Rep. John Lewis: Black Lives Matter Protesters Should Respect Everyone's Right To Be Heard

Jessica Mcgowan / Getty Images

ATLANTA — Moments after renowned civil rights leader Rep. John Lewis delivered a rousing introduction of Hillary Clinton at an event in Atlanta Friday, protesters interrupted her speech, chanting in unison, "black lives matter."

After acknowledging the protesters ("Yes they do," Clinton replied), the Democratic presidential candidate attempted to move on with her speech, increasing her volume as the chants continued.

The Georgia congressman, who led non-violent protests during the fight to end segregation in the 1960s, went into the audience to intervene, trying to get the protesters to allow Clinton to speak.

"I just said to them that at some other time we could all sit down and talk," Lewis said in an interview with BuzzFeed News after the event. "Just that we shouldn't disturb the speech when she was trying to get a message [across]."

When that failed, he and Kasim Reed, the mayor of Atlanta, joined Clinton on stage in a show of solidarity. "We thought that would help move things [along]," Lewis said.

The students who participated in the demonstration were eventually shouted down by a throng of students who came to hear Clinton, shouting "Hil-lar-y!" and "Let her talk!"

Lewis said that, regardless of what side they were on, he was proud of the students' spirit of engagement.

"I think it's happening all across America," he said. "[Especially] on college campuses. I've been going around speaking to many colleges and HBCUs and it's a good thing. It's a good spirit."

Lewis' signature speech that he gives to groups in Washington and to future activists, operatives, and others, recalls his years as a protester, his several dozen arrests, and putting his body on the line for the cause of freedom and civil rights. "Good trouble," he calls it.

When asked about whether this new generation of activists — particularly the ones who confronted Clinton — had lived up the admonition, Lewis said they had.

"Most of the things that we did back in the 1960s was good trouble, it was necessary trouble. And so what I try to say to young people is when you see something that is not right, not fair or not just, you have to speak up. You have to speak and and make some noise. So in some sense, [protesters] were speaking up. They were speaking out.

"But we have to respect the right of everybody to be heard," he said. "And you do that in a non-violent, orderly fashion."

Lewis told the protesters in a brief meeting outdoors that he wanted them to come meet with him in his district office. As for Clinton, Lewis said he was flattered by Clinton's praise of his life's work and legacy as a freedom fighter.

"I think she gave a powerful speech," Lewis said. "It was all-inclusive as what she proposes to do as president. I think she'll make a great president and I meant everything I said in my introduction of her. I've been knowing for her for a long, long time. She has a good heart."

Source BuzzFeed - Politics http://ift.tt/1M6F6bv

Read More

Another Startup Is Moving Away From Contract Labor

Shift is the latest in a string of on-demand companies that have decided to stop using independent contractors.

Via Flickr: hugo90

Shift, an on-demand startup that helps people buy and sell cars, is looking to make employees out of its contract-based labor force. Almost 100 California-based "car enthusiasts" — what Shift calls the people who do price checks, coordinate inspections, facilitate test drives, and otherwise help with the transaction — are being given the opportunity to join the company as employees, starting December 1.

Use of contract labor by tech companies is a hot topic. Companies including Postmates, Washio, Handy, Lyft and Uber are currently being sued by workers who say they should be receiving the benefits and compensation befitting employees.

Not all on-demand companies use independent contractors — Munchery, WashUp, Alfred and Managed by Q, to name a few, use employees. Still others, such as Shyp, Instacart and Sprig, have announced intentions to transition their workforce from contract-based to employee status.

While lawsuits are a definite threat, those on-demand companies that forego the savings associated with hiring independent contractors often say its because hiring employees is better for business long term. A car is a big purchase, a Shift representative said in an email, and W-2 employees help the company deliver "premium, white glove service" to customers. As employees, the "enthusiasts" are now eligible for equity in the company as well; a spokesperson for Shift said the news was greeted with cheers.

via IFTTT

Read More

Take The Ultimate Sext Poll

Do you recycle nudes?

It's time we had a serious discussion about sexting. Let's find out how normal your sexting habits are compared to everyone else.

Comedy Central / Via giphy.com

---

View Entire List ›

via IFTTT

Read More

Huckabee: My North Korea Dog-Eating Joke Was Factual, "Obama Admitted" He Ate A Dog

“But, I’m not gonna stop a sense of humor and I’m not gonna even stop talking factual things that are the basis of humor, because it offends somebody who really isn’t offended.”

with dog.

Mike Huckabee

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said a joke he tweeted about North Koreans eating dogs was very funny.

During the Democratic presidential debate, Huckabee tweeted "I trust @BernieSanders with my tax dollars like I trust a North Korean chef with my labrador!" The joke caused outrage online as many decried the joke as racist.

