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LOS ANGELES — California and Nevada voters are weighing whether to repeal legal loopholes in their state constitutions that allow slavery and involuntary servitude to be used as criminal punishment. California and Nevada would join a growing national trend that started with voters in Colorado repealing involuntary servitude in 2018. Slavery and involuntary servitude were banned nationally by the 13th Amendment with one exception — as punishment for a crime. In 2016, Shawna Lynn Jones became the first incarcerated woman to die while fighting a fire in California, according to the state corrections department. "If it means we have to come back to California voters in two years or four years, then that's what we'll do," Nuñez said.

Persons: ” Rep, Barbara Lee, Shawna Lynn Jones, ” Alyssa Mireles, “, Lawrence Cox, Cox, ”, “ It’s, Terri Hardy, ” Hardy, —, Greg Totten, we’ve, ” Esteban Nuñez, Nuñez Organizations: Democratic, ”, “, League of United Latin American Citizens, California Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, Firefighters, Institute of California, FBI, California — Locations: ANGELES, California, Nevada, Colorado, Utah, Nebraska, Alabama , Tennessee, Oregon, decarceration, U.S

☆ During ‘China Week,’ House GOP revived surveillance program. Asian Americans are slamming it.
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-13 | by ( Kimmy Yam | Kimmy Yam Is A Reporter For Nbc Asian America. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Asian American groups are sounding the alarm after the House this week passed a bill seeking to revive the highly controversial, Trump-era surveillance program the China Initiative. “Originally a Trump-era initiative sold as a national security measure, the China Initiative instead turned out to be a witch hunt,” leaders from civil rights groups Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC, Stop AAPI Hate, and the Asian American Scholar Forum said in a joint statement. The groups added that the initiative devastated families and impeded the United States’ ability to retain and attract academic talent. Asian American advocacy groups have long been warning of the security program’s “chilling” effects. He said that he “concluded that this initiative is not the right approach.”For more from NBC Asian America, sign up for our weekly newsletter.

Persons: Lance Gooden, ”, Mike Johnson, Jeff Sessions, Gang Chen, Chen, ” Chen, “, Anming Hu, University of Tennessee —, China Initiative —, ” Hu, Biden, Matthew Olsen Organizations: China Initiative, Lawmakers, Trump, Justice, American, Forum, NBC News, Chinese Communist Party, ”, MIT, U.S . Capitol, Nanotechnology, University of Tennessee, White, of Justice, George Mason University, National Security Division, DOJ, NBC Asian Locations: China, U.S, States, Texas, NBC Asian America

☆ Opinion: Ukraine’s new weapon against Russia? Lego
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-29 | by ( Opinion Roy Schwartz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Pictured in Lego miniature is Kyiv’s Golden Gate, released as part of United24's second wave of Ukrainian monument replicas. The inspiration for a Lego campaign came from these initiatives and from Lego Architecture, an adult-oriented line of sets recreating iconic landmarks. The second wave, #UKRAINEinLEGObricks, released last month, includes Kyiv’s Golden Gate, Crimea’s Khan Palace, Lviv’s Oblast’s Pidhirtsi Castle, Odesa’s National Academic Opera and Mykolaiv’s Astronomical Observatory. Mykolaiv’s Astronomical Observatory is featured in Lego's second wave of monument recreations. UNITED24All models are made from authentic Lego bricks, though the Lego company isn’t affiliated with the project nor the artists building the sets.

