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MAY 26 – JUNE 1, 2017
VOLUME 25 NO. 21
LOSERS AND WINNERS
In random order, here’s our analysis of the aftermath of the controversy surrounding U.S. Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ commencement speech this month at Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach. ANALYSIS AND COMMENTARY BY THE FLORIDA COURIER STAFF
B-CU President Edison O. Jackson and Board of Trustees Chairman Dr. Joe Petrock – LOSERS – They are the unaccountable top leadership of the private (and increasingly secretive) university and the two faces of this easily avoidable debacle. Under their leadership, B-CU is not ready for the proverbial “prime time.” The Florida Courier has reported previously about
the university’s lack of organizational transparency amid questions about the true state of its finances. Jackson and Petrock handled the DeVos controversy much as they have responded to that provocative issue: with press statements, and without consideration of the impact of their unilateral decisions on the university’s wider list of stakeholders, advocates and supporters. For years, Jackson and Petrock have been engaged
in a well-intentioned outreach to big Republican political leaders, including Gov. Rick Scott and now the Trump administration. We fully support that outreach as we believe that Black organizations, particularly HBCUs, should have “no permanent friends or permanent enemies, just permanent interests.” But it’s ridiculous to believe that B-CU’s political culture and leanings – especially given Black America’s continued dysfunc-
FLORIDA COURIER / CHARLES W. CHERRY II
Bethune-Cookman University’s campus, typically a beehive of activity, was deserted soon after the controversial commencement ceremony on May 10. tional love affair with the Democratic Party – could or would be changed overnight. The Jackson-Petrock GOP initiative has backfired badly for two reasons. First, rather than using small panel discussions, on-campus interviews, seminars or town hall-style
meetings with students to introduce high-level Republican politicians to the school’s community, Jackson and Petrock decided to bestow the school’s highest honors to people with no clear record of support or achievement related to either B-CU or its mission as a historically Black univer-
sity. Secondly, Jackson and Petrock underestimated the opposition – especially of alumni – to their methodology, thus proving themselves to be tin-eared and out of touch. Additionally, neither See B-CU, Page A2
Keeping their bags packed
HURRICANE ANDREW / 25 YEARS AGO
It’s hurricane season again
Haitians get short deportation delay BY JACQUELINE CHARLES MIAMI HERALD / TNS
Haitian nationals who have been protected from deportation from the U.S. for more than seven years since an earthquake struck their homeland won another temporary reprieve Monday: The Department of Homeland Security announced that it will extend the benefit, which expires on July 22, for six more months. But even though Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly did not terminate the program as one of his top officials had recommended, the 58,706 Haitians enrolled in the Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, program should begin to get their affairs for their eventual return to Haiti, officials said Monday.
Reasonable extension “This six-month extension should allow Haitian TPS recipients living in the United States time to attain travel documents and make other necessary arrangements for their ultimate departure from the United States, and should also provide the Haitian government with the time it needs to prepare for the future repatriation of all current TPS recipients,” Kelly said. “We plan to continue to work
CARL SEIBERT/SOUTH FLORIDA SUN-SENTINEL/ TNS
Pleasure boats docked at Dinner Key Marin in Miami-Dade County were destroyed by Hurricane Andrew in August 1992. The hurricane season officially starts on June 1, with many Floridians preparing well in advance. Read a clip-and-save disaster preparation guide on Page B4.
See HATIANS, Page A2
‘Cat Fund’ healthy for 2017 hurricane season BY LLOYD DUNKELBERGER THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA
TALLAHASSEE – The Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund is in its strongest financial position ever as the state heads into the annual storm season next month. But state officials may bolster the fund, which helps private insurers pay claims if Florida gets hit by a major hurricane, with a purchase of $1 billion in private reinsurance. “We had a sobering reminder last year of the perils that Florida faces every year,” Ash Williams, executive director of the State Board of Administration, told Gov. Rick Scott and the Cabinet on Tuesday.
ALSO INSIDE
Few claims paid out
Few storms
But with relatively minimal damage from Hurricane Hermine and a fortunate glancing blow from the more-powerful Hurricane Matthew in 2016, Williams said the so-called “Cat Fund” was largely untapped last year, “which means we come into the current season in the strongest financial position we’ve ever been in.” The 2017 hurricane season starts June 1 and will last through Nov. 30. The fund has $14.9 billion in cash, with an additional $2.7 billion in funding from “pre-event” bonds. With a total of $17.6 billion, it has more than enough money to pay its potential $17 billion maximum liability.
The fund has grown because it has been able to collect premiums from private insurance companies, which rely on its backup insurance, for more than a decade without having to make a major payout because of the lack of storms. The financial health of the Cat Fund is important because the state can impose a surcharge on most insurance policies, including auto insurance, if the funding is depleted. That happened after the 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons, with consumers paying a surcharge, also known as a “hurricane tax,” through 2015.
SNAPSHOTS FLORIDA | A3
Hotel workers report hostile conditions NATION | A6
Funding for HBCUS still a concern
HEALTH | B3
Pediatricians urge fruit, not juice PPIs and kidney disease
COMMENTARY: CHARLES W. CHERRY II: RANDOM THOUGHTS OF A FREE BLACK MIND | A4 COMMENTARY: MICHAEL A. BARNETT: TRUMP MUST KEEP HIS PROMISE TO HAITIANS | A5
A2
FOCUS
MAY 26 – JUNE 1, 2017
In the media, game recognizes game I moved to the state of Florida in 1975 and, God willing, I hope to move out of the Sunshine State in 2017. I’m not trying to move because I’m mad with the state. I just think it is time for me to return to my hometown, Atlanta, Georgia. I feel like during my stay in Florida I have contributed a lot to the state, and I have accomplished a lot. But there is one thing I haven’t done. I haven’t been able to mentor and nurture the next “great” columnist.
No one to mentor I’ve trained television, radio and print media reporters. I’ve trained advertising and public relations professionals. I haven’t been able to work with young people that want to work in media to speak out on the issues
LUCIUS GANTT THE GANTT REPORT
that are important to Black people, and young people that were willing to risk their careers or their lives to make sure that Black people knew the truth. If you read The Gantt Report, you know I’m not afraid to write about “devils” and “beasts.” You know very well that there are some bad, evil and wicked people that are doing devilish things wherever you go and wherever you are. “The Gantt Report style,” as some would call it, has cost me some opportunities and perhaps a few dollars here and there, but
my column has given me worldwide recognition and global media respect.
Permanently preserved If you didn’t know, excerpts from The Gantt Report were placed on display at the National Freedom Museum in the Freedom of Speech section. The University of Oklahoma requested that many of the political Gantt Report columns and All World Consultants’ political advertisements be given to the University’s Julian P. Kanter Political Commercial Archive to be preserved forever. The Gantt Report has been the reason why I’ve been invited to appear on various television, radio and Internet-streamed talk shows in several states and on multiple continents. I wish I could talk to students about media and about journalism. But don’t worry about me teaching any time soon. Most colleges, including HBCUs, don’t even want me to set foot on their campuses! But that’s cool. I’ll just teach the young people that read The Gantt Report!
Excellent journalism In that regard, I want to commend the journalists that have been reporting on the activities and events taking place in Putin’s White House! Game recognizes game. I want young people to know how to investigate situations and come up with exclusives and scoops that other journalists can only parrot and copy. Young journalists, “leaks” are not leaks as they have been described by political criminals. The “breaking news” is just conversations between media professionals and reliable sources. If I had a chance to teach a political reporting or investigative reporting class somewhere, I would explain to students that politicians exaggerate, belittle or outright lie!
Build relationships If you want the facts about what’s going on in government or in politics, establish a very good relationship with political aides, political staff, clerical workers, security guards and even with butof these camps have closed. “Also indicative of Haiti’s success in recovering from the earthquake seven years ago is the Haitian government’s stated plans to rebuild the Haitian president’s residence at the National Palace in Port-au-Prince, and the withdrawal of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti.”
Mixed reaction
PATRICK FARRELL/MIAMI HERALD/TNS
A woman walks along a debris-filled street in Roche a Bateau, Haiti after Hurricane Matthew hit the island in October 2016.
HAITIANS from A1
Sen. Daphne Marleine Campbell Bastien
closely with the Haitian government, including assisting the government in proactively providing travel documents for its citizens.” Kelly said he decided to offer the extension after careful review of the current conditions in Haiti
and conversations with the Haitian government. “Haiti has made progress across several fronts since the devastating earthquake in 2010,” he said. “The Haitian economy continues to recover and grow, and 96 percent of people displaced by the earthquake and living in internally displaced person camps have left those camps. Even more encouraging is that over 98 percent
While some lawmakers such as Rep. Frederica Wilson, R-Fla., and Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., viewed it as an opportunity to keep fighting, Democratic Florida state Sen. Daphne Campbell and activist Marleine Bastien said they were disappointed. “I’m very, very disappointed. This is a slap in our face,” Campbell said. “What is six months? As soon as you put your head down to sleep, it’s six months. After six months, what is next? The TPS people are invested in this country; they have businesses, they have homes here. Immigrants built America.” Bastien said she expects thousands of Haitians to lose their jobs in the coming weeks even as the government says they should begin reapplying for work authorizations up until July 23. “And then what? This is not a win for us,” Bastien said. This is gravely disappointing. We are urging everyone to call our lawmakers, (Sens.) Marco Rubio and Bill Nelson and others in the Trump administration. We are leaving people hanging. It’s cruel and inhumane. The conditions in Haiti are horrible enough for them to renew TPS for 18 months to 24 months.”
B-CU from A1
Jackson nor Petrock seemed to recognize or understand that their decision to bring in DeVos caused a major short-term crisis at B-CU that demanded crisis management. When both social and traditional media, including Twitter, Facebook and mainstream newspaper outlets picked up the story and it became viral, B-CU’s leadership quickly became overwhelmed. Specifically, Jackson’s attempt to justify the decision quickly backfired and ignited a firestorm of its own. “Much like Dr. Bethune…Secretary DeVos deems the importance of opportunity and hope for students to receive an exceptional education experience. Her mission to empower parents and students resonates with the history and legacy of Dr. Bethune,” Jackson was quoted in an error-filled university press release. It is mind-boggling that BCU’s president would dare compare Dr. Bethune – a Black woman one generation removed from American slavery who started the school with $1.50 in her pocket and six students, including her son, entrusted to her care – to DeVos, a wealthy White woman who was born into, then married into, extreme wealth, and who is singularly focused on defunding America’s public schools. As the tension-filled Commencement Week wore on, Jackson’s brittle, high-handed response to the crisis resulted in him completely unmasking himself. Look at this quote from an editorial in Daytona Beach’s daily newspaper, the News-Journal: …Jackson earlier this week went on Facebook Live and the campus
Mary McLeod Bethune
Betsy DeVos
radio station to attack critics, saying they were “selfish in their intent” and “away with them!” He also seemed to value a person’s opinion by the size of his wallet, comparing the protesters’ commitment to the university to that of Petrock and six other trustees who have donated more than $1 million apiece. “They haven’t given anything, and then they question the members of the Board of Trustees?” Jackson said. “So if you are saying we ought not be supportive of Secretary DeVos, then where is your money? Show me your money.” (Sources close to B-CU’s Board of Trustees confirm that Jackson’s reference to million-dollar donations refers to insurance policies payable upon death and pledges made to the university, not to current donations of cash, stocks, bonds or other assets.) Jackson and Petrock refused to reconsider DeVos’ appearance. They didn’t treat students like the thoughtful adults B-CU claims to be educating by allowing them to voice their opposition in advance, and coming to a collaborative decision about a day that truly belonged to them. At the commencement ceremony, Jackson warned the protesting graduating class that if they continued to protest DeVos’ speech, “your degrees will be mailed to you. Choose which way
Edison O. Jackson
Dr. Joe Petrock
you want to go.” Did Jackson forget he was speaking to education “consumers” who are paying thousands of dollars – and perhaps incurring a lifetime of student debt – for the B-CU experience which demands that they “Enter to Learn – Depart to Serve?” If Jackson did forget who he was speaking to, what can the university’s students and alumni expect regarding “customer service?” B-CU’s Board of Trustees – LOSERS – A look at their faces during the commencement ceremony reveals they were caught sleeping. To our knowledge, no dissident group emerged from the board to stand with students and alumni. Did local board members who live in the Daytona Beach area give Jackson and Petrock a heads up about how damaging DeVos’ appearance could be to local stakeholder relationships? And there’s no indication so far that board members will hold Jackson and Petrock accountable for anything. The Bethune-Cookman University National Alumni Association – LOSERS – The university’s official alumni association sat silently on the sidelines even as the newest members of their organization, the Class of 2017, were making their collective voice heard around the world. Perhaps the association’s nonsupport
Ray Brinson
Robert Delancy
should have been expected. They have also stood silently by as two of their distinguished longtime members, Ray Brinson and Robert Delancy, separately sued the board of trustees for not following its own rules regarding the tenure of trustees. If the association won’t support Delancy – the association’s legally designated representative to the B-CU board that Jackson, Petrock, and other trustees allegedly refuse to seat – maybe it shouldn’t be expected to support Class of 2017 members who have yet to make their first dues payment. B-CU students and their organic leadership – WINNERS – Many, from freshman to seniors, rightly feared retaliation from Jackson, but they stood up anyway. And after discussions with dissident B-CU alumni, they protested silently, with purpose and understanding, using tactics from the 1917 NAACP “Silent Protest Parade,” in which there were no songs or chants. According to Florida Courier and Daytona Times reporting (and contrary to other media stories), the students did NOT boo or try to shout DeVos down. They all remained silent as they stood and turned their backs and as some walked out. The noise came from the assembled crowd of friends, relatives and other onlookers. Special recognition goes to
lers and janitors! They really know what goes on in government and politics! My good friend Joe Williams worked in the offices of every governor of Florida, Republican and Democrat, from Claude Kirk to Lawton Chiles. I wish I could have co-written a book with him, but he has taken his final journey to the Land of Plenty. He gave me some tidbits, but no one knew as much as he did about what really happened in the governor’s office. Remember the movie “The Butler”? Well, butlers don’t just serve coffee and tea. They listen! So young media people, the moral of today’s lesson is for you to quit hero-worshiping and get to know the best sources of information in any area that you may be assigned to work in. To be a media player, you must know the media game!
