As COVID-19 forces NYC's immigrant communities to grapple with death and economic devastation, they may now also face widespread disenfranchisement at the exact moment their voices need to be amplified. In advance of primary elections, the NYC Board of Elections created an online application for absentee ballots on May 5, but failed to provide it in any language other than English. As a result, hundreds of thousands of immigrant voters, afraid to visit polls and unable to vote by mail, could be shut out of primary elections. According to the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs, more than half of the 1.6 million immigrants living in New York City are citizens, and 853,000 people residing in the city speak languages other than English. NYC Board of Election may also be violating Section 203 of the federal Voting Rights Act, which requires the Board to translate all materials into certain minority languages. See: https://www.justice.gov/crt/language-minority-citizens Tell the Board of Elections and our elected leaders to PROTECT immigrants' voting rights!

as a shop owner for 21 years my opinion is that the closing of licensed tattoo facilities opens up the very real threat for wanna be artists, otherwise known as scratchers, to practice the arts from home. (which is illegal)…..while this has been going on for years in the area where I conduct business, the longer we are forced to remain closed the more of a chance there is for a larger breeding ground for other medical problems such as staph infections, HIV, and or hepatitis, just to name a few. believe it or not, the tattoo industry is thriving and if people want the work done bad enough they will seek it out no matter where it is they get it from.

Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man, was jogging near his neighborhood in Brunswick, GA on February 23 when he was chased down, shot, and killed in cold blood. His executioners were father & son, Gregory and Travis McMichael, two white men, who told police they believed Ahmaud fit the profile of a suspect. But the truth is: Ahmaud’s murder was an act of hatred and white supremacy. Worst of all, the two DAs who recused themselves District Attorney Jackie Johnson and District Attorney George Barnhill further perpetuated the mismanagement of Ahmaud's case. DA Johnson has a history of her judgment being called into question. In previous years, she's shown through the mishandling of cases, her inability to fairly prosecute the officers she works with on a daily basis. And DA Barnhill even defended Ahmaud’s murderers by making the outrageous claim that Travis McMichael acted in self-defense and his actions fell within Georgia’s citizen arrest laws. In his letter to the Glynn County police, he stated, "it appears {Travis and Gregory McMichael's} intent was to stop and hold this criminal suspect until law enforcement arrived. Under Georgia law, it is perfectly legal." Barnhill also went on to state that there was no need for arrest. And it is because of Barnhill's suggestions to police that two months have gone by without an arrest or any form of accountability. Now, a district attorney in another county has finally decided to bring the case to a grand jury--but grand juries aren't convening in Georgia until after June 2. Instead of seeking justice, DA Barnhill abused his authority to exonerate the McMichaels in the media. For their inaction, both District Attorney Gregory Barnhill and District Attorney Jackie Johnson must immediately resign. Ahmaud’s death is akin to a modern-day lynching. We must act NOW to end this racist terror. Enough is enough. We are demanding justice for Ahmaud -- we refuse to lose any more of our loved ones to these reckless acts of violence. Sign the petition demanding District Attorney George Barnhill & District Attorney Jackie Johnson's immediate resignation.

Because until massive testing, tracing, and adequate provisions exist for supportive isolation of coronavirus victims, Ohio remains in a state of emergency. Governor DeWine accepted more than enough risks already in opening Ohio.

We are deeply concerned about the growing number of COVID cases and deaths in our community. Palm Beach County's death count ALONE is higher than 18 other states. The handful of extremists who held a ReOpen Rally in front of your meeting last night do NOT represent the vast majority of residents who want Shelter in Place to continue until public health experts deem our county safe to enter Phase 1 of reopening. A poll taken on April 22 from Quinnipiac University showed among registered voters, 76 percent said the economy should only reopen when health experts say it's safe. Only 17 percent say Florida should reopen even if public health officials warn against it. source - https://poll.qu.edu/florida/release-detail?ReleaseID=3659 Please listen to the EXPERTS, not the extremists and keep Shelter in Place for Palm Beach County until health experts believe it is safe to begins Phase 1.

Micro-small businesses, also known as Community Small Businesses under the current SBA guidelines have been rejected, denied, and/or do not qualify for PPP loan funding, without being provided clear reasons or explanations. According to Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act” or the “CARES Act Title I—Keeping American Workers Paid and Employed Act, Section 1102 - Paycheck Protection Program, loans in underserved and rural markets were to be prioritized as it related to processing and disbursement. “(P) REIMBURSEMENT FOR PROCESSING. (iv) SENSE OF THE SENATE. It is the sense of the Senate that the Administrator should issue guidance to lenders and agents to ensure that the processing and disbursement of covered loans prioritizes small business concerns and entities in underserved and rural markets, including veterans and members of the military community, small business concerns owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals (as defined in section 8(d)(3)(C)), women, and businesses in operation for less than 2 years. www.CSBcoalition.com

Right now, these companies are using the keep open order as protection from any liability for what happens to workers. This is egregiously unfair and is a barely disguised form of what's called "forced labor." Workers should not have to choose between poverty and getting sick and possibly dying. These plans change all of that. Shame on Trump and Shame on these companies for not doing this!

