Indiana Statesman For ISU students. About ISU students. By ISU students.
Indiana Statesman
Monday, February 6, 2017
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Volume 124, Issue 49
Brian Cahn | Zuma Press | TNS
Pro and anti-gay marriage demonstrators rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court as it hears arguments on the question of same-sex marriage on Tuesday, April 28, 2015, in Washington, D.C.
Worries for gay rights backers as Trump team sends mixed signals
Rob Hotakainen
McClatchy Washington Bureau (TNS)
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump made history last week, becoming the first sitting Republican president to issue a public affirmation of LGBTQ individuals and vowing to protect them from discrimination if they’re working for federal contractors. And only days after his election in November, he called gay marriage “settled” law as a result of the 2015 Supreme Court ruling that gave same-sex couples the constitutional right to wed, adding: “I’m fine with that.” While some say Trump has established a clear pro-gay record, critics
fear that the president has sent conflicting signals and his administration might end up leading a full-scale assault on gay rights. Among the mounting worries: Vice President Mike Pence, along with many of Trump’s conservative Cabinet picks and his new Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch, have long opposed gay rights. And as a presidential candidate, Trump said he would sign a bill pushed by Idaho Republican Rep. Raul Labrador that would give new federal protections to those who oppose same-sex marriage for moral reasons. Meanwhile, a leaked copy of a proposed four-page executive order that Trump may impose is circulating
Science speaker to present on campus Adrienne Morris Reporter
Each year, multiple speakers are invited to Indiana State University to deliver speeches on a variety of topics. Of the Speaker Series on campus, the Darwin Keynote Speaker series is the only series that focuses on one particular topic: science. On Feb. 7, the Darwin Keynote Speaker, Dr. Barrett Klein from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, will deliver his speech “Honey Bee Communication: The Tale of a Sleep-deprived Dancer and Her Unwitting Followers” in honor of International Darwin Day. International Darwin Day is a celebration that is dedicated to the famous scientist Charles Darwin. It is a day dedicated towards science and the impact that Charles Darwin had on the development of science and technology. Dr. Klein is an associate professor of biology at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. He is currently studying insect behavior and how insects have affected humans overtime. Dr. Klein has an assortment of published academic works. He also illustrates different insects which are available to view on his web-
site. The Darwin Keynote Speaker series was implemented 12 years ago. Its purpose is to engage the community and increase opportunities for the surrounding communities of the Wabash Valley, including faculty and staff of ISU. It is also a great way for students to engage in a professional setting that includes an intellectual talk over the topics. “I think the concept of this speaker series is great. It’s really cool how its goal is to bring the community together,” sophomore Michael Christopher said. The Darwin Keynote Speaker series is sponsored by several different groups, which include the Department of Sciences & Mathematics at Saint Mary-ofthe-Woods College, the Honors Program, the Lilly Endowment, Office of Admissions and the College of Graduate and Professional Studies. “The different groups that helped to make this happen is great. I think it’s important that organizations come together, and I think this event does a great job at doing this,” junior Raven Collins said. The event is set to occur in the Cunningham Memorial Library Events Area on Feb. 7. It will begin at 7 p.m. There will be a reception before the event that will include snacks.