Buy Gantt’s latest book, “Beast Too: Dead Man Writing,” on Amazon.com and from bookstores everywhere. “Like” The Gantt Report page on Facebook. Contact Lucius at www. allworldconsultants.net.
Termination coming? With other Democratic and Republican lawmakers, plus Haitian and immigration advocates, Wilson had been fighting for an 18-month extension. The acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services recommended the six-month extension, with termination of the program in January.
Conditions still bad Wilson said she is inviting Kelly to travel with her to Haiti in the coming months so that he can see in person why sending 58,000 Haitians back is “unconscionable.” “We just can’t deport people back to those conditions. Tent cities still remain from the earthquake,” she said. “I want them to go with me because … They will take you and you will never see the tent cities.” Activists have argued that Haiti’s recovery from the earthquake was set back by Hurricane Matthew in October. The country was already struggling with a food crisis prompted by a three-year drought, and recent rains have caused flooding, making an already desperate situation worse.
Others sought protection Haitians aren’t the only group granted TPS. More than 200,000 Hondurans, El Salvadorans and Nicaraguans have been allowed to live and work freely in the United States since Hurricane Mitch struck Central America in 1995. While the protection had been set to expire July 22 for Haitians, it expires in January 2018 for Hondurans and Nicaraguans and in March 2018 for Salvadorans. twins Taylor and Tyler Durrant, Shavona Bouey, Jasmine Johnson, Camre Williams, Evelyn McClaine, Lexis Melo, and freshman Ashlyn Denson, among others who spoke openly to the media. Dissident B-CU alumni – WINNERS – Ignoring the silence of their official alumni association, they acted on their own, including two local marches, responses on radio talk and TV news shows, online petitions that attracted thousands of signatures, and effective use of social media. Local alumni supported, counseled and advised students from the beginning to the end of the controversy, and pushed back hard against opinion pages and commentaries that attempted to justify DeVos’ appearance. The legacy of Mary McLeod Bethune –WINNER – As an unintended consequence of Jackson’s ham-handed comparison of DeVos to Dr. Bethune, people who wanted to understand the controversy acquainted themselves, some for the first time, with Dr. Bethune’s legacy. For a few days before and after the commencement ceremony, there was a modest increase in Google searches of variations of Dr. Bethune’s name, as well as high levels of chatter about her on social media. Florida State Conference of NAACP Branches – WINNER – Immediately after DeVos’ appearance was confirmed, the state conference shot out a sharply-worded press release in opposition (it went national instantly), and subsequently called for Jackson’s and Petrock’s resignations. They mobilized quickly with the local Daytona Beach area branch and kept consistent pressure on the university’s leadership throughout the drama.
MAY 26 – JUNE 1, 2017
FLORIDA
A3
Workers: Unfair treatment common at hotels Erratic schedules, workload, hostile conditions and benefits – which can vary widely – contribute to the complexities of housekeepers’ employment.
knocked and came inside the room,” Verssagne, who is Haitian and speaks primarily Creole, told the Herald in English. “I called security. You know what’s the first thing they did? (The officer) look at the (time card) punch to see if I was supposed to be working.”
Scheduling issues
BY CHABELI HERRERA MIAMI HERALD/TNS
MIAMI – In the back rooms of hotels around the nation, managers and their workers juggle a tricky balancing act — one that the industry is sometimes loathe to discuss. On the one side are the economics of a seasonal, consumerdriven business and the intricacies of overseeing large, diverse groups of people, said Kevin Murphy, chair of the hospitality services department at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. U.S. hotels, which earned an average profit margin of about 38 percent in 2016, according to hotel data and analytics firm STR, are prey to the vagaries of the traveling public. Last year in Miami-Dade County, hotel performance slipped to levels unseen since the Great Recession because of the local transmission of mosquito-borne illness Zika, a severe drop off of travel from Brazil and a ballooning number of new hotel rooms.
Paycheck to paycheck The combination has had a chilling effect on South Florida, where the industry is an important economic driver. The $25 billion Miami-Dade tourism industry is responsible for 143,700 direct jobs; in Broward, the $14.2-billion industry produces 94,100 direct jobs, according to the most recent numbers available. But on the other side are lowwage hotel workers, many of whom live paycheck to paycheck and are directly impacted when the number of visitors slide. During the height of the Zika epidemic in 2016, for instance, some Fontainebleau hotel housekeepers in Miami Beach reported getting little work.
Worries beyond wages Gerdine Verssagne, a 36-yearold Fontainebleau housekeeper, said that
PHOTOS BY CARL JUSTE/MIAMI HERALD/TNS
Fontainebleau housekeeper Odelie Paret, center, leaves her home before the break of dawn to catch two buses to her job on Miami Beach. Paret sits on the first bus for her 13.5-mile journey between her modest two-bedroom apartment and Miami Beach. from August to January, there were weeks where she only worked one, two or three days. Sometimes, she was not scheduled to work at all. (The Fontainebleau reported experiencing the worst three weeks it had had in 15 years during September because of Zika.) Though statistics are difficult to pin down, housekeepers could account for as much as one-third of Miami-Dade’s hotel employees. While making enough money to keep their families afloat is their primary concern, their worries extend beyond wages. Erratic schedules, workload, hostile conditions and benefits — which can vary widely — contribute to the complexities of their employment.
Union conditions In Miami Beach, a housekeeper in a non-union hotel can expect to start at minimum wage, $8.10, or slightly more. Workers at the unionized Fontainebleau for instance, start at $11.45, said Wendi Walsh, secretary-treasurer of Unite Here Local 355, the county’s only hotel union. It represents the 200 housekeepers at the Fontainebleau and a handful of other hotels in Miami-Dade. (Unite Here is the country’s largest hotel union.) The Fontainebleau’s housekeepers have better conditions than most. Their union contract limits the workload to 14 rooms per eighthour workday, with half an hour for lunch. Each worker also gets health benefits and paid vacation-and-sick time. The Fon-
Some recognition
Odelie Paret takes a short nap as she heads home, waiting to catch a second bus as she heads home. tainebleau and the Miami Beach Resort are the only two Beach hotels with union representation.
Culture of fear At other hotels, lower wages are likely. Benefits including health insurance and paid time off vary widely. Some workers at other hotels have reported cleaning nearly 30 rooms a day and not receiving raises for three decades, Walsh said. Workers at non-union hotels refrain from discussing conditions openly. Walsh and her members say that at many hotels, managers curate a culture of fear. “A lot (of the housekeepers) end up staying nine, 10, 11 hours to finish up a room.” Even at the Fontainebleau, some housekeepers say they are afraid they’ll be replaced if they
don’t finish on time, and routinely skip lunch or stay later to finish cleaning rooms. Many of them have never seen the lobby. Manipulative managers Through union meetings and individual interviews, nearly 50 workers at the Fontainebleau and former employees at the SLS South Beach told the Herald they have faced intimidation and denials for requests to apply to different positions. Some managers manipulate schedules to avoid awarding overtime — which usually kicks in after 40 hours weekly rather than with a daily allotment. Verssagne said managers put guests before their own employees. “Last month, I was in room, and a male guest was naked, he
Rubio on Trump: ‘People got what they voted for’
Criticized for stance Rubio, who pledged during the 2016 campaign that he would be a watchdog in the Senate no matter who won the presidential race, Trump or Hillary Clinton, has been criticized since Trump’s victory for not forcefully standing up enough to the president. The senator voiced concerns about Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s Russia ties but still voted to confirm him. He has also been cautious about the ongoing investigation into Russian hacking of the election and its potential connection to the Trump cam-
Still, the local industry does celebrate its employees at all levels, as it recently did at the annual Inn Key Awards. More than 400 employees, including housekeepers and bell men, were honored, Hill said. “It’s hard to see when you see people there and they are excited about being nominated, that this is a rampant issue across the industry,” Hill said. “I think yeah, there may be isolated cases where you have managers that are not good managers, but here at the InterContinental Miami in downtown, my key focus is on developing the mangers that lead the colleagues and the line employees of the hotels because at the end of the day, they are the people that take care of the guests.” Rolando Aedo, chief marketing officer for the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau said worker challenges are of “critical” importance to the hospitality industry. But as a marketing organization, the bureau has limited direct impact on worker conditions. “We have an obligation to recognize their contributions and in doing so hopefully influence the issues we don’t have direct control over,” Aedo said. “We would hope that ownership and management recognizes the importance that these employees play.”
Prison guards charged in chemical spraying incident THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA
BY STEVEN LEMONGELLO ORLANDO SENTINEL/TNS
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio has a message for voters: You wanted Donald Trump? You got him. “I don’t understand why people are that shocked,” the Florida Republican told the CBS show “Face the Nation” on Sunday. “This president ran a very unconventional campaign. I was there for a big part of it at the beginning alongside, being one of his competitors.” And, he added, “that’s what the American people voted for. And, in essence, this White House is not much different from the campaign. People got what they voted for. They elected him.”
The Fontainebleau said it views its “team members as a family,” but declined to comment directly on the workplace issues its employees raised. When asked about those same complaints, Wendy Kallergis, president of the Greater Miami and the Beaches Hotel Association, said worker issues are limited to “workforce housing and transportation” and did not answer questions about other types of issues. But Robert Hill, general manager of the InterContinental Miami and chair of the hotel associations’ Downtown/Brickell committee, did add that at hotels with higher fluctuation in their occupancy, there is generally more turnover because of issues that arise around scheduling.
JOE BURBANK/ORLANDO SENTINEL/TNS
President Trump greets fourth grader Janayah Chatelier as Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos greets St. Andrew Catholic School fourth-grade teacher Jane Jones on March 3 in Orlando. Looking on is Governor Rick Scott, second from left, Florida senator Marco Rubio and John Kirtley, far right, a tax-credit scholarship proponent. paign, despite revealing that his own campaign was targeted by hackers. Rubio told Pinellas County Republicans on May 19 that if there were any constitutional violations, he “will be the first person who would say it,” the Tampa Bay Times reported.