Persons: Roy Schwartz, Volodymyr Zelensky, Yaroslava Gres, Gres, United24, isn’t, Brick, Mark Segedie, ”, ” Eric Law, he’d, “, Law, ” Gres, there’ll Organizations: Twitter, Facebook, CNN, Russia, Deloitte, US, Council, Foreign Relations, World Bank, Lego Foundation, Lego Architecture, Opera, raffles, Velykokostromska Locations: royschwartz.com, Germany, Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Ukrainian, Chicago, Khan, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, American, Tacoma

☆ Pacific Indigenous leaders have a new plan to protect whales. Treat them as people
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-14 | by ( Jared Formanek | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Along with the Māori of New Zealand and groups from the Cook Islands, Indigenous leaders from Tahiti, Tonga, Hawaii, and Easter Island signed the He Whakaputanga Moana treaty. In the coming months, she plans to engage with various countries throughout the Pacific to discuss whale personhood legislation. The Cook Islands office said it had “yet to receive a formal submission” from indigenous leaders on the declaration’s implementation. Māori King Tūheitia Pōtatau and Tou Travel Ariki, Cook Islands President of the House of Ariki, at the signing of the He Whakaputanga Moana declaration in Rarotonga, Cook Islands. This came after a global ban on commercial whaling was instituted by the International Whaling Commission in 1986.

Persons: Mere, “, Tūheitia Pōtatau, Josh Baker, ” March’s, ”, Takoko, Britain’s King Charles III, Moana, Māori, Michelle Bender, ” Bender, Carlos Duarte, Ralph Chami, Chami, Miguel Medina, ” Chami, Duarte, Emily Charry Tissier, Charry Tissier, ” Duarte Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Easter, Conservation, Fund, Nature, Conservation International Aotearoa, Ocean Initiative, New Zealand, Nations, New, Commonwealth, CNN, RNZ, New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Trade, ’ Office, International Whaling Commission, Ocean, King Abdullah University of Science, Technology, Bahia, Natural, Getty, “, International Monetary Fund, Initiative, United Nations Locations: Hong Kong, Rangitukia, New Zealand’s, Cook, New Zealand, Cook Islands, Tahiti, Tonga, Hawaii, Moana, Rarotonga, Atlantic, New, Te Whānau, Pacific, Samoa, Whanganui, “, Zealand, , New Zealand, Wellington, Seattle, Japan, Washington ,, Bahia Malaga, Colombia, AFP

CNN —A rabbi associated with Columbia University’s Orthodox Union Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus recommended that Jewish students “return home as soon as possible and remain home” amid ongoing protests denouncing the war in Gaza and demanding the university divest from Israel. Recent events at the university “have made it clear that Columbia University’s Public Safety and the NYPD cannot guarantee Jewish students’ safety,” Buechler wrote in the message. By contrast, the campus Hillel said in a Sunday post on X that they “do not believe that Jewish students should leave” the campus. “Columbia students organizing in solidarity with Palestine – including Jewish students – have faced harassment, doxxing, and now arrest by the NYPD. These are the main threats to the safety of Jewish Columbia students,” Jonathan Ben-Menachem, a PhD student, told CNN.

Persons: CNN —, “, Rabbi Elie Buechler, Barnard Hillel, Jake Tapper, ” Buechler, Hillel, –, ” Jonathan Ben, Menachem, ”, ’, Yonah Hain, John Chell, Israel Organizations: CNN, Columbia, Orthodox Union Jewish Learning, Jewish, Public, “ Columbia University, University Administration, Broadway, NYPD, Jewish Columbia, “, Gaza Solidarity, Center, Columbia University, Columbia University Apartheid, –, Justice, Peace, Yale, Harvard, University of North, Boston University, International Court, United Nations ’ Locations: Gaza, Israel, of New York, Amsterdam, ”, Palestine, university’s, University of North Carolina, South Africa

As advocates push this year for ballot measure initiatives aiming to protect abortion rights, key differences have emerged in the language of proposed measures. Among them is the inclusion of mental health exceptions. Meanwhile, proposed ballot measure language in Arkansas only says “physical health,” excluding a mental health exception. “We don’t as a society have a great track record of treating mental health the same way we do physical health.”Policies that dismiss mental health as less important than physical health put lives at risk, said Columbia University psychiatrist Paul Appelbaum. We felt it was unlikely for a version that explicitly names mental health to pass.”Arkansas advocates were also worried the opposition campaign would target a mental health exception, Diaz said.