"You have to understand, the left doesn't care what the facts are," Huckabee said on the Louder with Crowder program on Thursday. "They manufacture their offenses. So even if there's nothing to be offended about, they can pretend that they're offended so that they can demand an apology, demand a retraction."

Huckabee, who defended his joke by saying he was talking about the brutal dictatorship in North Korea, said conservatives are too accommodating when people are upset with them.

"You know what, for far too long conservatives have tried to be so accommodating," said the former Arkansas governor. "'Oh, well I shouldn't have said it that way. It was inartful.' No, I just say, 'that was actually what I meant to say. I said it because I thought it was funny. And, if you don't think it's funny then, you know what, don't listen to me.'"

Huckabee says he won't stop, and people are just feigning outrage.

"But, I'm not gonna stop a sense of humor and I'm not gonna even stop talking factual things that are the basis of humor, because it offends somebody who really isn't offended," said Huckabee. "This is the point. They're not really offended but they pretend they are because if they ever had to debate the substance of the issue they know they would lose. They cannot stand to deal with the logical conclusion of their own irrational points of view."

Huckabee then chuckled after a joke about President Obama eating a dog, noting that as a child, Obama ate dog meat in Indonesia, so Obama ate a dog.

"He admitted it," Huckabee said of Obama eating a dog. "The whole point of the North Korea joke, is in North Korea they're eating lawn clippings and the barks off trees because unless you're in the military, you're starving to death under this dictator, communist regime, and that was really the point to be made."

w.soundcloud.com

Source BuzzFeed - Politics http://ift.tt/1Neyvg2

Read More

Sanders To Clinton: Without Marijuana, It's Not Criminal Justice Reform

Joshua Roberts / Reuters

NASHUA, N.H. — Criminal justice — an issue thrust into the Democratic primary fight by bipartisan legislative efforts in Washington and Black Lives Matter activists on the campaign trail — has emerged as one of the clearest divides between former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in their quest for the presidency.

In short, Sanders says the racial disparities in the justice system cannot be remedied without ending the federal war on marijuana and banning the death penalty. Clinton is not ready to change federal law on marijuana and says the death penalty is an important tool in the belt of federal prosecutors.

As Sanders criss-crossed New Hampshire Friday, his campaign bracketed her criminal justice policy rollout in Atlanta with a statement saying Clinton wasn't going far enough.

"When we talk about criminal justice reform, we also need to understand that millions of people have been arrested for using marijuana," Sanders said in the statement, adding, "Any serious criminal justice reform must include removing marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act."

Sanders debuted his new, sharper-elbowed rhetoric against Clinton at the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner in Iowa earlier this week.

Sanders also said the death penalty needs to go, a position his aides are quick to point out he's held publicly since 1991. In the statement Sanders said the U.S. needs to join "every other major democracy in eliminating the death penalty" if there is to be "real criminal justice reform."

Both the marijuana policy and the call for a death penalty ban are connected to Sanders' plan to attack what both Clinton and Sanders have said are racial inequities in the justice system. When he rolled out his support for decriminalizing marijuana last week, he did it by focusing on an arrest rate that shows black people are far more likely than whites to get busted for pot, despite equal usage rates.

When Sanders took to the Senate floor to talk about the death penalty recently, he said continuing its use perpetuated the violence it tries to prevent.

"We are all shocked and disgusted by some of the horrific murders that we see in this country, seemingly every week," he said. "And that is precisely why we should abolish the death penalty. At a time of rampant violence and murder, the State should not be part of that process."

The death penalty policy, while not expressly tied to race in the statement, has racial justice overtones as well, said Symone Sanders, national press secretary for the Sanders campaign.

"The Senator is vey much aware of the racial disparity for the death penalty," she told BuzzFeed News. Criminal justice advocates on the left like the ACLU have long pointed to a number of factors in the use of the death penalty they say show it's more likely to affect minority defendants than white ones.

Including marijuana decriminalization is crucial for any efforts to reduce the racial disparities in the criminal justice system, the Sanders aide said.

"We cannot talk about ending the disgrace that is the mass incarceration of African Americans in the country if we don’t also include real change to our marijuana policy," Symone Sanders said.

Source BuzzFeed - Politics http://ift.tt/1Oe7vP5

Read More

Black Lives Matter Protesters Disrupt Clinton Campaign Event In Atlanta

Hillary Clinton is expected to unveil the first parts of her criminal justice agenda at Clark Atlanta University.

After being introduced by Rep. John Lewis, Clinton began her speech on Friday in Atlanta — before protesters began chanting.

Clinton initially received applause after shouting out local schools Clark Atlanta, Morehouse, and Spelman.