On Russia But most of his speech, given just two days after an independent counsel was appointed to investigate the Trump campaign’s Russia ties, criticized the news media despite acknowledging its importance in recent revelations. “Justice is rooted in the truth, and the truth is rooted in the facts,” Rubio said, according to the Tampa Bay Times. “This week we are asked to take posi-
tions on various issues, and you know what they are because they are in the press every day. Did the president do this? Did the president say that? Wouldn’t it behoove us to first know the facts?”
Trump advice In his CBS appearance, Rubio had some advice for the embattled Trump administration. “I do think the White House would benefit from some systems in place that perhaps avoids some of the unnecessary friction points that come up on a daily basis,” Rubio said. “But this is also the political environment we now live in too. Politics are covered this way.” Politicians, he said, “also behave in this way because they know they can get attention for saying things one way or the oth-
er. It’s just the way politics has moved. I don’t think it’s good for the country, but that’s where we’re headed for now, apparently.”
Jeb Bush responds Rubio wasn’t the only former Trump primary opponent from Florida to chime in on the president. “When I ran for office, I said he (was) a chaos candidate and would be a chaos president,” former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush told CNN on May 19. “Unfortunately, so far chaos organizes the presidency right now.” Bush, who was famously nicknamed “Low Energy” by Trump, had not commented Monday on reports of White House staff describing Trump as “exhausted” days into his international trip.
Two Northwest Florida correctional officers face charges after authorities said an inmate was sprayed with a chemical agent and placed in a supply closet. William Jeffery Davis, a sergeant at Liberty Correctional Institution, was charged with malicious battery, official misconduct and submitting a false “use of force” report, according to the Florida Department of Corrections. Capt. Steven Cloud was charged with official misconduct and submitting a false report. The charges stem from an April 8 incident in which an inmate sought protection from another inmate. Cloud and Davis refused the inmate’s request and told him to go back to his dorm, according to investigative affidavits posted on the department website. The inmate, whose name is redacted from the affidavits, refused to go to his dorm. Davis is accused of then taking the inmate to a supply closet, spraying him in the face with a chemical agent and leaving him in the closet, according to the affidavits. The department’s Office of Inspector General investigated the incident and requested arrest warrants for the officers.
EDITORIAL
A4
MAY 26 – JUNE 1, 2017
Chasing a boogeyman called Russia One of my favorite books is “The Black Power Imperative,” by Theodore Cross. The author states that there is no more power than that of information and communication. When there is a coup or revolution, the first things the victors do is seize all radio and television stations and begin their propaganda and dogma. One term used for newspapers is “opinion molders.” If you keep reading, the greater the possibility of you being influenced. There was a time when I would read the Washington Post daily, until I realized that they were trying to shape my opinion on critical matters. I got more confused watching Fox News and MSNBC. They reported the news in opposite spins. Which one is lying?
No ‘straight’ news Are any of them reporting straight news? No. The opinion of the owners of news outlets is what you are going to get. You just must decide for yourself. That is especially true when many of the owners like Michael Bloomberg, Jeff Bezos and others are one-sided in their opinions and leave no room for true freedom of the press. These times are perilous! The stakes are high. The very presidency of the United States is on the line. The progressives are mad as hell that they lost the last election. Worse yet, they never saw it coming. They started believing their own polls, which were never accurate.
HARRY C. ALFORD GUEST COLUMNIST
It was clear to me all along that Donald Trump was going to win and that the common thinking in America was that the current political players had lost us. That didn’t bother them. The core of America was mad as hell and they weren’t going to take it anymore. It was a real-life version of the movie “Network.”
Slanted against Trump A Harvard study was just released. It showed that the major networks, except Fox News, were slanting the news against Donald Trump by 92 percent. They still think we are going to take their hype. They drum up a new falsehood on our president at the rate of 2 to 3 a week. It is an obsession! Attempted scandal after scandal has come before us. Yet, President Trump is making great strides across the globe. America is becoming great again and that is an important thing. In fact, our foreign friends are beginning to say, “MAGA!” (Make America Great Again.) It now appears that mainstream media has gotten together to come up with a new and different attack on the winner of the 2016 election. They are doing this because they fear that some-
Sessions, Holder and mass Black incarceration Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the deep-fried racist from Alabama, would like to turn the clock back to pre-Emancipation, but will settle for a return to the good old days of Bill Clinton, the mega-incarcerating con man from Hope, Arkansas. It is important to maintain an historical perspective on the actual policies that are being pushed by Republican and Democratic political actors, given the corporate media’s practice of revising history daily. Sessions’ new instructions demand that his U.S. attorneys “charge and pursue the most serious, readily provable offense,” rather than adjust criminal charges and sentencing recommendations based on the defendant’s individual history and circumstances. Sessions insists that federal prosecutors push all the legal buttons necessary to activate mandatory minimum sentences, with no judicial discretion. Sessions’ policy “is not tough on
GLEN FORD BLACK AGENDA REPORT
crime. It is dumb on crime,” said his predecessor, Eric Holder, who executed Barack Obama’s so-called “Smart on Crime” initiative in response to a growing wave of Black protest during Obama’s second term.
Timid leadership In typical fashion, Obama “led from behind” on criminal justice issues, positioning himself on the cautious side of the emerging establishment consensus that the U.S. prison population must be shrunk. Thus, the Obama administration gave ample lip service to rolling back patently racist crack cocaine penalties, but once legislation to that effect was passed,
how he will win again in 2020. So, they have gotten together and decided that we must start beginning to chant, “RUSSIA! RUSSIA! Whatever is going on it is because of the Russians. Yes, they are the ones. He is letting Russia do this to us.”
Stupid voters? We are supposed to believe that Russia is so smooth with technology that they now control our elections. It can’t be how we vote, because we are just too stupid. They think we are going to fall for that. We are forming new investigations on Capitol Hill in search of the Russians. So when will the real Russians be uncovered? Don’t hold your breath. My friends, that “ship” is not going to come in. But maybe something good may show up and save our nation from this perilous mess that the mainstream media has gotten us into.
Mueller will find truth Wishy-washy FBI Director James Comey has left the building. His replacement is former director Robert Mueller. My people, this is a blessing. I have never met a person who is clearly honest and has sincerity as straight as an arrow. One day, I was driving up our drive in the snow. My wheels started spinning and suddenly a voice shouted from behind the car. It was a guy I had not seen in the neighborhood before. He was successful in helping me. I jumped out of my car to shake
We know the answer The answer for all the above is racism; the way we think about it, the way we expect to deal with it, how it makes us react and others around us to react. And between these two schools, only one has suffer the indignity of having its graduates
RICK MCKEE, THE AUGUSTA CHRONICLE
his hand and thank him. To my amazement, I was looking eyeball-to-eyeball with the nation’s new FBI director, Robert Mueller. I quipped, “I just had our FBI director push my car.” He responded, “I’m only human!” I heard he had moved into the neighborhood but I didn’t think he was across the street! As it turned out, he had been wanting to meet me ever since he saw my sons come outside with their lacrosse sticks. He loves lacrosse and played it at Princeton.
‘Meet you there’ As we became acquainted, I realized he was a genuine honest person. One thing my wife Kay and I still chuckle about is when he came over and said, “My wife and I want to go see your boys play lacrosse.” I said, “This Saturday they are playing at Georgetown.” He shot back, “Great! We will meet you there on the away-
fought successfully in the courts to prevent early release of inmates convicted under the law. Instead, prisoners were forced to undergo individual review. The lucky ones, who fit Eric Holder’s strict release eligibility guidelines, were dribbled out of prison as public relations exhibits of Obama’s kindness. Obama and Holder did tolerate, and even encourage, a degree of prosecutorial discretion in framing charges and recommending sentences – although they proposed no fundamental reforms to the system. The truth is, prosecutorial discretion is an arbitrary tool of the state, a matter of convenience and budget-adjusting that has nothing to do with justice and leaves the repressive architecture of mass Black incarceration totally intact – as should be obvious, since all it took was a memo from Jeff Sessions to undo the phony “reform.”
the District of Columbia in the mid-90s. Sessions needs only to drive his time machine back two decades to be in total synch with the Eric Holder who made his political bones by imposing systemic racial profiling on the streets of Black Washington, D.C. Holder kicked off his “Operation Ceasefire” campaign on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday in 1995, framing his anti-crime strategy in civil rights terms – the right of Black people to be safe. On his watch, Driving While Young and Black became sufficient cause for a police stop and search – and all the consequences that follow. “The people who will be stopped will be young Black males, overwhelmingly,” Holder conceded. However, the greater good must be served. “Young Black males make up 1 percent of the national population but account for 18 percent of the nation’s homicides,” he said.
Defending Holder’s policies
Holder’s contribution
What Sessions is actually defending are the racist policies championed by Eric Holder himself, when he was US attorney for
B-CU, Notre Dame, and ‘acceptable’ protests Several pundits and writers have criticized graduates at historically Black Bethune-Cookman University for incivility shown during US Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ speech, but have withheld similar critique for graduates from the University of Notre Dame. What makes one protest uncivil, and the other acceptable? Why are B-CU grads jeopardizing federal support with their discontent, but UND grads aren’t charged with the same bad acts against their institution? Why did one president threaten graduates, while the other one held still?
VISUAL VIEWPOINT: THE TERRORIST BOMBING IN MANCHESTER
Holder’s policy of targeting “suspicious” vehicles for stops “with the aim of conducting searches” is detailed in James Forman Jr.’s new book, “Locking Up
CREDO OF THE BLACK PRESS The Black Press believes that Americans can best lead the world away from racism and national antagonism when it accords to every person, regardless of race, color or creed, full human and legal rights. Hating no person, fearing no person. The Black Press strives to help every person in the firm belief...that all are hurt as long as anyone is held back.
Harry C. Alford is the cofounder and president/CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce. Contact him via www.nationalbcc.org. Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America,” an indispensable resource for understanding the roots of modern mass incarceration and the role the Black political (misleadership) class played in creating the monster. The man who would later declare that some banks are too big to prosecute (How’s that for discretion?) helped establish a national precedent for stripping constitutional protections from the “suspicious” demographics of society. James Forman reports that Holder’s signature “pretext stops” are responsible for “most of the racial disparity in traffic stops, nationwide.” Thus, Eric Holder has contributed mightily to the misery endured by, literally, millions in the U.S. prison gulag over the last several decades, while his feeble discretionary criminal justice “reforms” under Obama have no lasting institutional impact. Worse, Eric Holder’s past is a model for Attorney General Jeff Session’s future.
Glen Ford is executive editor of BlackAgendaReport.com. Email him at Glen.Ford@BlackAgendaReport.com.
Random thoughts of a free Black mind, v. 300
JARRETT L. CARTER, SR. GUEST EDITORIAL
questioned about their civility or patriotism, while the other keeps its name, endowment, and advantages fully intact. So the question of which commencement did protest the best isn’t really a question at all. It is the school with more to lose; real and perceived. It is the school for the better refining of our all-American rage. Hail, Wildcats!
Jarrett L. Carter, Sr. is publisher of HBCU Digest (www.hbcudigest.com).
First Lady Omarosa Manigault Newman – Welcome, sister, to the Sunshine State! (For those who don’t know, she married Pastor John Allen Newman of The Sanctuary @ Mount Calvary in Jacksonville.) Questions. (1) Why do some Black people literally hate an HBCU graduate who, without being asked or paid, has decided on her own to energetically advocate for HBCUs inside an otherwise hostile Republican administration? (2) To Omarosa haters, what did your unconditional love (and your uncomfortable silence) get our HBCUs from the Obama administration? Nothing but a finger-wagging speech to the Men of Morehouse telling them not to use racism as an excuse for their own failure. C’mon, man…Let Omarosa try to do her thing, kill something, and drag it home for the HBCU family to share. Obama got eight years, and she gets four months to produce? Please…
Charles W. Cherry II, Esq., Publisher
Opinions expressed on this editorial page are those of the writers, and do not necessarily reflect the editorial stance of the newspaper or the publisher.
team side.” So here we are sitting with the University of Maryland parents prepared to kick the game off. Then everyone looks at a certain person walking towards us arm-in-arm with his wife and being closely followed by two men dressed in black and wearing shades. They waved at us and scampered up the bleachers. I am sure we were the subject of much gossip by the Maryland Lacrosse Parents’ Association the following week. So now, Robert Mueller is the special prosecutor for the socalled “Russia scandal.” Not to worry, America. The truth will be found and reported. Praise the Lord!
