DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Abortion rights: State bans, Supreme Court case and Biden’s Florida dream
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The new Florida law has limited exemptions for rape, incest and to protect the life of the mother. In the electionPresident Joe Biden visited Florida to focus on abortion rights Tuesday. Referendums placing the issue of abortion rights before voters will be on the ballot in Arizona and Florida. New realityIt is the cases currently before the Supreme Court that could have the most direct effect on the new reality for pregnant American women. Cox fled Texas to obtain an abortion just before the state Supreme Court denied her access to the care under the medical exemption in Texas’ abortion law.

Persons: Roe, Wade, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, CNN’s Edward, Isaac Dovere, Donald Trump, Wade . Biden, Harris, Trump, CNN’s Tierney Sneed, “, Read, Jen Adkins, Adkins, CNN’s Meg Tirrell, John Bonifield, Julie Lyons, who’s, ” Lyons, Allie Phillips, Dobbs, Amanda Zurawski, Trump’s, Jill Biden, Kate Cox, Cox, CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez, Michael Williams, Dale Mabry, Biden, Joe Raedle, Dovere, he’s, ”, Court’s Dobbs Organizations: CNN —, Senate, Biden, CNN, Jackson, Health, Hillsborough Community, Republican, ” Locations: Florida, Arizona, Florida ., Idaho, Sneed, Portland , Oregon, Hailey, Sun Valley, New York, Tennessee, Texas, Florida , Arizona, year’s State, Tampa , Florida

☆ Van Jones: There’s hope and despair in what happened to my home state
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-02 | by ( Van Jones | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Many were shocked last year when the Tennessee legislature dramatically expelled state representatives Justin Jones and Justin Pearson. When I was a legislative intern, the state of Tennessee was controlled by the Democrats and my boss was a man named Jimmy Naifeh. But even in my Southern home state, no opponent tried to score cheap political points based on his Arab background. Left-leaning or moderate Tennesseeans have virtually no say in their state legislature on the political matters that govern their lives. Van Jones, with Justin Pearson and Justin Jones CNNSo even on issues like gun violence — on which a large majority of Tennesseans in both parties would like “red flag” laws — nothing gets done.

Persons: Anderson Cooper ”, Van Jones, Justin Jones, Justin Pearson, Gloria Johnson, Pearson, Jones, —, Jimmy Naifeh, I’m, won’t, Odessa Kelly, Kelly, Matthew Shoaf, Shoaf Organizations: CNN, GOP, Tennessee House, Tennessee Capitol, Tennessee, Democrats, Democratic Party, Tea Party, Republican, Justin Jones CNN, Odessa, Democratic, Congressional District, The, The Tennessee General Assembly Locations: Tennessee, Nashville, Lebanese, American, . Tennessee, Democratic, Tennessee’s, The Tennessee, Odessa, Sumner County

Johnson isn't buying arguments from the bill's Republican backers that she didn't inspire the proposed change to a longstanding law. Republican state lawmakers who favor the ban have argued that winning twice often means abandoning the lower office, creating a costly special election. Johnson narrowly escaped expulsion last year for her role in a pro-gun control protest inside the Tennessee House chamber. Republican lawmakers are considering changes that target Jones and Pearson, too. In California, a judge ruled Republican state Assemblymember Vince Fong could run for Congress and reelection to his state seat at the same time.

Persons: Johnson, David Hawk, Republican Sen, Marsha Blackburn, “ That’s, Ron DeSantis, Rand Paul, Paul, Sen, Cory Booker, Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney's, Joe Lieberman, Al Gore's, Blackburn, Gloria Johnson, ”, Abigail Sigler, Blackburn's, she’s, Randy McNally, Justin Pearson, Justin Jones, Pearson, Jones, Vince Fong, State Shirley Weber, Marc Levy, Adam Beam, Sean Murphy, Amy Beth Hanson, John Hanna Organizations: Republican, National Conference of State Legislatures, Republican Gov, Republican U.S, Sen, Kentucky GOP, Democratic, Former U.S . Rep, statehouse, Covenant, Tennessee, Congress, State, Democrats, Associated Press Locations: Tennessee, Knoxville, Kentucky, Montana , Kansas, Oklahoma, Arizona , Florida, Hawaii, Georgia, Texas, Florida, New Jersey, Wisconsin, U.S, Connecticut, Washington, California, Pennsylvania, Harrisburg , Pennsylvania, Sacramento , California, Oklahoma City, Helena , Montana, Topeka , Kansas