Clinton is, in the coming days, unveiling major pieces of her criminal justice agenda — something that activists in the broader Black Lives Matter movement will be closely watching.

---

View Entire List ›

Source BuzzFeed - Politics http://ift.tt/20gBedW

Read More

Cruz: No More Debates Hosted By People Who Would Never Vote In A Republican Primary

“It’s not helpful and it is an example of the media’s leftwing agenda.”

Robyn Beck / AFP / Getty Images

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz says it is "crazy" for Republican primary debates to be moderated by journalists who would never vote in a Republican primary.

Speaking about the criticism CNBC has received from Republicans for its handling of Wednesday night's debate, Cruz on Thursday said on the Heidi Harris Show, "You know we've seen this throughout the debates where they have tended to really be looking for just a food fight and looking for insults and one candidate attacking another."

Cruz, who got his biggest applause Wednesday night at the CNBC debate when he criticized the moderators' questions, said that mainstream media hosts simply want to help Democrats.

"That is not helpful to Republican primary voters who are making a decision who to support," added Cruz. "But unfortunately, the moderators interest is not in actually trying to determine who would be the strongest conservative to, number one, fight for the principles we believe in and number two, to beat Hillary Clinton in the general election.

"The moderators' interest is just, causing, insulting every candidate there," he continued. "Causing everyone of them to fight and no one should be surprised that none of those moderators in all likelihood are planning to vote in the Republican primary. There interest is whoever the Republican nominee is, they want to beat that person up as much as possible and cause people either to stay home or vote for Hillary."

Cruz noted it wasn't a good idea to let those in the mainstream media host debates.

"And I think it's crazy that we have Republican primary debates moderated by people who would never in a million years vote in a Republican primary. It's not helpful and it is an example of the media's leftwing agenda."

Cruz said "every question is designed to be an insult," singling out questions for Ben Carson, John Kasich, Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, and Donald Trump he thought was unfair.

"They attack Ben Carson, a world renowned neurosurgeon, and say, 'you can't do math,'" said Cruz. " Cruz said a better question for candidates would be, "tell me about your tax plan," or past immigration positions and then ask candidates to show how it differed from other candidates.

Carson was asked by CNBC moderator Becky Quick specifically asking about his tax plan and how his flat tax would work if it was bringing in trillions of dollars less in government revenue than the current structure. Quick, said. "I've had a really tough time trying to make the math work on this.

"None of those moderators have any interest whatsoever in asking those questions and I was glad that last night, particularly after I called out the moderators to see a number of other candidates stepping forward and doing the same. You know, it was really striking that as the debate went the audience began booing the moderators. More and more ridiculous questions."

w.soundcloud.com

Source BuzzFeed - Politics http://ift.tt/1M6lx2Q

Read More

Everything You Need To Know About Toronto's Harry Potter-Themed Bar

Yes, they have “Butterbeer.”

Welcome to The Lockhart, a cozy bar that will conjure up all your nostalgic feelings for the wizarding world.

Sarah Aspler / BuzzFeed Canada

Ever dream of meeting your fellows Gryffindors for a cocktail? Dream no longer. This place will put a spell on you and make any hardcore Harry Potter fan drunk in love.

Sarah Aspler / BuzzFeed Canada

The small, exposed-brick bar serves up hand-crafted cocktails made with house-infused liquors. One of their most popular drinks is "The Shacklebolt," a spiced rum and ginger-beer-based cocktail.

Sarah Aspler / BuzzFeed Canada

---

View Entire List ›

via IFTTT

Read More

Hershey's Kisses Just Totally Copied Ferrero Rocher

Venessa Wong / BuzzFeed News

Hershey is launching a new spin on its classic Kisses starting November. Called Kisses Deluxe, the oversized, teardrop-shaped chocolates are filled with hazelnuts and come wrapped in gold foil. Hershey is calling it "the largest innovation in 25 years from America’s most iconic chocolate brand." Yet, to those familiar with grocery store chocolates, they probably look a lot like Ferrero Rocher.

Ferrero Rocher —the Italian chocolate that describes itself as "a tempting combination of smooth chocolaty cream surrounding a whole hazelnut; within a delicate, crisp wafer...all enveloped in milk chocolate and finely chopped hazelnuts" — occupies a very special place in many people's chocolate memories.

The candy, launched by Ferrero — the same company that makes the Nutella as well as Tic Tacs — in 1982, lives at the highest end of low-brow chocolates. You could find the gold-wrapped treats in gas stations, supermarkets and drug stores alongside cheaper, more everyday confectionaries, yet its glittering foil and creamy hazelnut filling put Ferrero Rocher in its own league. It was, after all, European. And it came in packaging that made it nice enough to bring to a dinner party.