Dr. Glenn W. Cherry, Sales Manager
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CHARLES W. CHERRY II, ESQ. PUBLISHER
Headline from the Washington Post – “2 addiction counselors at halfway house die of drug overdose.” Black America is no stranger to drug addiction. But am I the only one thinking that America now treats addiction as a health care issue rather than a criminal justice/law enforcement issue because young White folks in places like Vermont and Maine are now addicted and dying?
I’m at ccherry2@gmail.com. Central Florida Communicators Group, LLC, P.O. Box 48857 Tampa, FL 33646, publishes the Florida Courier on Fridays. Phone: 877-352-4455, toll-free. For all sales inquiries, call 877-352-4455; e-mail sales@flcourier.com. Subscriptions to the print version are $69 per year. Mail check to P.O. Box 48857 Tampa, FL 33646, or log on to www.flcourier.com; click on ‘Subscribe’.
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MAY 26 – JUNE 1, 2017
Donald Trump – ‘The disastrous rise of misplaced power’ Donald Trump, the six-time bankrupted “businessman,” ran for president as a non-conformist, non-political outsider. He fanned the flames of nationalism, xenophobia, racism, misogyny and anti-Muslim bigotry to capture the hearts and minds of a disenchanted, anti-status quo electorate. His message of hate resonated with this part of the electorate as backlash to the election of America’s first African-American president.
No ‘shift’ Historically, once a presidential candidate is elected, he quickly shifts from campaign mode to governing. He broadens his message and appeal to unite the country. Trump’s inability or unwillingness to pivot away from his hyperbolic rhetoric is a clear indication that he has no interest in uniting the country. America’s founders created the executive branch as one branch of three separate but coequal branches of government. Trump appears to have no interest in “equal” and even less interest in governing. He wants to rule. As of this writing, Trump has signed 34 executive orders and 28 legislative bills. This may appear to be significant, until one realizes that most of the 28 bills are for administrative acts such as appointing board members to the Smithsonian Institution and designating locations for national memorials.
Broken promises He has failed to meet his legislative campaign promises. His Muslim ‘ban’ has failed in the courts three times. His pledge to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act initially failed. It finally cleared the House and has made its way to the Senate, where it is dying a slow and painful death. His single ‘success,’ the Gorsuch confirmation to the Supreme Court, only came after the Senate changed the rules by employing the “nuclear option.” Trump has persuaded his followers that he will “make America great again.” This will be quite a
DR. WILMER J. LEON III NNPA COLUMIST
Donald Trump telegraphed his intent to politicize the Department of Justice (DOJ) when he nominated his campaign hitman, Jeff Sessions, as attorney general. But even Republicans could not tolerate the stench of allowing Sessions to preside over DOJ matters related to alleged collusion between Trump’s presidential campaign and Russia. Bipartisan pressure forced Sessions to recuse himself, ceding all authority on such matters to his deputy – career prosecutor Rod Rosenstein. That recusal clearly frustrated this Don’s intent to treat the DOJ like his mafia family. And FBI Director James Comey’s refusal to pledge loyalty to him only exacerbated his frustration. This explains the ham-fisted way he fired Comey.
Won’t end well But Trump is sensible enough to know that having a special prosecutor investigate him is rather like having Elliot Ness investigate Al Capone: It. Will. Not. End. Well.
ANTHONY L. HALL, ESQ. FLORIDA COURIER COLUMNIST
This is why Trump has had all of his surrogates fighting against the appointment of one. Meanwhile, Trump has been projecting consciousness of guilt with his constant whining that all allegations about his ties to Russia is just “fake news.” Remarkably, his whining sunk to a new low as he delivered the commencement address to cadets at the Coast Guard Academy. They will soon be facing the deadly challenges of interdicting narcotics and human traffickers. But instead of inspiring their courage to do so, Trump spent much of the address venting selfpity about the media, highlighted by this epic woe-is-me whine: “No politician in history – and I say this
Trump must keep his promise to Haitians Editor’s note – This is an open letter written to President Trump. This week, the Trump administration extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for six months. Dear President Trump, Our friends in the Haitian community need your help. We strongly urge you to instruct the Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly to extend Temporary Protected Status to Haitian nationals living in the United States. The most recent extension is scheduled to expire July 22, 2017 if not renewed by May 23, 2017. This would be a terrible mistake with dire consequences for the Haitian people. Haiti has undergone extraordinary tumult resulting from the massive earthquake in 2010, which killed over 230,000 people and displaced and injured millions.
MICHAEL A. BARNETT, ESQ. GUEST COMMENTARY
We’ve seen it We have visited Haiti and we have seen where the bodies were taken north of Port-au-Prince. We saw the mass grave site in Titanyen. That nightmarish situation was compounded by Hurricane Matthew in 2016, in which towns along the southern coast, like Jeremie and Chantal, lost hundreds more lives and were nearly washed out to sea. The many people still reeling from the 2010 earthquake lost everything in the hurricane and were left with
A5
VISUAL VIEWPOINT: TRUMP MAKES A DEAL
tic agenda is neglected.” Trump has pledged to “rebuild the military” even at the expense of continuing to bankrupt the country and has also proposed deep cuts in public school funding. Fourth, “Controlled Mass Media” – Trump has threatened to cancel White House press briefings, demonized the media, and created “fake news” and “alternative facts.” Finally, “Disdain for Intellectuals…” – Trump’s famous statement, “I love the uneducated.”
challenge since his henchmen like Steve Bannon and Jeff Sessions are working to undermine the very foundations of American democracy. Bannon promotes capitalism over a constitutional democracy. Sessions lied before Congress Facilitated dictators about meeting with Russian offiTrump has worked closely with cials. Sessions also, according to the New York Times, called the people who have worked closely Southern Christian Leadership with some of the worst dictators in Conference and the NAACP “un- modern history. He hired veteran Republican American.” strategist Paul Manafort to be the chairman of his presidential camHow it happened paign. Manafort seems to have How exactly did a country that is never met a despot or dictator he still the envy of the world fall vic- could not help. According to Time tim to the lies and machinations of Magazine Manafort’s firm (Black, a “wanna-be” dictator like Trump? Manafort) helped to polish the As a result of the economic col- image of Angolan guerrilla leadlapse of 2008; ineffective domes- er Jonas Zavimbi. Manafort’s firm tic policies; 17 consecutive years worked to rehabilitate the image of of war; the continued and hyped the dictator of Zaire, Mobutu Sese threat of terror; and a racist re- Seko. action to the election of Senator In 1985, Manafort worked with Barack Obama – the die was cast. Philippine dictator Ferdinand According to Jim Powell in Marcos. And then there’s his work Forbes, “…when people be- with those pesky Russians. Accome angry enough or desperate cording to NPR, “…Manafort’s enough, sometimes they’ll sup- most important client was the proport crazies who would never at- Russian Ukrainian leader Viktor tract a crowd in normal circum- Yanukovych… Anders Aslund of stances.” the Atlantic Council says Manafort Dr. Lawrence Britt developed made millions from his work in 14 characteristics of dictators and Ukraine.” fascists. Trump exemplifies quite a few. According to Britt, “Fascist regimes tend to make constant No respect Trump has demonstrated disuse of patriotic slogans…” Trump pledged to “Make America Great tain for the judiciary. He infaAgain” and called for “Ameri- mously said that Judge Gonzacan hands” to remake the coun- lo Curiel is biased because of his try. Second, “Identification of En- Mexican heritage. He also accused emies…as a Unifying Cause…” We the judges who overturned his are all too familiar with Trump’s Muslim ban of playing politics. A special counsel has now been racist, anti-Muslim and xenophoassigned to consider the Trump bic rhetoric. Third, “…the military is given a campaign’s association with Rusdisproportionate amount of gov- sia. Included in this investigation ernment funding, and the domes- will be whether Trump asked for-
Checkmate! Special counsel investigates Trump-Russia ties
EDITORIAL
JOEP BERTRAMS, THE NETHERLANDS
mer FBI Director James Comey to close the investigation of Michael Flynn. Dr. Britt also writes that another trait of dictators and fascists is that they protect corporate power and there is “Rampant Cronyism and Corruption” in their regimes. Trump’s promise of deregulation and plans to cut taxes for corporations and the rich are examples of how Trump serves the oligarchs… the few, the powerful, the wealthy. Trump’s son-in-law and daughter yield unprecedented access and power. They have refused to distance themselves from their business interests. In fact, according to The NY Post, “China approved three trademarks for Ivanka Trump’s jewelry and spa brands the same day she and her husband, White House adviser Jared Kushner, sat down for dinner with the Asian country’s president… President Xi Jinping…” Coincidence?
Helping rich friends Trump’s proposed repeal and replacement of the ACA is actually a tax break for the wealthy. According to The New York Times, “It offers billions of dollars’ worth of tax cuts …The cuts amount to nearly $1 trillion over a decade. The beneficiaries would be the
with great surety – has been treat- Ashcroft into rubber-stamping a ed worse or more unfairly.” NSA surveillance program. Comey, serving then as acting There have been ‘worsts’ attorney general (as Rosenstein is A less narcissistic politician now), and Mueller, serving then as would’ve been all too mindful that FBI director, believed one key ashistory is punctuated with wrong- pect of that program was unconfully imprisoned and assassinat- stitutional. So they rushed to Ashed politicians who were “treat- croft’s hospital room and prevented worse or more unfairly” – ob- ed Bush’s chief of staff from getting viously. But this whining comes Ashcroft to sign off, both having from the man who spent much of threatened to resign if he did. In other words, Trump fired Obama’s presidency feeding the Comey only to end up with his media birther nonsense about this first Black president being “the avenging twin – over whom he has no authority, control, or influence. biggest fraud in US history.” I was in the vanguard of those calling for a special prosecutor. Taking a while Trump’s worst nightmare has just It could take months or years for come true, and he can thank his Mueller to complete his investigafiring of Comey for triggering it. tion. Congressional committees Incidentally, President Obama will continue their dog-and-pohired both Special Counsel Robert ny investigations, and Trump will Mueller and Comey as FBI direc- continue to tweet. Hence, there’s tors. Therefore, Obama can be for- no reprieve from the political given a little schadenfreude over grandstanding and media hysteria Trump being hoisted by his own that have characterized their inpetard – given all this appointment vestigations and dogged his presportends. idency. Still, unlike Trump’s hopelessly Close to Comey compromised DOJ, Mueller and All you need to know about his team of special prosecutors Mueller is that he stood shoulder- will hold to account anyone who to-shoulder with Comey in 2004 colluded with Russia. As it was – during America’s most famous with Nixon’s enablers, I fully exconstitutional crisis since Wa- pect many of Trump’s to end up in tergate. That was when the Bush prison. Of more interest, this team will White House tried to coerce an incapacitated Attorney General John finally uncover the extent to which nothing to live on. Today the misery remains much the same post-earthquake; many thousands of people are still living in tents and are barely surviving. There is hardly any sanitary infrastructure; 770,000 people have been sickened and 9,200 have died due to the ongoing cholera epidemic. Meanwhile, the Haitian government is unable to provide basic services to the population.
Worse, not better Despite the misinformation being sent to USCIS, the situation in Haiti has worsened, not improved. While Haiti continues to make progress in a variety of fields, the scope of the devastation and poverty caused by the earthquake and hurricane make mass deportation unthinkable. At this time, Haiti is not ready to receive approximately 58,000 people into a nation that is dangerously close to collapse. TPS has been renewed three times since 2011. Failing to re-
new TPS now when conditions in Haiti are so untenable will undoubtedly cause additional misery and suffering for these people who have already been through enough. Only after living conditions have improved in Haiti, with the help and support of the US Administration, can we fully support changes in immigration status for the Haitian nationals residing in the US.
richest Americans…who, since its inception, have complained that the Affordable Care Act unfairly burdened them with the responsibility of subsidizing insurance for the poor.” What ever happened to John Lock’s founding principle of the social contract theory? A person’s moral and/or political obligations are dependent upon a contract or agreement among them to form the society in which they live. And they call themselves Christians? We see in President Trump exactly what President Eisenhower warned us against, “…the disastrous rise of misplaced power…” Lastly, dictators lie. According to PolitiFact, 83 percent of President Trump’s statements range from “Half-True” to “Pants on Fire” false. He has created an environment that allows him to attack his enemies, including anyone or any news agency who disagrees with him. America has elected a president that’s a wanna-be dictator for the oligarchs.
