconian laws that have been used to curb the right to freedom of expression in Gambia. They include laws banning criticism of officials and laws prohibiting the publication of false news. Journalists, such as Alhagie Ceesay and Alagie Jobe, were targeted under these laws and hundreds of journalists fled into exile during the Jammeh regime.

The right to peaceful protest should also be enshrined in law, with security forces instructed to avoid the use of force to disperse peaceful gatherings, and offences, such as holding a procession without a permit under the Public Order Act, repealed. Under the previous regime, opposition assemblies were regularly prohibited or dispersed. In April and May 2016, dozens of opposition protestors were arrested after a peaceful demonstration, and in April 2000 thirteen students and a journalist were killed when security forces opened fire on students peacefully protesting.

In his first 100 days President Adama Barrow has already ordered the release of many people imprisoned simply for expressing their opinion. Now his government should ensure that Gambians will always be able to express their opinion or criticism of government without fear of recrimination, said Alioune Tine.

Now Barrow's government should ensure that Gambians will always be able to express their opinion or criticism of government without fear of recrimination

Amnesty International welcomes the establishment of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to address Gambias history of extensive human rights violations and abuses, and calls on the authorities to ensure that it is accompanied by a clear prosecution strategy to ensure accountability for serious violations of human rights such as torture and enforced disappearances, including those that Amnesty International documented during Yahya Jammehs regime.

Steps also need to be taken to strengthen the justice system to ensure that international fair trial standards are respected, while the National Human Rights Commission should be made operational as quickly as possible so it can support efforts to ensure accountability and strengthen human rights protections.

Gambians who have been victims of repression over the last 22 years are seeking justice, and it is essential that there is accountability for the human rights crimes of the past. But any investigations and prosecutions must be done in a way that ensures fair trials for those suspected to be involved, and provides a positive example of how justice can be done in this new era, said Alioune Tine.

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Gambia: Progress in first 100 days of Barrow government requires major reform to break with brutal past - Amnesty International

Despite avid opposition from some residents along the route of the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline, including some Nelson County residents, Dominion executives on Thursday outlined important milestones and progress made on the project.

I am pleased to say the project continues to move forward on all fronts, Diane Leopold, president and CEO of Dominion Energy, said of the $5 billion, 600-mile natural gas pipeline that would cross West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina.

In Nelson County, the route crosses 27 miles.

During a teleconference Thursday morning, Leopold said to date, Dominion has completed production on more than 65 percent of the steel pipe that will be used for the project, and the company expects to complete pipe production later this year.

She added Dominion has procured almost 85 percent of the land, materials and services it needs to build the pipeline.

Additionally, Dominion has completed more than 98 percent of land surveys, which has resulted in more than 300 route adjustments to avoid environmentally and otherwise sensitive areas. Dominion also has signed mutual easement agreements with 60 percent of landowners along the route.

Were very pleased with the progress weve made, Leopold said. We expect that progress to accelerate as we get closer to construction.

Leopold cited a favorable draft environmental impact statement, which was released by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in December 2016, and a favorable preliminary approval from the U.S. Forest Service for drilling underneath the Blue Ridge Parkway and Appalachian Trail as important milestones for Dominion.

Leopold also briefly talked about support for the project.

Opponents may receive much of the attention, Leopold said. It is their right to speak out. But it is clear that the majority believes this project should and must be built.

Leopold cited bipartisan support in all three states the pipeline would cross, as well as support from labor unions and local governments, as evidence for her statement.

In Nelson County, the board of supervisors voted in 2014, shortly after the project was proposed, to formally oppose the pipeline. Recently, though, the majority of supervisors voted against submitting a letter to FERC that outlined a number of topics opponents in Nelson County believe the draft environmental impact statement did not address.

In addition to federal approval from FERC, which is expected to come in the fall following the release of a final environmental impact statement in June, Dominion must receive permits from the U.S. Forest Service and Army Corps of Engineers, as well as a few state permits, for the pipeline.