So far, Idaho has been the only state to enact a so-called “ abortion trafficking ” law. Yet even as legal questions linger in the Idaho case, other states like Tennessee are moving forward with implementing their own versions. Photos You Should See View All 22 Images“This bill is simply a parental rights bill,” said Republican Rep. Jason Zachary, who is sponsoring the proposal. Tennessee law bans abortion throughout all stages of pregnancy but contains exemptions for very narrow instances for saving the life of a mother. On the eastern side of the state, a clinic has relocated to Virginia after operating along the Tennessee border for years.

Persons: Roe, Wade, ”, Jason Zachary, Zachary, John Ray Clemmons, Bill Lee Organizations: GOP, Supreme, Republican, quizzed, Democratic, Republican Gov, Centers for Disease Control, Guttmacher Institute Locations: Tenn, Tennessee, U.S, Idaho, Missouri, Oklahoma, Memphis, Nashville, Carbondale , Illinois, Virginia

The proposal is in response to a Nashville elementary school shooting where a shooter killed six people including three children last year. To date, the Republican-dominant Legislature has rebuffed calls to enforce stricter gun control measures in response to the shooting. Bill Lee called in the wake of the tragedy at The Covenant School, but the Senate refused to consider the bill. As House members debated the bill, families whose children survived the shooting at The Covenant School stood in the front row of the public gallery. The three children who were killed in the shooting were Kinney, Evelyn Dieckhaus and Hallie Scruggs, all 9 years old.

Persons: William Kinney, they've, Bill Lee, Justin Pearson, ” Pearson, William Lamberth, Kinney, Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, Katherine Koonce, Mike Hill, Cynthia Peak Organizations: Tennessee House, Republican, Republican Gov, Covenant, Democratic, Senate Locations: Tenn, Memphis, ”

☆ Opinion | I Can’t Believe I’m Saying This, but I Have Hope for Gun Reform in My State
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Margaret Renkl | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

In the context of a Republican supermajority state, these efforts reflect genuine political courage. Tennessee legislators aren’t obliged to do their governor’s bidding, or even work with him to reach a compromise, because they have the numbers to override his veto. They are not accustomed to being called on their pious declamations of thoughts and prayers, and the unusual way the aftermath of this particular mass shooting unfolded — with great swaths of Tennesseans ceaselessly demanding gun reform, week after week after week — apparently caught them off guard. Republican legislators seemed genuinely shocked at finding themselves the targets of overwhelming national opprobrium after they ejected Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, two Black members of the Tennessee House, for joining protesters in demanding gun reform. State Republican leaders called for the governor to drop his plans for a special legislative session.

Persons: aren’t, Justin Jones, Justin Pearson, Dudley Brown, Bill Lee, Governor Lee, He’s Organizations: Tennessee, Republican, Tennessee Firearms Association, National Association for Gun Rights Locations: Nashville

REUTERS/Cheney OrrJune 6 (Reuters) - The U.S. government cannot ban people convicted of non-violent crimes from possessing guns, a federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday. Circuit Court of Appeals is the latest defeat for gun control laws in the wake of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year expanding gun rights nationwide. The decision stems from a 2020 lawsuit by a Pennsylvania man, Bryan Range, who was barred under federal law from possessing a gun after pleading guilty to welfare fraud. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which enforces federal gun laws, declined to comment. Federal criminal law generally bars people convicted of crimes punishable by more than a year in prison from possessing guns.