Dr. Wilmer Leon is producer/ host of the nationally broadcast call-in talk radio program “Inside the Issues with Wilmer Leon,” on SiriusXM Satellite radio channel 126. Contact him via www.wilmerleon.com. Trump’s (financial) ties to Russia explain his antic bromance with its mercurial president, Vladimir Putin, as well as his antic loyalty to the venal Michael Flynn. Also, Mueller is bound to subpoena Trump’s tax returns and depose him – posing even greater legal jeopardy for him than special prosecutor Ken Starr posed when he deposed Bill Clinton.
Nothing from me Therefore, I plan to refrain from any further commentary on this aspect of the Trump presidency until Mueller completes his investigation. In the meantime, I shall derive some consolation from my declared expectation that disgusted and disillusioned Republicans will force Trump to either resign or be impeached long before his last 100 days. The evidence Mueller’s team gathers on Trump’s financial conflicts and misdeeds will be instrumental in this respect. Incidentally, no matter the evidence, Mueller will not indict Trump on criminal charges, although he might give Trump the Nixon kiss of death by naming him an unindicted co-conspirator.
Read Anthony L. Hall’s columns and daily weblog at www. theipinionsjournal.com.
and our respect. I want you to know you have my respect...The Haitian people deserve better, and I intend to give them better...and whether you vote for me or you don’t vote for me, I really want to be your greatest champion. And I will be your champion whether you vote for me or not...” Mr. President, this is the perfect opportunity to be a champion for the Haitians. No matter what the Bipartisan support outcome, we fully support you We thank and highly commend and trust you to make the right Governor Rick Scott, Senators decision. Please renew TPS for Marco Rubio and Bill Nelson, as Haiti. well as Congressmen Brian Mast, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Ted DeutMr. Michael A. Barnett is ch, and others for supporting the chairman of the Republican Haitians by urging Secretary Kelly Party of Palm Beach Counto renew TPS. ty. This letter was co-signed by President Trump, we ask noth- Madgie Nicolas, advisor for the ing more of you than that you National Diversity Coalition keep the promise you made to the Haitians when you visited Little for Trump and Haitian AmeriHaiti in September 2016, and you can Women for Trump, and David I. Shiner, general counsel of stated: “The Haitian American com- the Republican Party of Palm munity deserves our gratitude Beach County.
NATION
TOJ A6
MAY 26 – JUNE 1, 2017
Wariness, optimism of Trump by HBCUs Funding for Black institutions remains a major concern BY KURTIS LEE LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS
Since taking office, President Donald Trump has pledged “unwavering support” for the critical educational missions of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), invited leaders of those institutions to the White House and even dispatched his Education secretary to deliver her first commencement address of graduation season at one of the schools. The moves, by a president who won just 8 percent of the Black vote in November, have surprised and pleased some African-American educators, who say Trump already has outpaced the steps taken by previous administrations, including that of the nation’s first Black president. While some leaders and groups associated with Black colleges have welcomed the young administration’s overtures, others, notably students, remain wary of Trump and assail the White House as tone-deaf and insensitive.
Frosty reception Those views were on display this month when Education Secretary Betsy DeVos delivered the commencement address at Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach. As DeVos began to speak, students booed and turned their backs on her. Following his inauguration, Trump’s most overt outreach to African-Americans has been his efforts to woo students and leaders of Black colleges that were founded in the years after the Civil War and today consist of
101 public and private schools nationwide. “For (President) Obama, people expected him to come in and fix everything — especially for Black people. … But he never campaigned strongly for HBCUs,” said Walter Kimbrough, president of Dillard University in New Orleans, using the common abbreviation for the schools. Johnny C. Taylor Jr., president of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, a nonprofit that helps provide financial assistance to students who attend Black colleges, says the signs from the White House are encouraging. “In the first four months of this presidency, the Trump administration has been far more responsive to our community than the past administration,” Taylor said. “I, for one, judge people by what they do — not what they say.”
Funding untouched Taylor points to, among other things, the bipartisan spending bill Congress passed and Trump signed this month, which includes an expansion of Pell grant eligibility to year-round. (In recent years, Obama signed budgets that only allowed Pell grants to be used for two semesters in a school year.) Moreover, Taylor says, Trump’s own budget proposal left funding for Black colleges and universities untouched, even as it proposed slashing the Department of Education budget 13.5 percent.
The struggles continue HBCUs are located primarily in Southern and Midwestern states and in 2015 enrolled nearly 300,000 students, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. In recent years, many Black colleges, which educate students
OLIVIER DOULIERY/ABACA PRESS/TNS
President Donald Trump greets Education Secretary Betsy DeVos during a school choice event on May 3 in the Roosevelt Room of the White House. of all races and ethnicities, have struggled to bolster enrollment and graduation rates. Rick Gallot, president of Grambling State University in rural Louisiana, says it’s important for leaders of Black colleges to forge bonds with Trump’s administration, including with DeVos. “For me, there’s no real emotional attachment to this administration. … But the question is how do we continue to build relationships with this administration?” said Gallot, a former Democratic state lawmaker. “The recent action by the Congress and the White House does reflect an increase in Pell funding — that’s a positive.” Vocal and often angry students quickly point to missteps by the White House.
DeVos on HBCUs In February, after DeVos and Trump met with Black college leaders, DeVos released a state-
ment calling the institutions “pioneers when it comes to school choice.” Critics castigated her as ignorant, noting the schools were established to combat racism and segregation.
Divisive move A day after the meeting, Trump signed an executive order moving oversight of an initiative on HBCUs — which dates back to the Carter administration and, among other things, helps schools access federally sponsored programs — from the purview of the Department of Education to the White House. Critics called the order symbolic and expressed more dismay when Trump, on signing the spending bill May 5, included a signing statement that seemed to suggest the federal government could not earmark funds for Black colleges. Reps. John Conyers Jr., D-
Mich., and Cedric L. Richmond, D-La., chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, called the statement “stunningly careless and divisive,” especially for a “president who pledged to reach out to African-Americans and other minorities.” The White House later said it had no intention of withholding funds from Black colleges.
Speech canceled In response to a student petition, leaders at Texas Southern University, a Black college in Houston, this month canceled a commencement address by U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican and Trump supporter. “Every consideration is made to ensure that our student’s graduation day is a celebratory occasion and one they will remember positively for years to come,” the school said, adding that Cornyn was welcome to visit the school at another time.
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HEALTH FOOD || HEALTH TRAVEL | |MONEY SCIENCE | BOOKS | MOVIES | TV | AUTOS LIFE | FAITH | EVENTS | CLASSIFIEDS | ENTERTAINMENT | SPORTS | FOOD COURIER
IFE/FAITH
MAY 26 – JUNE 1, 2017
Freddie Jackson releases new music See page B5
SHARING BLACK LIFE, STATEWIDE
Desserts for diabetics See page B6
SOUTH FLORIDA / TREASURE COAST AREA
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WWW.FLCOURIER.COM
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As the U.S. observes Memorial Day, here are some fast facts about the place considered the nation’s most hallowed ground.
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PHOTO COURTESY OF OTIS BROOKS
• There is one man in the cemetery who was also born on the property. His name is James Parks and he was a slave there that dug some of the very first graves in Arlington National Cemetery. ARLINGTON HOUSE Parks is buried in section 15. • There are almost 3,800 former slaves who lived on the Arlington Estate interred in Section 27. Their headstones can be told apart from the others by the inscription “citizen” or “civilian.” • Thurgood Marshall was laid to rest in Arlington. Marshall was the first Black justice in the United States. He was appointed to the position in NATIONAL ARCHIVES 1967 by President Lyndon B. Johnson. • There are 12 former Supreme Court chief justices buried in Arlington including: William Howard Taft, Earl Warren, Warren Earl Burger and William Hubbs Rehnquist. • The first woman Naval pilot, Barbara Rainey, is buried in the cemetery. She was killed in an air accident while training another pilot. • Mary Robert Rinehart, America’s first woman war correspondent during World War I for the Saturday Evening Post, is buried in Arlington. NATIONAL ARCHIVES Rinehart also wrote mystery novels, including “The Circular Staircase” and “The Bat.” • There are more than 20 astronauts buried in Arlington National Cemetery. • There are two presidents buried in Arlington National Cemetery, William Howard Taft and John Fitzgerald Kennedy. • There are currently about 5,000 unknown military serviceman and women interred at Arlington National Cemetery. The first two unknowns, both Union Soldiers, where laid to rest on May 15, 1864.
ying just across the river from Washington D.C., Arlington National Cemetery bears witness to America’s history, pays tribute to our military and recognizes the sacrifice made by our men and women in uniform. The Arlington Mansion and the surrounding 200 acres were designated an official military cemetery on June 15, 1864, by Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton. Since then more than 400,000 people have been buried there. Among them: Soldiers from all the nation’s wars (pre-Civil War dead were reinterred after 1900), presidents, Supreme Court justices and former slaves of the property. The cemetery is still active and conducts nearly 7,000 burials each year. Here are a few things you may not know about Arlington National Cemetery. — South Florida Sun-Sentinel, MCT • The flags in Arlington National Cemetery are flown at half-staff from a half hour before the first funeral until a half hour after the last funeral each day. Funerals are conducted six days a week with between 27 and 30 services each weekday and six to eight on Saturday. • The Arlington Estate was originally built as a memorial to George Washington by one of his grandsons, George Washington Parke Custis. Congress bought the property on March 3, 1883, for $150,000. • The first serviceman laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery was Private William Henry Christman from the 67th Pennsylvania Infantry on May 13, 1864. • Robert E. Lee lived on the property with his wife as a custodian but was never an owner of the property.
Visiting Arlington More than 4 million people visit Arlington National Cemetery every year. The site, which includes a comprehensive visitor center, is opened to the public at 8 a.m. 365 days a year. Between April 1 and Sept. 30, the cemetery closes at 7 p.m. The rest of the year it closes at 5 p.m. There is no charge to visit the cemetery, but you must pay to park.
Burial at Arlington Active duty Armed Forces members, veterans retired from active military service, certain decorated veterans, former prisoners of war and U.S. presidents, are among those eligible to be buried at Arlington. Also eligible: Spouses, widows, minor children and certain unmarried adult children of eligible veterans. A complete list of eligibility requirements is available online at www.arlingtoncemetery.mil. Upon the passing of an eligible veteran or family member, funeral directors can contact the Internment Office at Arlington to make arrangements (1-877907-8585).
Online OLIVIER DOULIERY/ABACA PRESS/MCT
Frank Woodruff Buckles, the last surviving American World War I veteran, passed away on Feb. 27, 2011, at age 110. He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery on March 15, 2011.
• www.arlingtoncemetery.mil — Find information on funerals, including eligibility requirements and scheduling services, as well as visitor info. • http://gravelocator.cem.va.gov/ — Find out locations of those buried in Arlington National Cemetery, or any other government cemetery.
SAUL LOEB/TNS
OLIVIER DOULERY/ABACA PRESS/TNS
Just prior to Memorial Day weekend, the 3rd U.S. Infantry places American flags before the gravestones and niches of service members. The ceremony is called “Flags In.”
President Obama lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on Nov. 11, 2015, in Arlington, Va.