Dominions progress update came on the same day a network of opponents voiced specific concerns about mountaintop removal they claim would be associated with construction of the pipeline.

The groups argued during a separate teleconference Thursday that mountaintops along the route would be reduced by 10 to 20 feet, with some slopes being cut by 60 feet.

Those figures are based on calculations made using the National Elevation Dataset from the U.S. Geological Survey and the idea that Dominion would need to clear 125-foot rights of way for construction.

Dominion Spokesman Aaron Ruby called those figures a gross exaggeration of what actually will take place during construction.

According to Leslie Hartz, Dominions vice president for pipeline construction, Dominion will not clear 125-foot rights of way on most mountaintops. Ruby said the company only will need to clear temporary work spaces on a relatively small number of ridge tops to lay the pipe before restoring the terrain.

Despite Hartzs comments, opponents remain unconvinced there wont be significant damage to mountains along the route.

Im absolutely still worried, said Joyce Burton, a Friends of Nelson member and longtime resident of Nelson, during the teleconference. Any material that is unconsolidated will increase the risk of landslides.

Ben Luckett, an attorney with Appalachian Mountain Advocates, said Hartzs statements dont allay our concerns at all, adding they cannot be assured of Dominions intentions when Dominion is allowed by FERC to clear 125 feet for a right of way.

Hartz also addressed concerns from opponents about excess loads of soil removed for work spaces and placement of the pipe. Opponents are worried soil and rock could end up in nearby water bodies.

Hartz said contours of slopes will be restored to their original state, and excess material displaced by the volume of the pipe itself will be used for habitats and access restrictions along those slopes.

Opponents also are concerned about a lack of site-specific information for steep slopes.

Citing information from a Blackburn Consulting Services study commissioned by Friends of Nelson, which looked at soil types at some sites along the route in Nelson, Burton said construction could cause destabilization and increase the potential for landslides.

According to Ruby, Dominion has provided site-specific details for 10 slopes to the U.S. Forest Service, but Dominion was not required to file construction details pertaining to all slopes along the route as part of the draft environmental impact statement.

According to Dominion, site-specific plans will be developed for about 25 locations before construction takes place.

Additionally, Dominion plans to implement a Best in Class Steep Slopes Program for all steep slopes along the route, defined as those with a slope of 30 percent or greater. The program has been thoroughly evaluated by FERC, according to Ruby.

The hazard management process that is part of the program includes hazard identification; characterization, assessment and threat classification; mitigation; and monitoring.

During the teleconference, Hartz said Dominion and its lead construction contractor have more than 200 years of experience building pipelines in mountainous terrains, and Dominion has built more than 400 miles of pipelines through the mountains of West Virginia and Pennsylvania.

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Dominion touts Atlantic Coast Pipeline progress, mountain construction concerns opponents - Lynchburg News and Advance

With all 100 U.S. senators invited to a rare briefing on White House grounds Wednesday on North Korea, its hard to overstate how concerned officials are about the technological advancements out of Pyongyang.

While North Koreas leader Kim Jong-un has a reputation for bizarre behavior, the nuclear arsenal and aspirations of the Republic are being taken seriously.

North Korea has conducted five nuclear tests in the past 11 years, the last several being the most destructive and now they are threatening a sixth.

North Koreas official Rodong Sinmun newspaper also said in a front-page editorial that its military is prepared "to bring to closure the history of U.S. scheming and nuclear blackmail.

The editorial said, "There is no limit to the strike power of the People's Army armed with our style of cutting-edge military equipment including various precision and miniaturized nuclear weapons and submarine-launched ballistic missiles.

It is that miniaturized nuclear weapon that is the biggest concern to the United States, and the rest of the world.

They have expressed the intent to [miniaturize a nuclear weapon], Thomas Karako, the director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Fox News. It raises the stakes and increases the risk of missile threats to the region and the U.S. homeland.