among advocacy groups and members of Congress, stoking more worries. When asked about a possible executive order on Thursday, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said “there is nothing new on that front” but added: “There are a lot of ideas that are being floated out.” “But until the president makes up his mind and gives feedback and decides that that’s final, there’s nothing to announce,” Spicer said. On Tuesday, the White House had released its statement proclaiming Trump a champion of gay rights and said the president would keep in place a 2014 order by former President Barack Obama that protects all employees from discrimination while
working for federal contractors. While Labrador’s First Amendment Defense Act fizzled last year, the bill ignited a furor, with opponents saying it would open the door to legalized discrimination against gays and lesbians. Labrador, who won a fourth term in November, said he would introduce the legislation again this year, confident that its prospects of getting signed into law have improved with Trump in the White House. “I think chances are better — absolutely,” he said in an interview. Labrador, who helped create the conservative House Freedom Caucus in 2015, said no decision had yet been
SEE RIGHTS, PAGE 3
ISU performing series bring Blood, Sweat and Tears Anthony Goelz Reporter
Blood, Sweat and Tears featuring Bo Bice will be performing in the Tilson Auditorium on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. as a part of Indiana State’s Performing Arts Series. The Performing Arts Series has already hosted performances such as the “Children’s Nutcracker” and magician Mike Super. The series will also be featuring performances of “Driving Miss Daisy” and the famous Broadway musical “Annie” in the upcoming months of March and May. First assembled back in 1967 by Bobby Colomby, Blood, Sweat and Tears is a jazz and fusion rock band. According to the Blood, Sweat and Tears website, Colomby had a vision of a jazz and fusion rock band with horns. He explained that he was not afraid to take musical chances that could potentially change the music scene forever. Some of the greatest musicians in the world have passed through BS&T. The website also totes the band’s 10 Grammy nominations of which they won three, including Album of the Year beating out the Beatles’ “Abby Road.”
Throughout the years, the band’s members have changed multiple times. Blood, Sweat and Tears is always hiring the most talented musicians from around the world. BS&T originated in 1967 in New York City. “Nearly 200 band members have come and gone throughout the years,” said Alyssa Harvey in an article with the Bowling Green Daily News. This is similar to the hit funk-rock band Here Come the Mummies. Here Call the Mummies guard their identities by dressing as mummies. Rumor has it that this is because the members of the group are under contract with other record labels and hide their identities to keep from causing contract disputes. Harold Elwin “Bo” Bice, 41, is well known for being the runner-up in the fourth season of American Idol, losing to Carrie Underwood. Bice has been the lead singer of Blood, Sweat and Tears since 2014. “Although now lead singer Bice was born in 1975, some eight years, multiple awards and albums after Blood Sweat & Tears was formed, you can’t help but think they were destined to collide with each
SEE PERFORMANCE, PAGE 3
Trump’s comparison of Russia’s sanctioned killings Laura King
Los Angeles Times (TNS)
President Donald Trump’s professed admiration for his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin is again causing headaches for fellow Republicans and drawing fire from Democrats –– but this time, with a twist. When Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly observed while interviewing Trump that Putin is “a killer,” the president retorted: “You think our country is so innocent?” Vice President Mike Pence, asked in several talk-show ap-
pearances Sunday about the president’s seeming comparison of officially sanctioned extrajudicial killings in Russia with unspecified U.S. actions, said Trump had merely intended to stress his desire to re-engage the Kremlin. “I simply don’t accept that there was any moral equivalency in the president’s comments,” Pence said on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” casting the remarks instead as “an attempt to deal with the world as it is…to start afresh with Russia.” Some congressional Republicans, though, sought to distance
themselves from Trump’s apparent comparison –– or attack it outright. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who ran against Trump for the Republican presidential nomination last year, said in a Twitter post: “We are not the same as Putin.” Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., on ABC’s “This Week,” also said he saw no equivalency between the U.S. and “murderous thugs” acting at Putin’s behest, but said there might be additional context in the Trump-O’Reilly interview, which had not aired in full at the time he spoke. Excerpts had been
released in advance. Democrats were harsher in their response. “I really do resent that he would say something like that,” said Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., also on ABC. She said she did not think there was any comparison to be made. From his campaign days forward, Trump has spoken repeatedly of his hopes for a friendly relationship with Putin, prompting expressions of concern from some lawmakers and from European leaders who fear he is not sufficiently mindful of Russia’s bellicose moves in Ukraine and
elsewhere. Trump also spent the early days of his presidency feuding with the U.S. intelligence agencies over their assessment that Russian cyberattacks were intended to sway the American presidential election in his favor. Trump has made similar remarks in the past about Putin’s reputation for violent retribution against perceived political enemies. He told interviewer Joe Scarborough in 2015 –– when the talk-show host pointed out
SEE KILLING, PAGE 3