Persons: Kaniya Harris, Harris, don’t, “, ”, Roe, Wade, Michelle Oberman, ” Oberman, Paul Appelbaum, Appelbaum, ” Jayme Trevino, Mallory Schwarz, —, Gennie Diaz, ” Diaz, Diaz, Ingrid Duran, Duran Organizations: CHICAGO, Alabama, U.S, Supreme, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, Santa Clara University, Columbia University, American Psychiatric Association, OB, Physicians for Reproductive Health, Republican, Associated Press, AP Locations: Bethesda , Maryland, Kentucky, Missouri, Arizona, Michigan, Arkansas, Florida , Montana and Nebraska, — Florida, Georgia , Idaho , Iowa , Kentucky, Louisiana , Ohio , Tennessee, West Virginia, Wyoming, Alabama, ” Arkansas, Santa

“It’s been an issue in North Dakota, it’s been an issue nationally,” said measure chairman Jared Hendrix, who led a successful 2022 initiative that set term limits for North Dakota’s governor and Legislature. In a 1995 congressional term limits case, the court ruled that states cannot set qualifications for Congress beyond those listed in the U.S. Constitution. Backers of the North Dakota measure filed a federal lawsuit last year, challenging the state's constitutional provisions and laws against out-of-state petition circulators. Term Limits. Term Limits National Field Director Scott Tillman helped Hendrix carry boxes of petitions into the secretary’s office on Friday.

Persons: “ It’s, it’s, ”, Jared Hendrix, “, Democratic Sen, Quentin Burdick, Mark Jendrysik, Mitchell, Jason Marisam, Marisam, Clarence Thomas, ” Marisam, Republican Sen, John Hoeven, U.S . Sen, Dianne Feinstein, Mitch McConnell, Joe Biden, Robert Hur, Nikki Haley, Biden, Donald Trump, Scott Tillman, Hendrix, ” Tillman Organizations: N.D, U.S . Senate, U.S . Constitution, North, U.S . House, Representatives, Democratic, University of North, U.S, Supreme, Mitchell Hamline School, Law, Republican, U.S ., “ Locations: BISMARCK, North Dakota, U.S ., U.S, Dakota, University of North Dakota, Texas, North

☆ Developing countries owe China at least $1.1 trillion – and the debts are due
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Hong Kong CNN —Developing countries owe Chinese lenders at least $1.1 trillion, according to a new data analysis published Monday, which says more than half of the thousands of loans China has doled out over two decades are due as many borrowers struggle financially. Now, 55% of China’s official sector loans to developing countries have entered their repayment periods, according to the analysis of more than two decades of China’s overseas funding across 165 countries released by AidData. Instead, China is providing substantial numbers of emergency rescue loans, according to AidData. Overall funding commitments from China to the developing world declined at the start of the pandemic, according to AidData. Half of China’s non-emergency lending portfolio to developing countries is now provided via syndicated loan arrangements, with more than 80% of these arrangements involving those Western or multilateral partners, they said.

Persons: William & Mary, Xi Jinping, ”, Brad Parks, Hajarah Nalwadda, ’ AidData, ” Parks, “ Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, William &, Initiative, AidData, CNN, “, Bank of International, Getty, World Bank Locations: China, Hong Kong, Virginia, Beijing, America, Southeast Asia, Switzerland, Kiryandongo, Uganda, Xinhua, United States, AidData, Zambia, Ghana

The 2023 Earthshot Prize winners:This year’s winners were chosen from a shortlist of 15 finalists by Prince William and the Earthshot Prize Council, chaired by Christiana Figueres, a former UN climate chief, who played a key role in negotiating the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015. The Prince of Wales speaks with the winners of the 2023 Earthshot Prize following the awards ceremony on Tuesday night. Irwin added that the Earthshot Prize offers “hope,” which “is something we all need to hang on to.”The Singapore skyline was lit up in green to celebrate the Earthshot Prize on Monday. Mohd Rasfan/AFP/Getty ImagesFigueres, who is also an Earthshot Prize trustee, told CNN that it was “such a joy” to work with the Prince of Wales. The prince said he was “thrilled” to be in Singapore for the third Earthshot Prize ceremony and outlined his vision for supporting this year’s shortlist of finalists.