North Korea would need that smaller nuclear weapon to deliver it long-distance.According to the New York Times, As Dr. [Siegfried] Hecker, a man who has built his share of nuclear weapons, noted last week, any weapon that could travel that far would have to be 'smaller, lighter and surmount the additional difficulties of the stresses and temperatures' of a fiery re-entry into the atmosphere. By most estimates, that is four or five years away. Then again, many senior officials said the same four or five years ago.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats are expected to update senators on the North Korea situation Wednesday afternoon.

President Trump told a meeting of United Nations Security Council ambassadors on Monday they must be prepared to impose additional and stronger sanctions on North Korea. This is a real threat to the world, whether we want to talk about it or not, Trump said.

Obtaining reliable intelligence on North Korea has always been difficult. Kim Jong-un rules the country with an iron fist. The nation is so cut off from the world that is has been dubbed the hermit kingdom.

In March of last year, North Korea released photographs of Kim Jong-un inspecting what appears to be a miniaturized implosion device, but that photo op was met with skepticism.No reason to believe that is true, or to disbelieve it. No reason to dismiss it or to panic, Karako said. He added, I think that our insight into these programs is relatively modest. I think the posture of our military is to assume the worst.

This has the U.S., and the world, on high alert. The Global Times, a state-run Chinese newspaper,published an editorial on Tuesday stating, The game of chicken between Washington and Pyongyang has come to a breaking point. If North Korea carries out a sixth nuclear test as expected, it is more likely than ever that the situation will cross the point of no return.

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North Korea's weapons progress a top concern as US senators have rare briefing - Fox News

OTTAWA Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S President Donald Trump spoke again about bilateral trade on Wednesday, the second conversation in as many days between the two leaders amid strains over softwood lumber and dairy.

Trudeau's office declined to say who initiated the phone call and revealed no details about the tone or content of the conversation, saying only that Trudeau continued to emphasize the importance of the trade to U.S. jobs.

It is extremely rare for the two to speak two days in a row, highlighting tension between their countries.

"The two leaders continued their dialogue on Canada-US trade relations, with the Prime Minister reinforcing the importance of stability and job growth in our trade relations," Trudeau's office said in a statement.

Trump is considering issuing an executive order to pull the United States from the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico, a senior administration official said on Wednesday, a move that could unravel one of the world's biggest trading blocs.

News of the possible executive order, first reported by Politico shortly before midday, came two days after U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross announced tariffs on Canadian lumber exports, which U.S. producers complain are unfairly subsidized. The move triggered the fifth bilateral dispute over Canadian lumber in less than 40 years.

Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said the two nations have made progress in recent days on the softwood lumber dispute, "but we are not there yet," adding that the United States should treat Canada with respect, given that Canada is a major supplier of softwood.

Freeland said she had long conversations with Ross on Sunday and Monday about lumber.

"We do believe a negotiated deal is achievable. There is a deal to be had ... but we are also absolutely prepared to fight this out in the courts," she said.

Freeland, who described the tariffs as "punitive, unfair and just plain wrong," said Canada would strongly defend its domestic industry.

Stocks in Canadian lumber firms, which rose on Tuesday on relief the duties had not been higher, posted mixed results. Resolute Forest Products Inc shares closed up 15.0 percent on Wednesday while West Fraser Timber Co Ltd fell 2.6 percent.

In Washington, the National Association of Homebuilders said the duties would hurt American wages and raise house prices.

The premier of the Pacific province of British Columbia, a major lumber-producer, urged Ottawa to retaliate by banning exports of U.S. thermal coal to Asia via Vancouver. A shortage of port capacity means some U.S. coal firms rely on Canada.

In an open letter to Trudeau, premier Christy Clark cited the "unfair and unwarranted" lumber duties.

In Quebec, another lumber province, softwood negotiator Raymond Chretien said the two sides should try to settle the dispute ahead of the NAFTA talks.

"If lumber is not resolved (before NAFTA) the atmosphere will be so polluted," he said in an interview.

(Additional reporting by Allison Lampert in Montreal and Andrea Hopkins in Ottawa; Editing by Chris Reese and Tom Brown)

TOKYO The Bank of Japan kept monetary policy unchanged on Thursday and offered its most optimistic assessment of the economy in nine years, signaling its confidence that a pick-up in overseas demand will help sustain an export-driven recovery.