Persons: Cheney Orr, Bryan Range, Peter Patterson, Thomas Hardiman, Cheryl Ann Krause, Brendan Pierson, David Gregorio, Alexia Garamfalvi, Leslie Adler Organizations: Republican, Tennessee, Democratic, Historic, REUTERS, U.S, Circuit, Supreme, U.S . Constitution, Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, Explosives, Thomson Locations: Nashville , Tennessee, U.S, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S ., United States, New York

☆ Opinion: For women, it’s past time to give up the ghost of equality
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Opinion Marcie Bianco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which states that equal rights under the law cannot be denied on account of sex, has been in a perpetual state of limbo for 100 years. And worldwide, those dreaming of gender equality will have to wait another 300 years, according to the latest United Nations estimates. Arguably, billionaires will land on Mars before we achieve gender equality. With odds like those, it’s well worth asking: What does “achieve gender equality” even mean? It’s past time to give up the ghost of equality and pursue a goal that has hope of transforming women’s lives for the better: freedom.

☆ The Woman Shaping a Generation of Black Thought
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Jenna Wortham | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

In her first book, “Monstrous Intimacies,” Sharpe writes extensively on Walker’s work to reveal how society is programmed to default to racist narratives. The work in Sharpe’s office, like many of Walker’s famous prints and sculptures, is devoid of color. The more time I spend with Sharpe’s work, the more it inflects my ways of seeing the world. According to Sharpe, Blackness is anagrammatical, meaning that the structures that order language, thought and society become disordered — if not destroyed entirely — when they encounter Blackness. “Her work has shown that we, as Black people, are the foils of humanity,” Frank B. Wilderson III, author of “Afropessimism,” told me.

☆ The Tennessee Bullhorn Isn’t Democracy
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Addressing the NYSE, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy rejected President Biden's push for further debt, outlining a 3-point fiscal path that 'limits, saves and grows.' Images: Bloomberg News Composite: Mark KellyDemocrats are free to argue that the Tennessee House went too far this month when it expelled Reps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson for disrupting the chamber’s business. Yet it’s astounding to see prominent Democrats now justifying and outright endorsing the pair’s tactic of derailing legislative proceedings with a bullhorn to demand gun control. Next week President Biden will roll out the White House red carpet for Messrs. Jones and Pearson, along with Rep. Gloria Johnson , who participated in the disruption to a lesser extent, and who was narrowly spared expulsion.

“Based on the completed staff investigation, the Ethics Subcommittee finds that Representative Campbell violated the Policy” against workplace discrimination and harassment, the memorandum from the workplace discrimination and harassment subcommittee states. Reps. Justin Pearson, Justin Jones, and Gloria Johnson leave the Tennessee State Capitol after a vote at the Tennessee House of Representatives to expel the three Democratic members for their roles in a gun control demonstration. Cheney Orr/ReutersReps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, both young, Black Democrats who represent Districts 52 and 86 respectively, were ousted from the GOP-dominated chamber. Jones and Pearson returned to the Tennessee House after they were reappointed through unanimous votes by local officials in their respective districts. The subcommittee said in its memo that it “is committed to protecting members, employees, and visitors by providing an environment free of discrimination, harassment, or retaliation.

☆ Opinion: Top secrets come spilling out
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

We’re looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. Writing for CNN Opinion, Rep. Justin Pearson noted, “This should be a chastening moment for revanchist forces in Tennessee’s legislature and across the country. Over the long haul, the undemocratic machinations employed to oust us from office are destined to fail. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once famously said that the moral arc of the universe bends toward justice. “As a Jewish historian,” Perry wrote, “I worry about the tension between preserving the memory of past hardships while not locking our entire history into a tale of oppression.

☆ A Christian group has amassed more than 12,000 signatures to oust the Tennessee Republican leader who expelled two Black lawmakers
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Christians are calling for Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton's resignation. A petition gained more than 12,500 signatures after Sexton led a vote that expelled two Black lawmakers. A lone white lawmaker, who stood with the two expelled members, was spared in the expulsion vote. Thousands of Christians are calling for the resignation of Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton, a Republican, who sparked national outrage for heading a vote that expelled two Black lawmakers earlier this month. Audio leaked by The Tennessee Holler last week appeared to reveal infighting among Tennessee Republican lawmakers, some of whom complained that they had been labeled racists following the expulsion vote.