CHUCK KENNEDY/TNS
Salutes and tradition The “21-gun salute” is often confused with the ceremonial act of firing three volleys at military and police funerals, but these are two completely different rituals. The “21-gun salute” stems from naval tradition and is an expression of welcome offered to dignitaries, like U.S. presidents. The ritual of firing gun salutes has existed for centuries and the act of firing an odd number of shots reflects long held superstitions that odd numbers are considered lucky. Early naval gun salutes consisted of seven shots. Forts on shore, which could store more gunpowder, would sometimes fire three shots for each shot fired by the ship, thus 21. The firing of three rifle volleys by the honor guard at military and police funerals is a burial custom, intended as a reminder, not a salute or greeting. The tradition most likely stems from battlefield practices. As firearms were introduced, the custom of firing three volleys was established to cease fighting TNS so the dead and wounded could be retrieved from the battlefield. After the last rifle volley during a funeral, the bugler then sounds taps also known as “Butterfield’s Lullaby.” When taps is played at a funeral, only serving members of the military or veterans should salute. Civilians should place their right hand over their heart. — Jennifer Pritchard, TNS
SOURCES: ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY WEB SITE, WWW.HISTORY.NAVY.MIL, WWW.WEST-POINT.ORG
PHOTO COURTESY OF ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
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MAY 26 – JUNE 1, 2017
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Black St. Pete college alumni to celebrate 60th anniversary Alumni of Gibbs Junior College will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the St. Petersburg institution later this month. African-Americans from Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, Sarasota, Pasco, Hernando and Polk counties attended the college from 1957 to 1965. Gibbs was the second of 12 African-American colleges located around the state until 1962. Founded under the leadership of Dr. John W. Rembert, Gibbs began with a small enrollment of 250 students, many of whom rode buses from their home counties to the St. Petersburg campus for classes. This student population grew to over 900 by the time the decision was made in 1965 to merge Gibbs and St. Petersburg Junior College. The 60th anniversary theme is “Keeping the Legacy Alive.’’ A golf tournament is scheduled for May 27 at the Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club in Palm Harbor. An evening scholarship banquet and dance are scheduled. Florida Senator Darryl Rouson will be the banquet speaker. The emcee is Laura Harris of ABC Action News. A church service is schedSen. Darryl uled for May 28 at 10 a.m. Rouson For information about the golf tournament, contact Rufus Lewis at 813876-9654. More information about the banquet is available by calling Josephine Smith at 727 866-6067 or William McCloud at 813 852-2481.
PHOTOS BY DUANE C. FERNANDEZ SR./HARDNOTTSPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
Plenty of Jazz in Jacksonville The City of Jacksonville Beach presented a Summer Jazz Series concert on May 21 at the Sea Walk Pavilion. The free concert included performances by headliner Alex Bugnon and opening acts Limitless (above) and Steve Cole. Jazz continues this weekend in Jacksonville with the Jacksonville Jazz Festival, which will be held downtown. Lineup: Jacksonvillejazzfest.com
TREVOR NOAH
Catch the host of “The Daily Show’’ on Comedy Central on June 2 at Clearwater’s Ruth Eckerd Hall and June 3 at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach.
LELAH HATHAWAY
The Chick Corea Trio, The Commodores, The Blind Boys of Alabama and Lelah Hathaway are performers for the Jacksonville Jazz Fest, which is happening through May 28. Full lineup: Jacksonvillejazzfest. com
LAVAR WALKER
The Memorial Weekend Comedy Festival is May 28 at the James L. Knight Center. Performers include Bruce Bruce, Bill Bellamy, Luenell, DC Young Fly and Lavar Walker.
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Miami: The Griots’ Gallery invites the public to the opening of “In the Spirit of Collaboration: Sam Gilliam and Lou Stovall’’ exhibit on June 10 at 1 p.m. with a program at 2 p.m. Location: 8260 NE 2nd Ave., inside the Center for Haitian Studies. Free. Details: www.griotsgallery.com. Orlando: Full Gospel Baptist presents Rickey Smiley and Friends on June 30 at Hard Rock Live Orlando.
Fort Lauderdale: The Christian McBride Trio performs June 10 at the Rose & Alfred Miniaci Performing Arts Center. Tampa: Tickets are on sale for the Total Package Tour with Paula Abdul, New Kids on the Block and Boyz II Men at the Amalie Arena on July 15. Miami: Chance the Rapper is scheduled June 13 at AmericanAirlines Arena and June 14 at Tampa’s Amalie Arena.
Miami Beach: The Macy Gray Live show is at the Faena Theater on June 2.
Orlando: Plans are underway the 18th Annual Darrell Armstrong Classic Weekend Aug. 11-13 for his foundation that helps premature babies. Sponsorship info: Call 407252-333 or email jbm395@ gmail.com.
Orlando: An All White Affair starring Ginuwine and DJ Envy is July 21 at Hard Rock Live Orlando.
Tampa: Lionel Richie and Mariah Carey are scheduled Aug. 11 at the Amalie Arena for a 7 p.m. show.
Jacksonville: Diana Ross is scheduled at 8 p.m. June 28 at Daily’s Place.
Jacksonville: Rick Ross and K. Michelle are scheduled July 8 at the Times Union Center for the Performing Arts.
Super Bowl returning to Tampa in 2021 BY SAM FARMER LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS
Call it the Super Bowl Reshuffle. Five days after the Los Angeles Rams announced their Inglewood stadium would be finished in 2020, a year later than the original plan, NFL owners unanimously voted to push the Los Angeles Super Bowl back a year until February 2022. Tampa will host the 2021 game originally promised to L.A. – providing both cities can prove by Aug. 25 they can live up to all the terms and commitments of their bids. “We wanted to make sure we do everything right, 100 percent,” Rams owner Stan Kroenke said. “It’s a big deal for L.A. We have a Super Bowl, and that’s the important part.”
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It will be the fifth Super Bowl hosted by Tampa, which last did so in 2009 when Pittsburgh defeated Arizona. There has not been a Super Bowl held in the L.A. area since Dallas defeated Buffalo at the Rose Bowl in January 1993. The upcoming Super Bowls will be played, in order, in Minneapolis, Atlanta, South Florida, Tampa and Los Angeles. L.A. would have needed a waiver from the league to host the 2021 game, because NFL rules prohibit playing a Super Bowl at a stadium in the venue’s inaugural year. However, the notion of a waiver was not seriously discussed Tuesday. The Tampa plan was not a spur-of-the-moment decision. That city was a finalist when the league awarded the game to L.A. a year ago. The decision Tuesday solved two problems. It gave L.A. some breathing room, and it rewarded Tampa, which had fallen short in multiple Super Bowl bids in recent years. “Bottom line is, Stan was incredibly cooperative on this,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. “He wants to do what’s right for the NFL. His No. 1 objective is creating a quality stadium for the long term for the fans in Los Angeles. His commitment has not wavered on that. So what we felt was the right thing is, don’t put any risk to the Super Bowl, which is an incredibly complex event. … It would put an undue risk to the Super Bowl and to our fans.”
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HEALTH
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Do drugs that calm stomachs damage kidneys? The answer’s unclear about the harm of proton pump inhibitors. BY SYDNEY LUPKIN AND PAULINE BARTOLONE KAISER HEALTH NEWS/TNS
Sherry Herman was watching TV when the ad popped up on the screen. Lawyers were seeking clients for a class-action lawsuit, suggesting a link between certain heartburn pills and chronic kidney disease — including the beige capsules she’d taken for years. “And I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, yeah — me!’” said Herman, a 50-year-old homemaker in Dayton, Ohio. She’d been on a drug known as a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) for acid reflux disease since 2004. Thinking it was a “very safe drug,” she had taken the prescription pills for a decade, even though the label recommended four to eight weeks.
More serious problem Then, in 2014, she was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease. “It came as a huge shock because no one in my family has it,” she said. She had no risk factors for the condition, such as poorly controlled high blood pressure. A growing body of research suggests the blockbuster drug that helped her stomach may have left her — and a number of patients like her — with a potentially much more serious medical problem. Recent research has linked the proton pump inhibitors, or PPIs, to serious side effects, including chronic kidney disease, and recently filed lawsuits allege, among other things, that the manufacturers should have known of their potential harms. The risk of chronic kidney disease is as much as 50 percent higher in people who’ve taken the drug compared with those who’ve not — although no causative link has been proven and manufacturers insist they are safe.
For short-term use The drugmakers strongly defend their products. AstraZeneca is “confident in the safety and efficacy of Nexium and Prilosec when used in accordance with the FDA approved label,” said spokeswoman Abby Bozarth, in an emailed statement. Proton pump inhibitors, such as Nexium and Prilosec, among
other brands, are blockbusters in the U.S. With 15.3 million prescriptions written in 2013 alone, they are considered highly effective at relieving gastroesophageal acid reflux as well as preventing and treating ulcers. Widely advertised, they are frequently prescribed for even minor indigestion, with serial renewals leading to chronic use — even though they were approved as safe by the Food and Drug Administration only for short-term treatment.
Millions take them Studies have shown that PPIs could be prescribed unnecessarily as much as two-thirds of the time. And it’s not uncommon for patients to take the heartburn pills for years, even though their labels recommend limiting treatment to a few weeks or a few months. The result has been sales worth many billions of dollars a year for pharmaceutical companies, according to commercial intelligence firm EvaluatePharma. Tens of millions of Americans take the drugs, whether in prescription or over-the-counter formulation. Given those numbers, critics say that even the suggestion of risk is a problem for a drug that is over-prescribed by doctors and used inappropriately by patients. “When patients complain of gastrointestinal distress, it’s easy to just prescribe a PPI,” said Steven Chen, a doctor of pharmacy and associate dean for clinical affairs at the University of Southern California School of Pharmacy. Once patients start taking the drug, it’s easy to “forget that they may not need to be on it that long.”
Poor tracking What’s more, fueling debate and the emerging lawsuits is FDA’s patchwork system that experts say is poorly equipped to track adverse events — even when they involve drugs like the PPIs that have been used by many millions of American over three decades. With no universally mandatory system to track the use of drugs and their side effects over time, the U.S. instead relies on manufacturers, doctors and patients to convey suspicion of harm as part of a mostly voluntary system. Dr. Sammy Almashat, of the research group Public Citizen, said only a small fraction of side effects are reported to the FDA and the database is “underutilized” by researchers and regulators. “We do
TY GREENLEES FOR KAISER HEALTH NEWS
Sherry Herman, 50, of Dayton, Ohio, had been taking generic Prilosec for a decade when she was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease. In light of recent studies and lawsuits, she wonders whether the heartburn medication is to blame. what we can in this country with what we’re given. It’s not much.”
Years on pills PPIs, which came to market in 1990, were a godsend for many patients. When Paula Cox, 69, of Bainbridge Island, Wash., first tried Prilosec, it was like “heaven” because the medication prevented the “extremely intense” heartburn symptoms that had plagued her since the 1980s. She’s been on the pills for more than 14 years, and although she hasn’t suffered any of the major health problems linked to them by research, she’d like to stop her daily regimen, especially in light of news about possible side effects. But Prilosec is “the only thing that’s working,” Cox said. PPIs work by blocking an enzyme in the cells that line the stomach, preventing them from secreting acid. They are the leading proven therapy for upper-gastrointestinal disorders, available by prescription and, in lower doses, over the counter.
Studies raise concerns Chronic kidney disease damages the organs over time, rendering the body unable to eliminate wastes from the blood and excrete them through urine. The disease can be life-threatening, and patients may need dialysis or a kidney transplant to survive. Two huge studies, includ-
ing data from hundreds of thousands of patients taking prescription PPIs, raised concerns about a link between the pills and kidney failure in 2016. (Over-the-counter medications were not studied because of the difficulty of collecting data.) Both studies, one published in JAMA Internal Medicine and the other in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, found that those taking prescription PPIs were more likely to develop kidney disease than patients taking another class of drugs known as H2 blockers, which treat similar digestive symptoms.
Thousands of cases The research showed that patients taking the PPIs twice a day were more likely to develop the disease, and that the kidney risk associated with the pills increased over time for the first two years. Each study had the same limitation: It was “observational,” meaning it was not a gold-standard clinical trial that could prove cause and effect. Based on a collection of health records, the research could identify only association — i.e., whether patients taking PPIs were more likely to develop chronic kidney disease than patients who weren’t on the drugs. Attorney Paul Pennock said his New York-based firm, Weitz & Luxenberg, is investigating roughly 3,500 cases involving kidney harm allegedly from heart-
burn drugs, although he acknowledges not all will merit a lawsuit. Nationwide, Pennock said, about 122 suits have been filed, against AstraZeneca and other PPI makers such as Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer and Procter & Gamble, which produces overthe-counter Prilosec. Allyanna Anglim of Pfizer media relations says legal actions against the company are “without merit” and its PPI labels “have always provided accurate information on their benefits and risks.” Why, after all these years, aren’t the risks better known?