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Canada reports progress with US on lumber as Trudeau, Trump talk again - Reuters

April 26, 2017 BostonThe rate at which minorities are subjected to stops, searches and frisks by police doesn't appear to be improving in Boston in the year since the department claimed it was narrowing racial disparities in their tactics.

At least 71 percent of all street level, police-civilian encounters from 2015 through early 2016 involved persons of color, while whites comprised about 22 percent, an Associated Press review of the most recently available data shows.

That's only a slight decline from the 73 percent that minorities comprised in such street-level encounters between 2011 and early 2015, according todatathe city made available last year.

It's also higher than the roughly 63 percent that blacks comprised between 2007 and 2010, according to areportthe department released in 2015. That report didn't include the tallies for other minority groups.

And the gap between minorities and whites in the most recent reporting period is likely higher.

Over 7 percent of all police-civilian encounters compiled in the department's 2015 to 2016 "Field Interrogation, Observation, Frisk and/or Search" reports don't list the civilian's race at all.

Civil rights activists have complained for years that blacks, in particular, comprise a majority of these kinds of police interactions in Boston, despite accounting for about 25 percent of the population.

The disparity matters because it affects how some residents in largely minority communities perceive police, said Carl Williams, of the Massachusetts chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, which provided the recent police data the AP analyzed.

"People feel uncomfortable talking with police when they feel they're getting stopped unjustly," he said.

Big city police departments vary in how they collect data on such encounters and how public they make it.

New York City Police, prompted by a class action lawsuit, has been releasingquarterly reportsfor years, something the Massachusetts ACLU chapter has also sued Boston to provide.

New York's data shows at least 83 percent of stops through the first three quarters of 2016 involved blacks or other minorities. From 2011 to 2014, they averaged roughly 84 percent of stops.

Philadelphia police also provide regular data as part of a court order. The most recentreport, which covers the first half of 2015, shows minorities accounted for 77 percent of stops during that time period.

Boston Police spokesman Michael McCarthy argued the AP's review was "not appropriate and quite frankly irresponsible" because it didn't account for other variables. The department has said neighborhood crime statistics, a subject's prior arrests and gang affiliations, among other factors not addressed in the data, also should be considered.

"Anything short of that is a complete disservice," Mr. McCarthy said in an email. "Too many reporters think they can look at this data set and accurately describe what it means."

Last year, the department enlisted independent researchers to conduct a deeper study of the 2011 to 2015 data. Further analysis would bear out how police are making gains in perceived disparities in treatment, it said at the time.

But that study won't be complete at least until this summer because researchers are seeking more information from police, said Anthony Braga, head of Northeastern University's criminal justice school and a researcher on that study.

He also dismissed analysis of the raw data before that study was complete as "overly simplistic, woefully incomplete, and, quite frankly, irresponsible."

But Shea Cronin, a criminal justice professor at Boston University, who is not affiliated with the police data study, said the numbers were fairly clear cut.

"My reading of the statistics is that there has not been much change in the racial composition," he said.

Mr. Cronin suggested the department should incorporate reviews of these and other statistics in their management evaluations to see whether specific officers, units or shifts use such tactics most often.

In an improvement on past data, the latest numbers from Boston Police provide more detail about the reasons for the police-civilian encounters and some of the actions police took as a result.

In about 21 percent of the incidents from 2015 to early 2016, for example, officers cited "reasonable suspicion" as the reason they engaged suspects. In 31 percent of the time, officer's cited "probable cause."

Generally, police need at least "reasonable suspicion" a crime has been, is being or will be committed in order to stop, briefly detain or frisk an individual. "Probable cause" is a higher legal threshold needed to arrest someone.

Of the more than 17,300 total incidents, officers frisked civilians about 21 percent of the time, searched them or their vehicles over 16 percent of the time, and issued a summons 2 percent of the time.