☆ Top photos of the week
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Dave Lucas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Representative Justin Jones joins in prayer for the victims of the Covenant School shooting ahead the vote for his reinstatement, days after the Republican majority Tennessee House of Representatives voted to expel two Democratic members,...moreRepresentative Justin Jones joins in prayer for the victims of the Covenant School shooting ahead the vote for his reinstatement, days after the Republican majority Tennessee House of Representatives voted to expel two Democratic members, representatives Justin Pearson and him, for their roles in a gun control demonstration on the statehouse floor, in the Historic Metro Courthouse in Nashville, Tennessee, April 10, 2023. REUTERS/Cheney OrrClose

☆ Justin Pearson sworn back in to Tennessee House
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Omar Younis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] Democratic Tennessee state Representative Justin Pearson who was ousted from the Tennessee House of Representatives along with another young Black colleague for breaking decorum with a gun control demonstration on the House floor, is sworn in before returning to the state legislature after being reinstated in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. April 13, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin WurmNASHVILLE, Tennessee, April 13 (Reuters) - Tennessee state Representative Justin Pearson was sworn in on Thursday morning after he was reappointed to the legislature from which he and another Democratic colleague were expelled for leading a gun protest on the House of Representatives floor. "We've just been expelled, but we're back," Pearson told the crowd. We're going to keep fighting to end environmental racism and injustice," Pearson told reporters after his reappointment. Tennessee House Republicans, who have a supermajority, have said in a statement they will welcome back any expelled state lawmakers returned by county-level governments, so long as those members follow the legislature's rules.

☆ Justin Pearson due to be sworn back in to Tennessee statehouse
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Omar Younis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, April 13 (Reuters) - Tennessee state Representative Justin Pearson is due to be sworn in on Thursday after he was reappointed to the statehouse from which he and another Democratic colleague were expelled for leading a gun protest on the House floor. Pearson on Wednesday was appointed to his vacated seat by the county legislature that includes his Memphis district. Pearson will be sworn in for the third time this year. The state constitution gives local legislative bodies the power to appoint interim state representative to fill vacancies until special elections can be held. Jones and Pearson have said they will run in special elections, for which no date has yet been set.

☆ Opinion: Why expelling me from the legislature backfired on Tennessee Republicans
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Justin J. Pearson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Editor’s Note: Tennessee Rep. Justin J. Pearson is a Democrat and former community activist in Memphis. And yet, calls for common sense gun reform measures fall on deaf ears in our legislature where a Republican supermajority is wildly out of step with most people’s values. People in Tennessee aren’t even required to purchase a permit to publicly carry guns in the state of Tennessee. And we are required by the Tennessee State Constitution to object to policies injurious to the well-being of our constituents. My constituents sent me to the Tennessee State House to continue this work in their name.

☆ Memphis-area commissioners vote to reinstate Justin Pearson to the Tennessee House after he was expelled by Republicans over a gun control protest
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Shelby County Commission voted to reinstate Justin Pearson back to his seat in the Tennessee House. Pearson was removed from the body alongside newly-reinstated state Rep. Justin Jones over a gun reform protest. On Wednesday, the Shelby County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously former state Rep. Justin Pearson of Memphis back to the seat that he last occupied just last Thursday. Pearson, along with state Rep. Justin Jones of Nashville, had been expelled from the legislature for what Republicans said was a breach in decorum in leading an unauthorized gun control push on the House floor. Tennessee Republicans have denied that Pearson and Johnson were removed from the body because of race.

☆ 'You can't expel our voice' -Black lawmaker voted back in TN
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Reuters Editorial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Politics'You can't expel our voice' -Black lawmaker voted back in TNPostedThe Shelby County Board of Commissioners voted in favor of restoring Black state lawmaker Justin Pearson to the Tennessee House of Representatives after he was expelled last week for protesting gun violence on the chamber floor.