Persons: Wales, Prince William, “, ” William, Christiana Figueres, Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan, Ernest Gibson, Jack Ma, Prince, Chris Jackson, Nidhi Pant, Emily Owen, ’, Ted Lasso ”, Hannah Waddingham, Sterling K, Brown, Cate Blanchett, Nomzamo, Robert Irwin, OneRepublic, Irwin, ”, Hunter, Steve Irwin, Mohd Rasfan, Prince of Wales, William, we’ve, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Lee Hsien Loong, Catherine, Princess, Prince George Organizations: CNN’s Royal, Singapore CNN, Earthshot, Theatre, MediaCorp, Royal Foundation, WildAid, Technologies, S4S Technologies, CNN, ”, Voices, Getty, Figueres, BBC, PBS, Singapore, Jewel, HSBC Locations: Singapore, India, UN, Paris, Peru, South America, Hong Kong, South African, ”, AFP, Gardens, Kallang

Hailed by Xi as a “project of the century,” the BRI has emerged as a glaring symbol of China’s rise as a global power. Chinese investment in BRI projects has tapered off as the world’s second-biggest economy slows. The opening ceremony of Cambodia's Morodok Techo National Stadium, funded by China's Belt and Road Initiative, in Phnom Penh on December 18, 2021. Later that year, Xi pledged that China would not build any new coal-fired power projects abroad. The BRI has also spurred other countries to increase their own efforts toward supporting infrastructure projects in the developing world.

Persons: Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Xi, –, Cambodia's, Lon Jadina, William & Mary, Marshall, China, ” Organizations: Beijing CNN, Initiative, China's, Getty, BRI, Boston, Global, Policy, William &, Marshall Plan, Global Development Policy Center, World Bank, Global Development, United Arab, European Union Locations: Beijing, China, Israel, Asia, Latin America, Africa, Europe, Ukraine, United States, Phnom Penh, AFP, Papua New Guinea, Kenya, Sri Lanka, West Africa, America, Southeast Asia, Hambantota, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, France, Germany, Italy, East

☆ Why nursing schools are turning away applicants amid a major staffing shortage
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Tami Luhby | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —At a time when registered nurses are going on strike to protest staffing shortages, thousands of applicants who want to enter or advance in the profession are being turned away from nursing schools. Nearly 78,200 qualified applications were not offered spots at nursing schools last year, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, which represents schools with baccalaureate and advanced degree programs. Staffing shortages are the main reason why nursing schools are not able to accept more students who want to become registered nurses. Staffing shortages are also a major factor in the current strike by more than 75,000 unionized employees, including registered nurses, at Kaiser Permanente. The national median salary for nursing school professors with master’s degrees is just under $89,000, according to the nursing college association.

Persons: preceptors, Preceptors, ”, Judith Jarosinski, Rick Garcia, David Auerbach, Cynthia McCurren, McCurren, Jarosinski, ” McCurren, Marie Ann Marino, Thomas, “, Marino, ” Marino Organizations: CNN, American Association of Colleges of Nursing, Salisbury University’s School of Nursing, Community, Organization, Nursing, Brandeis University, Kaiser Permanente, Bureau of Labor Statistics, School of Nursing, University of Michigan, Nurse.com, Thomas Jefferson University College of Nursing, Thomas Jefferson University, US Department of Health, Human Services, Loan, Salisbury School of Nursing, Faculty Academy, Maryland Higher Education Commission, Jefferson College of Nursing, Jefferson Health, Jefferson Locations: Salisbury, Maryland, Kaiser, Flint, Philadelphia