Reports trickle in FDA spokeswoman Andrea Fischer said data linking chronic kidney disease and PPIs “are limited” but that the agency continues to monitor the potential risks. Both medical researchers and the Government Accountability Office have concluded that its methods for doing so are inadequate. Reports to the FDA mentioning PPIs in relation to a range of kidney problems trickled in and reached a few dozen per year by the late 1990s, according to a Kaiser Health News analysis of the federal Adverse Event Reporting System. The number of kidney-related reports naming PPIs as a primary suspect slowly crept up over the years and then doubled to more than 400 in 2016, the year the two prominent studies were published.
Pediatricians pushing fruit, not juice BY KAREN KAPLAN LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS
The American Academy of Pediatrics has some new advice about juice: Kids should resist the urge to drink it. If you’re craving something fruity and refreshing, try eating a piece of fruit instead. If you’re thirsty, you can wash it down with some water. Sure, juice has some things going for it. It can be an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin A and potassium, among other nutrients. It also contains antioxidants, which may help ward off cancer and cardiovascular disease. All those things are true about fruit as well — plus it contains fiber. That’s good for you because it helps keep your blood sugar in check, reduces cholesterol and cleans your colon. And it can help prevent unwanted weight gain, since it takes much longer to eat a piece of fruit than it does to drink the juice it contains.
Curb sippy cups Fruit also beats juice when it comes to fighting tooth decay. When kids carry around sippy cups with juice — or worse, take it to bed with them in a bottle — their teeth are continuously exposed to carbohydrates. That leads to cavities. Despite all this, juice remains a popular beverage for kids and teens. For Americans between the ages of 2 and 18, almost half of the fruit they consume is in the
form of juice. That needs to change, pediatricians say. The Academy’s position statement, released Monday, boils it down succinctly: “Fruit juice offers no nutritional advantage over whole fruit.” Here’s a look at the new advice and how it breaks down for kids of different ages:
Younger than six months No juice at all. Zip. Zilch. For about the first six months of life, the only thing that should pass an infant’s lips is breast milk or infant formula. (The Academy prefers breast milk but says formula is an acceptable alternative.) “No additional nutrients are needed,” the statement says. If caregivers substitute juice for milk or formula, babies risk missing out on all the protein, essential fats and nutrients like calcium, iron and zinc that their growing bodies require. So not only is juice not helpful, it actually can be harmful, the pediatricians warn.
6 months to 1 year Babies in this age group start eating solid foods, and fruit — often mashed or pureed — should become part of their diet. But in most cases, liquids should be restricted to breast milk, formula or water. “It is optimal to completely avoid the use of juice in infants before 1 year of age,” the statement says. If parents opt to give their ba-
bies juice anyway, the pediatricians offer this advice: Limit juice intake to 4 ounces per day. Serve juice in a cup, not a bottle. Do not put babies to bed with juice that they can sip throughout the night. If the goal is to rehydrate a baby with acute gastroenteritis, use electrolyte solutions instead of juice.
Toddlers, kids under 6 The Academy warns parents that they start out at a disadvantage when it comes to keeping juice away from toddlers and preschool-age children. “Fruit juice and fruit drinks are easily over-consumed by toddlers and young children because they taste good,” the statement says. “In addition, they are conveniently packaged or can be placed in a bottle or transportable covered cup and carried around during the day.” But parents should not give in. They should continue to encourage their kids to eat whole fruit instead of drinking juice. (Pediatricians, too, are encouraged to support public policies that back fruit over juice.) To drive home its point, the Academy compares juice to sugary soda pop: “Like soda, it can contribute to energy imbalance.” (That’s doctor-speak for consuming too many calories.) If parents insist on serving juice, they should limit it to 4 ounces per day for children between ages 1 and 3, and to 6
ERIC BOYD/LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS
The American Academy of Pediatrics states that fruit juice “has no essential role in healthy, balanced diets of children.” ounces per day for those 4 to 6. Parents should also make sure the juice has been pasteurized, the Academy advises. If not, kids risk exposure to dangerous pathogens like E. coli, Salmonella and Crytposporidium.
Older kids and teens By age 7, children typically consume less juice, so there’s less for parents to worry about. Even so, they should not drink more than 8 ounces of juice per day — and amount that represents half of the daily calories that should come from fruit. Kids and parents should also keep in mind that fruit juice and fruit drinks are not the same. Anything other than 100 percent juice must be labeled as a juice
“drink,” “cocktail” or “beverage.” These items may be fortified with vitamins or calcium, but they may also contain added sugars and other flavors. Some studies have found an association between heavy juice consumption — in excess of 12 ounces per day — and obesity. However, other research has found that kids who drank more juice had lower BMIs than kids who drank less juice — and still others found no link between juice and obesity at all. “More research is required to better define this relationship,” the statement says. In the meantime, you won’t go wrong if you remember this: “Fruit juice,” the Academy says, “has no essential role in healthy, balanced diets of children.”
HURRICANE SEASON
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MAY 26 – JUNE 1, 2017
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Check this clip-and-save page to see whether your family is ready in case disaster strikes. BEFORE IT HAPPENS
GATHER DOCUMENTS AND CASH
EVALUATE YOUR HOME
Store important documents such as insurance policies, deeds, property records and birth certificates in a bank safe-deposit box. Store copies in your disaster-supplies kit.
Structural safety
q Keep a stash of cash or traveler’s checks at home where you can quickly get them in
case of evacuation.
q
Make sure your home is bolted to the foundation and the structure is properly reinforced.
q
MAKE A FAMILY EMERGENCY PLAN
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Identify a safe place in each room of your home and practice rapidly getting there. Best locations include under a sturdy desk or table, or beside a sturdy, large piece of furniture such as a sofa or bed. Avoid doorways; doors could bang open and shut during a storm.
Check the roof, foundation, chimney and walls for cracks and overall condition. Contact trained contractors in your area for information on retrofitting.
q
If you live in an apartment, know where your building’s utility controls are and how to use them.
q Practice home-evacuation drills. Choose someplace nearby for your family to meet.
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Expect a lack of transportation.
q
Educate your children. Get a copy of your school district’s disaster policy regarding transportation and the release of students. Keep photos of family members in your wallet in case someone is missing.
q Take a first-aid course. Learn CPR. q Know where the nearest police and fire stations are. Know the route to the nearest
hospital emergency room. Keep critical phone numbers and your insurance-policy numbers by your phone and in your wallet.
q
Enter your “ICE” — In Case of Emergency — numbers on your cell phone so emergency workers will know whom to contact if you’re hurt. For example, enter “ICE husband John” and the phone number.
q
Find out whether any neighbors have medical or other expertise. Plan to unite if your neighborhood becomes isolated. Help elderly, disabled or single-parent neighbors create an emergency plan. Get contact information for their relatives. Fill in the spaces below and keep this page in a handy place.
Family Emergency meeting place: _____________________________________________________ Out-of-state contact, phone number: ____________________________________________ Insurance company and phone numbers: ________________________________________ Insurance policy numbers:______________________________________________________ Driver’s license numbers: ______________________________________________________
Plumbing
q
Family members should know how to shut off waterlines in case of a leak in the house. Label the shutoff valve clearly; it’s the first valve in the line after it enters the house.
q
Strap your water heater (gas and electric ones) to studs in the wall with heavy-duty metal strips or to the floor to prevent gas leaks and possible fires from broken pipes. You can find strapping kits at home-improvement stores.
Gas
q
All occupants should also know how and when to turn off the gas. If you smell gas after a storm or other emergency, shut off the meter valve found at the first fitting on the supply pipe coming out of the ground. Use a wrench to turn the valve either way until it is perpendicular to the pipe. Keep a wrench attached to the gas meter with a wire. Call the gas company to get service restored.
ON
OFF
Electricity
q
Neighborhood Neighbors’ names, phone numbers: _____________________________________________
Utility companies Electricity: ___________________________________________________________________ Water: _______________________________________________________________________ Natural gas: __________________________________________________________________ Phone: _______________________________________________________________________
Emergency Call 911 in life-or-death situation: _______________________________________________ Doctor’s phone: _______________________________________________________________ Pharmacy phone: _____________________________________________________________ Police non-emergency phone: __________________________________________________ Fire non-emergency phone: ____________________________________________________ Closest emergency room, address: ______________________________________________
Other ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________
Buy a portable, gas-powered generator for emergency electricity. Only appliances that can use extension cords should be attached to a generator. A 2200-watt unit can power a refrigerator and several lamps. Keep fuel in a safe, protected container.
q
Learn how to shut off the electricOlder ity: Turn off single panel breakers first, then switch off the main breaker. To turn back on, switch the main breaker first, then the single breakers. On older panels, pull the main fuse blocks.
a n rea er e er panel n le rea er
Household items
q
Place flashlights in hallways, bathrooms and bedrooms. Keep a flashlight, spare batteries and sturdy shoes under the bed. (Shoes will protect you from broken glass and other debris on the floor.)
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Evaluate each room. Secure appliances, bookshelves and hutches to wall studs. Mirrors should be hung on double hooks; do not lean them against the wall.
q
Place heavy objects and electronic equipment on lower shelves. Use large Velcro patches or nonskid rubber shelf liner to help keep items in place.
q
Place a beanbag of sand or shot in the bottom of vases and other breakable items to help hold them down.
q Store household chemicals safely, preferably on or near the floor.
AFTER AN EVENT Hurricane Sandy’s devastation is shown on the southern end of Long Beach Island, New Jersey, as beach houses are washed off their foundations on Oct. 30, 2012. The Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30. CLEM MURRAY/ PHILDELPHIA INQUIRER/ TNS
Check on everyone
• Provide first aid and a safe place for anyone who is injured or very upset. Check on and help neighbors. • Call 911 or other emergency phone numbers only if injuries are serious or the situation is life-threatening. Unnecessary calls can hamper rescue efforts.
Assess surroundings
•Check for hazards such as fire, leaks, chemical spills and precarious structures. Natural-gas companies ask customers not to turn off their gas service at the meter unless they smell or hear a leak. If you smell gas coming from inside your home, call your gas company from a phone outside. It’s important not to touch electric switches or use the telephone until the situation is corrected. Only the gas company can restore service. •Plug appliances into a generator directly or with extension cords. Never plug a generator into a household outlet because power can flow back to the utility’s main system and injure utility workers trying to restore power. Always run generators outdoors to prevent buildup of toxic fumes. •Turn on the radio. In the case of an emergency that displaces many people, shelter locations will be announced. •Give pets food, water and dry shelter. Keep them away from antifreeze. •Turn off all appliances except the refrigerator and one light. This prevents a power surge when power is restored.
Call for help
• If phone service is available, give your out-of-state contact an update on your situation. If service is spotty, ask your
contact to call your insurance company if necessary, and your family and friends who may be worried about you.
Gather water
•Be prepared to treat, filter or boil contaminated water. •Use hot water sparingly. Most water heaters can retain heat for three days. •If the water supply is cut off, drinking water is still available in your home in water heaters, in-house plumbing and melted ice cubes. •Use a hose to get drinking water from your water heater’s drain valve in an emergency. It will be cloudy at first but will clear up after a few gallons. •If pipes break or leak, turn off water at the shut-off valve inside your home.
Prepare food
•If the electricity is out, open the refrigerator and freezer doors only when necessary. Eat refrigerated food first, frozen food next and dried or canned food last. •Refrigerated foods should be OK for about eight hours, holding a temperature of 40 degrees, unless the door is opened often. •Food in a freezer of 12 cubic feet or more should stay frozen for 48 hours if the freezer is full and the door kept closed; that food will keep safely cold for up to 72 hours. Frozen food that has completely thawed — especially vegetables and dishes containing meat, fish, eggs, cheese and cream sauce — should be tossed out because of possible bacteria growth. If the freezer temperature is higher than 40 degrees, throw out all food.
STOJ
MAY 26 – JUNE 1, 2017
FINEST & ENTERTAINMENT
Meet some of
B5
Think you’re one of Florida’s Finest? E-mail your high-resolution (200 dpi) digital photo in casual wear or bathing suit taken in front of a plain background with few distractions, to news@flcourier. com with a short biography of yourself and your contact information. (No nude/ glamour/ fashion photography, please!) In order to be considered, you must be at least 18 years of age. Acceptance of the photographs submitted is in the sole and absolute discretion of Florida Courier editors. We reserve the right to retain your photograph even if it is not published. If you are selected, you will be contacted by e-mail and further instructions will be given.
