Ramsey Clark, attorney general who became a critic of U.S. policies, dies at 93

Ramsey Clark, who was U.S. attorney general under President Lyndon B. Johnson and then, after leaving government service, redefined himself as a relentless critic of American foreign policy and as a courtroom defender of widely reviled figures such as former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, died April 9 at his home in New York City. He was 93.

The death was confirmed by a great-niece, Sharon Welch. The precise cause was not immediately known.

The son of conservative Supreme Court Justice Tom C. Clark, Mr. Clark grew up in the lap of the political establishment and was the last surviving member of Johnson’s cabinet. As a young man, he showed few signs of his firebrand future, but in the half-century that followed his 22-month term as the nation’s top prosecutor, he underwent a remarkable political transformation and became a persistent voice of dissent against the government.

As attorney general, Mr. Clark had prosecuted pediatrician and best-selling author Benjamin Spock for conspiracy to aid draft resisters during the Vietnam War. Within three years of leaving office, Mr. Clark had flown to Hanoi to denounce U.S. aggression and went to court to defend Philip Berrigan and other leading anti-war activists.

For a time, Mr. Clark was a darling of the left — a blunt outspoken former Cabinet member who publicly raised questions about the morality of American interventions abroad. He attacked what he called the United States’ “sham” democracy, ruled not by the people but by the wealthy few, and he decried the nation’s “genocidal” foreign policy and “certifiably insane” military spending.




https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/ramsey-clark-dead/2021/04/10/70314e68-9949-11eb-a6d0-13d207aadb78_story.html

VOTING LOCAL: Elisa Crespo for NYC City Council District 15

I’m a product of the very same public institutions we must reform, from public schools to public housing. I have experienced the social disparities that exist in New York City firsthand. I was raised by a hard-working, single Latina mother who relied on Section 8 to keep a roof over my head and food on our table despite her best efforts. We moved from borough-to-borough, even living in a shelter, just to make ends meet.

Through my family’s struggle, I developed a passion for community organizing and knew that I wanted to fight to elevate the needs of our most vulnerable and underserved communities. My love for public service motivated me to pursue a quality education. I attended John Jay College of Criminal Justice, where I also served as an elected student activist, sitting on various university-wide committees within the City University of New York (CUNY). I graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science with a focus in Human Rights.

I am an advocate and activist and have fought unapologetically to preserve the affordability and accessibility of our City’s public higher education system, to promote civic engagement and voter awareness, to represent union labor, and to elevate the LGBTQIA community. I’m a proud union member of DC37 - Local 371.

I have advocated on behalf of parents whose children have been victims of bullying, along with those who have been deprived of vital special education services. In my current role as the Education Liaison at the Bronx Borough President's office, I have had the opportunity to help countless families navigate our education system’s bureaucracy.

I am running to represent District 15 in the heart of the Bronx, which includes the neighborhoods of Belmont, Fordham, Tremont, Mount Hope, Allerton, Olinville, Van Nest, West Farms, and Bedford Park.








https://runforsomething.net/run/

DMX dead at 50

Per Huffington Post on my phone.

Biden administration to launch massive funeral assistance program for covid victims

The Biden administration next week will launch a funeral assistance program that will provide up to $9,000 to cover the burial costs of each American who died of covid-19 — the largest program of its type ever offered by the federal government.

The program is open to families regardless of their income, as long as they show documentation and have not already received similar benefits through another program.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has reimbursed burial costs before, but it has never offered as large a payment to so many people. In 2017, for example, FEMA paid $2.6 million to 976 people for funeral costs of victims of three hurricanes — an average of $2,664 per applicant.

But the novel coronavirus’s immense toll means a burial assistance program of an unprecedented scale is now being assembled. More than 557,000 Americans have died of covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.




https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/covid-funerals-assistance/2021/04/06/d7d1db20-9659-11eb-b28d-bfa7bb5cb2a5_story.html

Democrat Mike Collier launches campaign for Texas lieutenant governor

Texas Democrat Mike Collier on Tuesday launched his 2022 campaign for lieutenant governor, setting up a rematch from his 2018 race against incumbent Republican Dan Patrick.

Collier, who worked in the energy sector and was a top adviser to President Biden’s campaign in Texas, came within 5 points of unseating Patrick three years ago.

Collier told The Hill he wants another shot at the lieutenant governorship to try to hold his old opponent accountable.

This is all about holding him accountable for some very serious failures. And the Lieutenant Governor's the arguably the most powerful position in Texas. And we've had some colossal failures,” Collier said.

The candidate cited the state's lack of preparedness for severe winter weather that killed more than 100 people and the response to the


https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/546337-democrat-mike-collier-launches-campaign-for-texas-lieutenant-governor

Colorado Democrat flips Republican-held mayoral office in Ft. Collins

High turnout in yesterday's Wisconsin statewide election.

Progressive candidate Jill Underly, the schools chief for the rural Pecatonica School District, defeated Deborah Kerr 58-42 to become Wisconsin’s top education official. Kerr, the former head of the Brown Deer School District in the suburbs of Milwaukee, was backed by former Republican Gov. Scott Walker and charter school supporters, while Underly had the backing of almost the entire state Democratic Party.

Turnout was high for this off-year election: 912,678 were cast in this race, compared to the 708,289 votes tallied in 2017. This officially nonpartisan race turned into an expensive contest, with over $1 million in spending flowing in, the overwhelming majority of which was for Underly. Her dominant victory extends the streak of double-digit wins for the progressive-aligned candidate for this post that goes back to 2001.




https://www.dailykos.com/blog/Elections

Tishaura Jones Makes History By Winning Race For St. Louis Mayor

Another glass ceiling in the St. Louis mayor’s office has been shattered.

St. Louis Treasurer Tishaura Jones beat Alderwoman Cara Spencer, D-20th Ward, Tuesday night to become the city’s first Black woman mayor. The final unofficial tally was 52% to 48%. Voter turnout was 29%, on par with previous general municipal elections but lower than expected given that a change in the primary voting process meant the general election was decisive for the first time in decades.

“As a city, we’ve been surviving,” Jones told an elated crowd of supporters who gathered at the Omega Center on the city’s northwest side. “It’s time for St. Louis to thrive. It’s time to bring a breath of fresh air to our neighborhoods.”

2021 marked Jones’ second run for mayor — she lost a crowded 2017 Democratic primary to the eventual winner, Lyda Krewson, by 888 votes.


https://news.stlpublicradio.org/government-politics-issues/2021-04-06/tishaura-jones-makes-history-by-winning-race-for-st-louis-mayor

Mboka Mwilambwe elected Bloomington, Il's first Black mayor

Wisconsin Democrat unseats GOP mayor in Sheboygan