Justin Jones pumped his fist and declared "power to the people" as he returned to the state House of Representatives after being restored by the Metropolitan Council of Nashville and Davidson County. His colleague Justin Pearson, the other young Black legislator who was expelled, could get a similar vote for reinstatement on Wednesday when the Shelby County Board of Commissioners will consider reappointing him to his Memphis district. The conflict has captured national attention and served as a rallying cry for Democrats over the issues of democracy, gun violence and racial inequality. Republican lawmakers have remained largely silent since voting to oust Jones and Pearson. Reporting by Sandra Stojanovic and Omar Younis; Additional reporting by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Simon Cameron-MooreOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, April 10 (Reuters) - Tennessee state Representative Justin Jones returned to the state House on Monday, pumping his fist and declaring "power to the people" as a Nashville-area council restored him to office following his expulsion over a gun protest. The Metropolitan Council of Nashville and Davidson County voted 36-0 on Monday to make Jones, 27, the interim representative. REUTERS/Cheney Orr 1 2 3 4 5"I want to welcome the people back to the people's house," Jones said in brief remarks upon being reseated. Addressing supporters before the vote, Jones accused the Republicans of operating "plantation politics" and abuse of power. Before the vote, the spokesperson said the House would seat whomever the county legislatures appoint "as the constitution requires."

☆ 'Power to the people' - Tennessee lawmaker reinstated
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Reuters Editorial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Politics'Power to the people' - Tennessee lawmaker reinstatedPostedAfter being reinstated to the Tennessee House of Representatives on Monday (April 10) representative Justin Jones hailed the will of the people in pushing against his expulsion from the legislative body.

☆ Nashville board reinstates Black lawmaker expelled from Tennessee House
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Omar Younis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, April 10 (Reuters) - A Nashville-area county council on Monday voted to reinstate Representative Justin Jones to the Tennessee House of Representatives, reversing Republican lawmakers who ousted Jones and another young, Black legislator last week for staging a gun control protest on the House floor. The Metropolitan Council of Nashville and Davidson County voted 36-0 to make Jones, 27, the interim representative. Before the vote, the spokesperson said the House would seat whomever the county legislatures appoint "as the constitution requires." Jones and Pearson, 28, have both said they hoped to be reappointed and that they would run again in special elections. Republicans also targeted Gloria Johnson, who is white, for expulsion, as she joined Jones and Pearson in the floor protest.

☆ Nashville-area board may return lawmaker expelled from Republican-controlled statehouse
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Daniel Trotta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

April 10 (Reuters) - A Nashville-area county council meeting on Monday may vote to return to the statehouse one of two Democratic Tennessee lawmakers who were expelled from the chamber last week after participating in a gun control protest. Returning Jones would send a pointed message to the Republicans who expelled him. A Memphis-area board of commissioners plans on Wednesday to consider reappointing Pearson on an interim basis to the seat from which he was removed. U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris flew to Nashville on Friday to support the three Tennessee lawmakers targeted for expulsion. Jones, 27, was elected to Tennessee's House of Representatives last year.

☆ Nashville-area board may return Democratic lawmaker who was expelled from Republican-controlled statehouse
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Daniel Trotta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Cheney OrrApril 10 (Reuters) - A Nashville-area county council may return to the statehouse one of two Democratic Tennessee lawmakers who were expelled from the chamber last week over a gun control protest when it meets on Monday to fill the vacant seat. On Wednesday, a Memphis-area board of commissioners will consider reappointing Pearson to the seat from which he was removed. Jones and Pearson both said on Sunday they hoped to be reappointed and that they would run again in special elections. Republicans also targeted Johnson but came up one vote short of the two-thirds majority needed to oust her. U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris flew to Nashville on Friday to support the three Tennessee lawmakers targeted for expulsion.

Search resuls for: "Tennessee House"

25 mentions found