FLORIDA’S
finest
Thousands of Caribbean culture lovers converge on South Florida every year on the Columbus Day weekend to attend the annual Miami Broward Carnival, a series of concerts, pageants, parades, and competitions. On Carnival Day, “mas” (masquerade) bands of thousands of revelers dance and march behind 18-wheel tractortrailer trucks with booming sound systems from morning until nightfall while competing for honors. Here are some of the “Finest” we’ve seen over the years. Go to www.miamibrowardcarnival.com for information on this year’s Carnival. CHARLES W. CHERRY II / FLORIDA COURIER
Freddie Jackson releases single; album on the way to be mentioned with these balladeers who were the best of all times.” Jackson’s desire to be among the best singers of all time is not far-fetched. In addition to 11 No. 1 songs, he has charted 18 songs that have landed in the Top 10.
BY DON SAINT JAMES EURWEB.COM
Since 1985, singer and recording artist Freddie Jackson has been synonymous with excellence in R&B and contemporary adult music. His portfolio of chart-topping songs includes “You Are My Lady,” “He’ll Never Love You (Like I Do),” “Love Is Just a Touch Away,” “A Little Bit More” (a duet with Melba Moore), “Just Like the First Time,” “Tasty Love,” “Have You Ever Loved Somebody,” “Jam Tonight,” “Hey Lover,” “Nice and Slow,” among others. In his 32-year career, Jackson has charted 11 No. 1 hits. Now, Jackson is at it again with his recently released single, “One Night.” The song was written by Barry Eastmond, who has written and/or produced for Jackson for more than three decades.
‘Greatest’ recognition
‘Authentic Freddie Jackson’
Singer Freddie Jackson attributes long career as a recording artist to his great passion for singing.
Eastmond wrote and produced Jackson’s “You Are My Lady,” “Have You Ever Loved Somebody,” and many other hits. “One Night” is the first single from Jackson’s new album, “Love Signals,” due out this summer. “I’m very excited about ‘One Night,’ said Jackson, who music aficionados tout as a versatile vocalist who can deliver both romantic ballads and up-tempo urban dance tunes with ease. “The single has been very well received, and I’m grateful for that.
My new single is authentic Freddie Jackson singing. It’s authentic, but with an updated flavor that’s smooth and fully orchestrated.” “I attribute my longevity to the great passion I have for singing,” said the four-time Grammy nominee, and American Music Awards winner. “Many people get up and go to work hating what they do. I get up every day with great love for the long career that I’ve been blessed with. It’s really love, passion and my na-
tional and international fans that keep me singing, recording, and performing.”
Inspired by Mathis, Cole A native of Harlem, New York, Jackson grew up singing gospel in church. Additionally, he heard and saw many of the great singers of his day perform at the famed Apollo Theatre in Harlem, not far from his house. Seeing and hearing these great vocalists inspired
Mathis says Nancy Reagan helped him kick drinking problem BY NARDINE SAAD LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS
CHRIS DELMAS/VISUAL/ZUMA PRESS/TNS
Johnny Mathis arrives at the Nancy Reagan funeral held on March 11, 2016 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential library in Simi Valley, Calif.
Legendary singer Johnny Mathis owes a debt of gratitude to former First Lady Nancy Reagan. The 81-year-old crooner credited Reagan with helping him kick his drinking habit after she saw him overindulging at a reception.
young Jackson to become a professional singer and recording artist. Yet, he has carved his own vocal identity and style. “I consider myself a balladeer, and that’s a big hat to wear because the great balladeers that I love have been singers like Johnny Mathis, Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye, Nat King Cole, and others,” said Jackson, who still lives in Harlem, and was discovered by legendary singer Melba Moore. “They were all smooth. I want
“We were sitting around, you know. I was drinking, and she suggested I might have a problem,” Mathis said in an interview with “CBS This Morning’s” Nancy Giles. “I said, ‘Probably not, but what do you have in mind?’ And so she sent me to a place called Havre de Grace in Maryland, and I was there with a bunch of Jesuit priests. I had three weeks of finding out why I drank, how I could stop. And it was the greatest thing that ever happened to me in my life.”
Vice was champagne The influential presidential wife, who championed the fight against drug abuse with her “Just Say No” campaign, died last year of congestive heart failure at 94.
Earlier this year, Billboard magazine listed Jackson as one of the “Top 50 Greatest R&B Singers” of all time. Additionally, Jackson’s hit song, “You Are My Lady,” has been included in the U.S. Library of Congress, as one of the all-time great songs. Jackson’s name also has been placed on the wall of the new Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture in Washington, D.C. The wall contains the names of the greatest singers, who are of African-American descent. With 30 years-plus in the music industry, Jackson shows no signs of letting up. As for future ventures, Jackson named two legends that he would love to sing and record with. “I would love to sing and record with my idol, Johnny Mathis,” said Jackson. “I would also love to sing and record with Andrea Bocelli. Performing with those two extraordinary singers would make me extremely happy. I’m putting it out there, right now, for it to happen.” For more information on Freddie Jackson, visit www.freddiejackson.net.
Mathis, who pioneered the greatest-hits album genre and is releasing a collection of contemporary songs produced by Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, previously admitted his vice was champagne. However, he also famously struggled with drug addiction following his dealings with “Dr. Feelgood” Max Jacobson. Jacobson administered socalled vitamin shots that contained amphetamines, which did wonders for Mathis’ ailing voice but left him with a drug addiction. In the CBS interview, Mathis covers his history with racism, rebounding from losing his home in a 2015 fire and the fallout from coming out in 1982.
FOOD
B6
MAY 26 – JUNE 1, 2017
S
Desserts
DOUBLE BERRY PIE SQUARES Yield: 9 servings 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar or sugar substitute equivalent to 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided 1 envelope unflavored gelatin 1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled and diced 1 (12-ounce) package frozen raspberries, thawed 2/3 cup finely crushed graham crackers 2 tablespoons butter, melted 1/3 cup frozen sugar-free whipped dessert topping (such as Cool Whip), thawed For filling: In a large saucepan, combine 1/3 cup of the sugar or sugar substitute and the gelatin; add strawberries and raspberries. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until gelatin is dissolved and mixture is simmering. Transfer berry mixture to a shallow bowl. Chill about
for diabetics
Some sweet treats with reduced sugar and carbs BY DANIEL NEMAN ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE
Desserts without sugar do not taste as good as desserts with it. But diabetes is not to be taken lightly. It is literally a matter of life and limb. Amputations are common with diabetes. So is blindness. Sugar makes it worse, and so do carbohydrates. Basically, everything that makes a dessert good is what makes it bad for diabetics, who now make up a huge part of the population. More than 29 million Americans have diabetes — that’s one out of every 11 Americans — and three times that number are at risk for developing it. But diabetics deserve dessert, too, and they can have it — provided they do not indulge too often, that the desserts they eat are low in sugar and carbohydrates and that their portions are sensibly small. That’s where today’s recipes come in. They’re appropriate for diabetics or anyone with a sweet tooth who is looking to lose some weight. Considering that they are made with little or no sugar, they’re surprisingly good. They’d be better with more sugar and carbohydrates, but we’re talking about people’s lives and limbs.
A crispy treat The first dessert I made, Crispy Peanut Butterscotch
Pie, is truly excellent, even with fat-free, sugar-free, instant pudding mix, sugar-free (or fat-free) frozen whipped dessert topping and just one tablespoon of honey for six servings. It is also made with what is generically specified as “oven-toasted rice cereal.” That means Rice Krispies. Use Rice Krispies. Two things make this dessert great, and both of them are peanut butter. One is the way peanut butter goes so blissfully with butterscotch, even when it is fat-free, sugarfree, instant butterscotch pudding mix. And the other is the incredibly resourceful crust made from peanut butter, honey and Rice Krispies. It’s light. It’s crispy (sorry, Krispie). And it’s downright delicious. My next dessert was mind-blowingly gorgeous, and it tasted almost as good as it looked. To be frank, it would be perfect if it used real sugar. The only problem with the diabeticfriendly version is that the Splenda I used left behind a faint aftertaste, as sugar substitutes are wont to do.
Berrys and chocolate But here is the beautiful part of the Double Berry Pie Squares: They are made with fresh strawberries and frozen raspberries simmered with gelatin. It’s a little sweet, a little tart and a marvelously rich shade of red. A graham-cracker crust makes the perfect base for the fruity center of the squares, and a dollop of (sugar-free) Cool Whip
on top adds just the right amount of creaminess — or whatever Cool Whip is. My next dessert divided our taste testers right down the middle; half of them loved it, half hated it. It’s chocolate meringues, though they are both more and less than chocolate meringues. More chocolate, less sugar. Technically called Bites of Chocolate Bliss (not my fault, folks), these meringues aim to satisfy the cravings of a diabetic chocoholic. They do so by ramping up the amount of cocoa to compensate for the relative lack of sugar. But cocoa is a bit bitter, and the cookies it makes are very chocolatey, but not very sweet. They fall somewhere on the scale between chocolate that is bittersweet and unsweetened. It’s all a matter of taste.
CRISPY PEANUT BUTTERSCOTCH PIE Yield: 6 servings 1/4 cup natural (no sugar added) creamy peanut butter 1 tablespoon honey 1 1/2 cups oven-toasted rice cereal, such as Rice Krispies (more optional) 1 (1-ounce) package butterscotch fat-free, sugarfree, instant pudding mix 2 cups fat-free milk 1 1/2 cups frozen sugar-free or fat-free whipped dessert topping such as Cool Whip, thawed and divided Ground cinnamon, optional Combine peanut butter and honey in a medium microwavesafe bowl; microwave at high power for 30 seconds; stir until mixture melts. Stir in rice cereal. Using waxed paper, press cereal mixture into bottom of 8-inch round cake pan. Prepare pudding mix according to package directions for pudding, using 2 cups
of milk. Fold in 1 cup of the whipped topping. Spoon pudding mixture into prepared pan. Cover and freeze until firm. Let pie stand at room temperature 15 minutes before serving. Spoon remaining 1/2 cup whipped topping over each serving. If desired, sprinkle with ground cinnamon and additional cereal. Per serving: 139 calories; 4 g fat; 1 g saturated fat; 5 mg cholesterol; 5 g protein; 22 g carbohydrate; 11 g sugar; 1 g fiber; 302 mg sodium; 132 mg calcium Recipe by Oxmoor House Healthy Eating Collection. BITES OF CHOCOLATE BLISS Yield: 20 servings (2 pieces per serving) 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder Pinch of salt 1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided 3 egg whites 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
45 minutes or until mixture begins to set up around the edges, stirring occasionally. For crust: Lightly coat a 2-quart square baking dish with nonstick spray. In a medium bowl, stir together finely crushed graham crackers, the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar or sugar substitute and the melted butter. Press graham cracker mixture evenly over the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Place in freezer while the filling chills. Carefully pour filling over the crust. Chill about 3 hours or until filling is completely set. Cut into squares to serve. Top with whipped dessert topping. Per serving: 162 calories; 5 g fat; 2 g saturated fat; 7 mg cholesterol; 3 g protein; 30 g carbohydrate; 19 g sugar; 7 g fiber; 38 mg sodium; 33 mg calcium Nutrition analysis used granulated sugar and unsalted butter. Recipe from diabeticlivingonline.com.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 tablespoon powdered sugar Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with foil. Sift together cocoa, salt and 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar into a small bowl. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer on medium-low speed to beat egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Beat in remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, until meringue is glossy and stiff peaks form. Fold in cocoa mixture and vanilla extract. Drop by rounded teaspoons about 1 inch apart onto prepared baking sheets. Bake 25 minutes for chewy cookies or 40 minutes for crisp ones. Cool cookies on wire racks. Dust cooled cookies with powdered sugar. Per serving: 58 calories; 1 g fat; no saturated fat; no cholesterol; 1 g protein; 13 g carbohydrate; 11 g sugar; 1 g fiber; 33 mg sodium; 6 mg calcium Recipe by Prevention magazine.
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