The coronavirus outbreak has been taking a toll on our everyday lives, and everyone is at risk including those in jail and detention centers. Kerry Kennedy, president of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, joined ChedHER Friday to discuss how her nonprofit is helping to free those who are subjected to wealth-based imprisonment during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The daughter of Robert F. Kennedy, and ex-wife of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, said that RFK Human Rights has freed over 200 people in 10 cities over the last two and a half weeks. These people were put in jail and awaiting trial, some for as little as a $25 fine for an overdue parking ticket.
“In the moment of corona this is extremely dangerous,” said Kennedy. “Overcrowded jails where people don’t have access to sanitary situations, showers, handwashing, social distancing, Purell.”
The nonprofit is also working to keep those in detention centers safe. “We are also doing a lot of work on immigration,” said Kennedy. “The immigration detention centers again are extremely overcrowded and access to medical care is woefully being withheld.”
The Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights organization has advocated for a more peaceful world since 1968. It works with students and the business community to inspire young leaders and activists to get involved.
“You can make a difference,” Kennedy said as her piece of advice for aspiring young leaders. “Every single one of us has a role to play and you've been given gifts, use those gifts to make a more just and peaceful world.”
Toby Fricker, the chief of communications for UNICEF, joined Cheddar News to discuss the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine as the Russian invasion continues, displacing at least five million refugees from their home country. "The situation for children is horrific when you have to leave your home. I mean, that's traumatic for any child anywhere, but being forced to run for your life literally is really horrific to think about that," he said.
Laurence Tribe, a professor of constitutional law at Harvard University, joined Cheddar News to talk about the legal underpinnings of the ruling to lift the federal travel mask mandate. "Judge Mizelle decided that she would issue a nationwide injunction, which she and other conservatives have criticized in the past," he said. "That didn't stop her from doing it this time. She did it by just wiping away the CDC's rule, and she did it, have to say, in an opinion that was, well, I'll be honest, really stupid."
Marijuana legalization has spread across the country in recent years, and the number of Americans in support of legalization is at an all-time high. Andrew Bowden, CEO of the premium cannabis brand Item 9 Labs, joined Cheddar to break down the inner workings of the industry and how the industry can grow from here.
After a nationwide mask mandate for travel was struck down by a federal judge, Dr. Sampson Davis, an ER physician and bestselling author, joined Cheddar News to talk about the ramifications. "We are at a place where we are going to have to wait and see, unfortunately," he said. "The good news is that we're coming off a celebration of spring break, Easter, Passover, and we'll see what happens. But right now I'm not seeing a spike and people come into the hospital are truly sick. However, I'm still seeing people test positive for COVID."
Chris Vecchio, senior strategist at DailyFX, says the James Bullard and the Fed's bark may be louder than its bite when it comes to potential rate hikes in May. Investors brushed off any causes for concerns during Tuesday's session, which led to stocks ending the day sharply higher.
Catching you up on what you need to know on April 19, 2022, with a federal judge voiding mask mandates on public transportation, updates from the Russia and Ukraine war, Mac Miller’s drug dealer sentenced for involvement in the rapper's death, and more.
A federal judge’s decision to strike down a national mask mandate was met with cheers on some airplanes but also concern about whether it’s really time to end the order sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic.