It's just so fancy.

fourthandfifteen / Via Flickr: chelmsfordblue

In the U.S., retail sales of Ferrero Rocher grew to roughly $244 million in 2014, and the candy jumped from being the 31st most popular chocolate brand in America in 2006 to 20th last year. Hershey's Kisses, meanwhile, came in 16th, show 2014 data from market researcher Euromonitor International.

The picture looks very different globally, however. Euomonitor ranks Ferrero Rocher 7th among chocolate brands, with retail sales of about $2.2 billion. Hershey's Kisses, meanwhile, has slid over the years to rank 21st globally.

Rocher's global popularity suggests fancy golden-foiled chocolates are a growth opportunity for Hershey both in the U.S. and abroad. The company only recently launched Hershey's Spreads in 2014, in chocolate, chocolate-almond, and chocolate- hazelnut flavors — presumably, as a Nutella alternative.

Ferrero declined to comment.

Hershey first introduced Kisses Deluxe in China in 2013, making it the company's first international chocolate launch, and tested them further with U.S. consumers. The limited-time Kisses Deluxe will be sold at U.S. retailers including Walmart, Sam’s Club, Kroger, Walgreens and CVS from Nov. 1 through Valentine's Day.

Hershey said in a statement to BuzzFeed News that Kisses are already the No. 1 chocolate brand sold during the holidays, and it "was inspired by our own fans who were looking for a unique, premium gifting option."

via IFTTT

Read More

Bernie Sanders Just Hired The Best Known Immigration Activist In The Country

AP Photo/Michael Dwyer/Courtesy Steve Pavey

Erika Andiola, the most well-known immigration activist in the country, is joining the Bernie Sanders campaign, according to three sources with knowledge of the hire.

It's big splash in the immigration movement, as Andiola is respected up and down the loosely connected advocacy apparatus that includes groups close to the Democratic establishment, groups far to the left, and undocumented immigrants in local communities, where Andiola has worked across the country.

Andiola joins her boyfriend Cesar Vargas, himself a high-profile DREAMer activist, who was hired by Sanders last week and will also focus on Latino outreach in the southwest states, with Nevada and its early caucus, a focal point.

Andiola declined to comment for the story.

But behind the scenes, she has been involved in the Democratic primary process for months, as each major campaign has reached out to her for suggestions and advice on immigration policy.

Before Hillary Clinton even announced that she was running for president, her national political director Amanda Renteria was talking to Andiola on the phone and after Clinton's major spring event in May they exchanged emails for the campaign to connect with policy experts. The campaign would go on to hire another advocate, Lorella Praeli, from advocacy organization United We Dream, to lead Latino outreach.

Martin O'Malley's campaign and director of public engagement Gabriela Domenzain also used Andiola, along with other activists, as a sounding board as they crafted their immigration policy.

Andiola has long explained that her objective during the cycle was to push Clinton, the presumed favorite for the Democratic nomination, to the left on immigration.

Now she joins Sanders, who has now hired a string of activists long-involved in immigration battles. In addition to Andiola and Vargas, the Sanders campaign recently hired Arturo Carmona of Presente to lead Latino outreach, and named Javier Gonzalez formerly of SEIU the campaign's Nevada field director.

"She is definitely one of the most well-known DREAMers and she has a huge community following in the undocumented and immigrant rights community," said Gaby Pacheco, herself a veteran of fights for immigration legislation over the last decade.

For Andiola, this reservoir of goodwill flows from her personal involvement in deportation cases for families, using her national celebrity to push for parents to get out of detention so they can be with their children or for prosecutorial discretion to be used to stop deportations.

In 2013, when her mother was taken in a night time raid, Andiola helped stop her deportation even though Maria Arreola was already on a bus headed towards the border.

"It's just a testament to the power of the individual, even if they’re not able to vote, to have a voice," Pacheco said, noting how far activists have come with Praeli, Vargas, and Andiola now working on campaigns.

While Sanders has shown a real commitment to hiring immigration activists, he is also in catch up mode when it comes to Hispanic voter engagement, name recognition among Latinos compared to Clinton, and organization in Nevada, where many of these hires will be focused.

Clinton, for example, has had operatives in place in Nevada since April. Sanders also has not been perfect on the issue in the minds of activists, who have criticized him for comments he made in 2007 and again this year.

As with other activists who have joined Democratic campaigns, Andiola now will become a target of advocates who aren't going to roll over just because one of their own now works for a candidate.

"When you join a campaign, you box yourself in and you can’t be as critical an advocate," Pacheco said.

Source BuzzFeed - Politics http://ift.tt/1NecFJB

Read More