☆ Japan implements tourist tax at famous ‘floating shrine’
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Japan’s popular Itsukushima Shrine has now become slightly more expensive to visit. Located in the town of Hatsukaichi, in Hiroshima prefecture, the torii – a shrine gateway – is part of a 1,400-year-old Shinto complex that’s listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Its striking appearance has made it one of the most recognizable attractions in Japan – even President Joe Biden visited earlier this year. Hatsukaichi has long struggled with overtourism, prompting officials to implement a tourist tax, which came into effect on Sunday. Each visitor to Miyajima, the island access point for the shrine, is now charged 100 yen (67 cents).

Persons: CNN —, Japan –, Joe Biden, ”, Shunji Mukai Organizations: CNN, UNESCO Locations: Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima prefecture, Japan, Miyajima, ”

CNN —Justice Clarence Thomas disclosed Thursday that Republican megadonor Harlan Crow paid for private jet trips for Thomas in 2022 to attend a speech in Texas and a vacation at Crow’s luxurious New York estate, as ethics questions continue to rock the Supreme Court. Thomas made the disclosures after receiving an extension to file the yearly reports that were originally due in May 2023. In a statement after the ProPublica report, Thomas acknowledged the friendship but stressed that Crow did not have business before the court. In addition, he said that he should have disclosed a 2014 private real estate deal between Crow, Thomas and members of Thomas’ family. According to the disclosure, Thomas flew down to be the keynote speaker of the event in February, but returned via private jet “due to an unexpected ice storm.”The talk was rescheduled in May and Thomas rode round trip on Crow’s plane.

Persons: Clarence Thomas, Harlan Crow, Thomas, Dobbs, Roe, Wade, “, Crow, Samuel Alito, ProPublica, Thomas ’, ” Thomas, Virginia Thomas, Leola Williams, Williams, VII, –, Elliot S, Berke, Thomas “, ”, Sen, Sheldon Whitehouse, Chip Somodevilla, Elena Kagan, Alito, ” Alito, Gabe Roth, he’s, ” Roth, Rome Alito, Duke Organizations: CNN, Republican, Judicial Conference, Old Parkland Conference, Hoover Institution, Manhattan Institute, American Enterprise Institute, Black Americans, Crow Holdings, Democrats, Supreme, Capitol, Rhode Island, Wall Street, Notre Dame, School’s, Liberty Initiative, Religious Liberty Summit, Regent University School of Law, Duke Law School Locations: Texas, New York, Georgia, Savannah , Georgia, Washington ,, Rome

☆ The 12 states where smoking is 50% more common than in the rest of the US
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Deidre Mcphillips | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

About 19% of adults smoke in this group of states, compared with about 13% of adults in other states. About 11% of adults under 25 in these states smoke, compared with less than 8% in other states. Smoking prevalence has been consistently higher than average among these 12 states since Truth Initiative’s first report on the topic five years ago. The latest report from Truth Initiative, published last week, also shows that people in these 12 states who smoke tend to do so significantly more than smokers in other states. Life expectancy is about three years lower in the 12 states where smoking is more common than it is in the rest of the country, according to the new report – about 76 years compared with 79 years.

Persons: Initiative’s, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, ”, Barbara Schillo, “, ” Schillo Organizations: CNN —, Truth, Tobacco, US Centers for Disease Control, CNN, CNN Health, Truth Initiative, “ Tobacco, ‘ Tobacco Locations: South, Midwest, United States, Alabama , Arkansas , Indiana , Kentucky, Louisiana , Michigan , Mississippi , Missouri , Ohio , Oklahoma , Tennessee, West Virginia

☆ Swiss voters approve new climate law as country's glaciers melt
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Swiss voters have approved a new law to cut the use of fossil fuels and significantly reduce levels of planet-heating pollution, as the country faces alarming levels of glacier melt. “These fossil fuels will not be available indefinitely and they place a heavy burden on the climate,” a statement on the Swiss government website said Sunday. The Swiss population sends out a strong signal: the law for bringing the country to net zero emissions was accepted today! A climate law was first introduced back in 2021, including measures to increase taxes on activities that produce high levels of planet-heating pollution, such as flying and driving gas-powered cars. This current climate bill was proposed as a response to the Glacier Initiative, set up by the Swiss Association for Climate Protection, which pushed for an end to fossil fuels in order to save the country’s glaciers.