The data covering 2011 to early 2015, in contrast, provided little to no detail about why officers engaged with civilians, why a person was subsequently subjected to a search or frisk, and what the outcome of the encounters was, anAP reviewfound.

The new data, however, still lack details about what, if anything, came of the stops in terms of arrests or seizures. Civil rights groups have said such information is critical to gauging whether the methods are effective.

"The question remains: Are there aggressive tactics being used?" said Darnell Williams, of the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts. "We're not here to second-guess what police are doing, but if there is a disproportionate amount of blacks being stopped for non-obvious reasons, then that's a concern."

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Boston sees slow progress on race in police stops - Christian Science Monitor

It is still drastically understaffed based on the number of child abuse allegations it receives; still has an unsustainable turnover rate among social workers; still has an unacceptably large number of open and unresolved cases by industry standards; and has not yet implemented a plan announced on April 3 to spend $153,000 on overtime to clear up that backlog.

Republican State Rep. Dick Hinch, House majority leader and chair of the commission, had hoped to get an update on the overtime project from DHHS Commissioner Jeffrey Meyers and his interim DCYF director on Wednesday.

In the past three weeks, has the additional overtime been effective? he asked at the committee meeting in the Legislative Office Building. How many cases have we resolved?

Meyers said the effort has yet to get under way.

We have developed an implementation plan and it will be starting this Friday, he said, citing payroll cycles and other factors.

Interim Director Maureen Ryan took the committee through a detailed spreadsheet that could be called DCYF by the numbers as of March 31, and the numbers were not encouraging.

Of 116 social work positions authorized statewide, only 92 are filled and 27 of those individuals are either in training or on leave of absence. That means as of April 1, the state had only 65 active case workers to investigate child abuse claims coming in at an average of 1,100 a month.

On average, a New Hampshire Child Protective Service Worker is carrying 79 cases a month, with 17 of them new each month.

The Childrens Bureau in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services standards call for 12 active cases a month per social worker, and no more than one new case for every six open cases.

Referring to the 79 average open assessments per social worker, Meyers said, Thats a very high number and thats the issue the department has to address as we reform the system.

Meyers described a vicious cycle in which social workers have to divert their attention to the most critical cases as they come in, leaving ongoing cases to languish well beyond the required 60 days.

We are looking at our entire process of opening cases and how they are closed, said Meyers. Its not about cutting corners or not adhering to best practices. Its about adjusting the flow of this work.

The commissioner said national consultants have been brought on to help address the problem.

We have to keep kids safe, but we have to design our process and workflow so the staff can do the work. When you lose staff and the cases are rising, thats where we run into this issue, he said.

The staffing situation varies widely among the 12 district offices. While Berlin is fully staffed at four social workers, Manchester has only nine of 15 positions filled, and two of those are in training, leaving the states biggest city with only seven social workers on the ground today.

The situation in Manchester is particularly troubling, said committee member Sen. Lou DAllesandro, D-Manchester, after the hearing.

He pressed Meyers on the turnover rate among social workers.

I dont have a number in front of me, but I will acknowledge that it is a real concern, said Meyers. We have to make these positions sustainable for our workforce. If we bring someone in and do not have the requisite number of workers and caseloads, we are increasing the extent to which people cant keep up and that will drive people away.

The turnover rate in four district offices is 70 percent, according to interim DCYF Director Maureen Ryan.

I believe when we get right-sized staffing wise, we will not see this level of turnover, she said.

As the agency has struggled with staffing and funding issues since 2012, demand for its services has grown substantially, due in large part to the ongoing opioid addiction crisis, said Meyers. Allegations of child abuse prompting an investigation have gone up from 9,242 in 2012 to 10,525 in 2016.

The committee discussed many of the initiatives under way to address the problem, most of which are awaiting legislative funding and agency implementation, although Meyers said he is going forward with hiring a new associate commissioner to focus on DCYF, a new DCYF director and new child protective service workers.

As we hire more staff and adjust our work flow, we are going to right this situation, he said.

dsolomon@unionleader.com

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DCYF reports little progress to joint committee - The Union Leader