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Tuesday, April 16, 2024

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PNS Daily Newscast - April 16, 2024
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CO families must sign up to get $120 per child for food through Summer EBT; No Jurors Picked on First Day of Trump's Manhattan Criminal Trial; virtual ballot goes live to inform Hoosiers; It's National Healthcare Decisions Day.

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2024Talks - April 16, 2024
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Former president Trump's hush money trial begins. Indigenous communities call on the U.N. to shut down a hazardous pipeline. And SCOTUS will hear oral arguments about whether prosecutors overstepped when charging January 6th insurrectionists.

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The Yonder Report - April 11, 2024
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Fears grow that low-income folks living in USDA housing could be forced out, North Carolina's small and Black-owned farms are helped by new wind and solar revenues, and small towns are eligible for grants to boost civic participation..

MA: Civil Rights

Supporters of a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution said it is needed to protect future generations from crippling federal debt but opponents countered it could limit lawmakers' ability to cope with economic recessions or respond to national emergencies. (Adobe Stock)
Voting rights groups call constitutional convention efforts a threat to democracy

Lawmakers in Massachusetts are considering a resolution to convene a Convention of States, a process voting rights groups said could put civil …

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Uninsured people are more likely to support public health insurance programs, but are less likely to vote than people with health insurance. Studies show this trend has contributed to a lack of Medicaid expansion in states that could benefit from it. (Adobe Stock)
Doctors say voting is critical to improving U.S. health care system

Voting is not only good for democracy - it's also good for your health, according to one of the nation's largest medical associations. The American …

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There were 45 book challenges in Massachusetts in 2022 affecting 57 titles, however no books have been banned in the state, according to the American Library Association. (Adobe Stock)<br /><br />
Legislation aims to classify book bans as federal civil rights violations

New federal legislation would classify discriminatory book bans as violations of federal civil rights law. The Books Save Lives Act would ensure …

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A 2021 poll conducted by the University of Massachusetts Amherst found 65% of residents support same-day voter registration, compared to 28% who oppose it. (Adobe Stock)
MA groups push same-day voter registration to replace provisional ballots

Voting rights groups in Massachusetts say provisional ballot data from the 2022 statewide election highlight the need for same-day voter registration…

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Media experts say to avoid being duped by disinformation, double and even triple check the source of a story, and then try to find this information elsewhere in other reputable places, like mainstream news outlets. (Adobe Stock)<br />
Tech Companies Scale Back Efforts to Control Election Disinformation

Introduced federal legislation aims to counter the growing threat of election disinformation as social media platforms scale back efforts to control i…

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When voters sit down and talk to each other about electoral reform, their support for ranked-choice voting increases to nearly 60%, both for state primary and general elections, according to a poll by Stanford University's Deliberative Democracy Lab. (Adobe Stock)
Boston Joins National Ranked-Choice Voting Movement

The push for ranked-choice voting is gaining momentum in cities across the country, including Boston - where organizers say it will help increase …

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The federal civil rights complaint filed by Lawyers for Civil Rights states that nearly 70% of Harvard's donor-related and legacy applicants are white, and they receive a substantial admissions boost based on their status. (Adobe Stock)
Civil Rights Complaint Challenges Practice of Harvard Legacy Admissions

Following the Supreme Court's decision to end race-based affirmative action, a Boston-based civil rights group is working to end the practice of …

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Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., says police brutality is a crisis plaguing Black and brown communities. Despite comprising only 13% of the U.S. population, Black people accounted for 26% of those killed by police in 2022, according to the nonprofit Mapping Police Violence. (Office of Rep. Pressley)
MA Lawmakers Aim to End Qualified Immunity, Let People Sue Police

Massachusetts lawmakers in Congress have reintroduced legislation which would allow people to sue police officers and other state and local government…

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Nearly 60% of Massachusetts' incarcerated population is Black - but Black residents make up less than 20% of the Commonwealth's population, according to the Democracy Behind Bars Coalition. (Adobe Stock)<br />
Bills Aim to Restore Vote for People Incarcerated for Felony Convictions

Lawmakers in the Commonwealth are considering legislation to restore voting rights for people incarcerated on felony convictions. One bill would …

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Callers to the newly launched Abortion Legal Hotline at 833-309-6301 can leave specific call-back or messaging instructions and someone will call or message that person back within two to three business days to gather information about the caller's legal questions. (Adobe Stock)
MA Launches Free Legal Advice Hotline Regarding Abortion Care

The Massachusetts Attorney General's Office has announced the launch of a new hotline for abortion-care providers and people seeking confidential lega…

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Facial-recognition technology companies, which originally partnered with law enforcement, are now working with schools and universities to increase safety and prevent shootings by denying campus access to people who have been banned, or to monitor activity inside school buildings. (Adobe Stock)
MA Bill Would Tighten Restrictions on Facial Recognition Technology

Lawmakers in the Commonwealth are considering legislation to ensure police use of facial-recognition technology also protects people's privacy and civ…

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A Poor People's Campaign report examining the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic found the 300+ counties with the highest death rates have a poverty rate of 45%, which is 1.5 times higher than in counties with lower death rates. (PPC)
Advancing MLK’s Dream of Economic Justice in MA

Advocates for low-income workers in the Commonwealth said today is a reminder of the need to continue to advance Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream …

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