Persons: André, R2O5BIk9xE — Matthias Huss, there’s, ”, Matthias Huss, ” Huss Organizations: CNN — Swiss, Swiss, Twitter, Glacier Initiative, Swiss Association for Climate Protection, ETH Zurich, CNN, Meteorological Organization Locations: Switzerland, Swiss

☆ Armani tests sustainable cotton production in Italy
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] The logo of Italian fashion company Giorgio Armani is seen at a shop in Zurich, Switzerland July 8, 2021. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File PhotoMILAN, June 5 (Reuters) - Luxury fashion house Armani Group has started an experimental agroforestry plantation in southern Italy to test new ways to produce cotton sustainably, it said on Monday. Armani said cotton planting started last month over one hectare of land - to be expanded to five hectares - in the southern region of Apulia. "Over five years, this farm site will be among the first field experiments in Europe testing agroforestry cotton with alternative tree species and regenerative practices," Armani said in a statement. The project is in collaboration with the Sustainable Markets Initiative’s Fashion Task Force and the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance, both founded by Britain's King Charles in his former role as the Prince of Wales, Armani Group said.

Persons: Giorgio Armani, Arnd, MILAN, Armani, Britain's King Charles, Prince of, Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Kering, Elisa Anzolin, Alvise Armellini, Jan Harvey Organizations: REUTERS, Armani, Sustainable, Force, Alliance, Armani Group, Sustainability, Thomson Locations: Zurich, Switzerland, Italy, Apulia, Agroforestry, Europe, Prince of Wales

☆ Belt and Road Initiative: China spending billions to bail out megaproject's debtors
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

For one, China’s loans are far more secretive, with most of its operations and transactions concealed from public view. The PBOC requires an interest rate of 5%, compared to 2% for IMF rescue loans, the study said. There is also public concern in some countries over issues like excess debt and China’s influence. Accusations that Belt and Road is a broad “debt trap” designed to take control of local infrastructure, while largely dismissed by economists, have sullied the initiative’s reputation. In January, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang rejected the accusations of China creating a “debt trap” in Africa, a major recipient of Belt and Road investments.

☆ ChatGPT Helped Win a Hackathon
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Kim S. Nash | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +3 min

The ChatGPT AI bot has spurred speculation about how hackers might use it and similar tools to attack faster and more effectively, though the more damaging exploits so far have been in laboratories. In its current form, the ChatGPT bot from OpenAI, an artificial-intelligence startup backed by billions of dollars from Microsoft Corp., is mainly trained to digest and generate text. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ Pro Cybersecurity Cybersecurity news, analysis and insights from WSJ's global team of reporters and editors. PREVIEWTwo security researchers from cybersecurity company Claroty Ltd. said ChatGPT helped them win the Zero Day Initiative’s hack-a-thon in Miami last month. At the contest, Mr. Moshe and his partner succeeded all 10 times they tried, winning $123,000.

☆ ‘Take It Down’ Tool Helps Young People Remove Explicit Online Images
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Ginger Adams Otis | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Meta’s Facebook and Instagram platforms are among the initiative’s participating apps. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children launched a tool Monday that allows young people to remove explicit images of themselves that appear online, or block such photos from being shared. The platform, known as Take It Down, allows young adults from anywhere in the world to submit an anonymous report about explicit or intimate images of themselves posted on certain online spaces. Young adults who are over 18 but appear in imagery taken when they were underage can also submit a report to have the images removed from certain platforms, according to the center, a nonprofit.

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