Now 18 years later William is still challenging his conviction. He poses one key question: If an incarcerated person learns that the state knowingly presented false testimony and no evidence proving he committed this crime in order to secure a conviction against him, how likely does it have to be that knowledge of the truth could have affected the jury’s verdict. This therefore violates the defendant’s due process rights and requires the conviction to be set aside. William has now been in prison for 18 years, for a crime I know and thousands of others know he didn’t commit. I am even more shocked to learn that over 10,000 people may be wrongfully convicted of serious crimes each year and that prosecutorial misconduct is rampant in communities across the United States. I am dedicated and determined to help William And it’s why I need your help today. I urge you to join me in asking Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel, Govenor of Arizona Doug Ducey, and the Arizona Board of Parole to take into account the undeniable facts of Williams case, and provide him executive clemency, justice and a chance to live a normal life outside of the prison walls.

1. Robert Kadlec did not disclose he was a consultant with Emergent BioSolutions and he did not bid out the purchase but made private negotiations with the company to pay $2.8 billions of a vaccine. That was a conflict of interest. Emergent BioSolutions got a ten year contract with the United States Department of Health and Human Services. He also did not note in his Senate filings that he had been a part owner of a company with Fuad El-Hibri, Emergent's founder and chairman. 2. He diminished the role of government experts and reduced the decision making to himself and a few advisers. 3. In 2018, he halted an Obama-era initiative to spend $35 million on a machine that would have made 1.5 million N95 masks per day. These masks would have been very helpful for our healthcare professionals in the frontlines. A recently made contract for $62.3 million went to the company which designed the rapid mask machine that was not purchased as planned. https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/before-pandemic-trumps-stockpile-chief-put-focus-on-biodefense-an-old-client-benefited/2020/05/04/d3c2b010-84dd-11ea-878a-86477a724bdb_story.html

Massage therapists provide medically necessary services for their clients including but not limited to services that: 1. Boosts the immune system 2. Help drain the lymphatic system 3. Reduces pain and inflammation 4. Improves circulation and lowers blood pressure 5. Lowers stress 6. Helps with fatigue 7. And a multitude of other benefits Many of our clients have chronic illnesses and come to us to help alleviate pain and to maintain a higher quality of life. By forcing us to stay closed, you are handicapping us and preventing us from taking care of our families as well as handicapping the thousands and thousands of clients across the state who come to massage therapists for a multitude of reasons. If a client can go to a physical therapist or chiropractor as well as get their hair and nails done (or tan or go to a gym), certainly they should be allowed to make this choice for themselves as well.

For those who play, youth baseball is an “essential” service. It serves a dual purpose of allowing the children to exercise while achieving the much-needed social interactions that they’ve been missing for so long. Even in the most stable of home environments, there are only so many walks that a family can take. Sadly, as many of our children do not live in stable and healthy homes, baseball provides an outlet where those kids can learn positive core values, engage in healthy risk taking while learning valuable life lessons in a safe environment. For these children, baseball provides a “safe place” where they can briefly escape their reality. Certainly, a compelling argument can be made that youth baseball is every bit as important to our children as nail/hair salons are to adults, yet the latter are scheduled to open first. Currently, it appears that the state and local governments are basing many of their decisions on recommendations from the CDC and other national organizations. While that information is important, other (more local) information should also be considered. For good reason, the CDC’s guidance is issued to protect those cities and regions that have been most affected by Covid-19. However, it is unfair to force Lexington youth to abide by the same rules as kids in New York City as Covid-19 simply is not that prevalent here. Allowing our youth to again enjoy baseball could help these children return to a more normal existence. All of the leagues understand that we will have to implement precautions so that everyone can enjoy baseball in a healthy and safe manner, while continuing to practice social distancing. We will happily abide by these precautions if it means we get to enjoy baseball again. Thank you for considering the above information. I am happy to answer any questions or assist in any way possible.

In April 2020, the state of Nevada agreed to relinquish its supply of drugs intended for executions to the pharmaceutical companies who manufactured them, as part of a settlement agreement in the case of Alvogen, Inc. v. Nevada. The state no longer has the means to carry out an execution, yet prosecutors continue to spend considerable funds pursuing the death penalty. We believe that the error-prone nature of the death penalty (nearly 1 in 3 cases have errors warranting retrial or re-sentencing), its bias against the indigent, Black people, and all people of color, its lack of deterrent effect, and the sheer cost of pursuing it should convince our leaders to put an end to the practice before cutting budgets for services that Nevadan's most vulnerable continue to urgently need, at a higher rate than ever before.