President Joe Biden speaks about the latest round of mass shootings from the East Room of the White House on Thursday. He is attempting to increase pressure on Congress to pass stricter gun limits. —AP Photo/Evan Vucci
With photos of the young victims in Uvalde, Texas, behind her, U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, speaks in support of Democratic gun control measures, called the Protecting Our Kids Act, in response to mass shootings in Texas and New York, at the Capitol on Thursday. —AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden delivered an impassioned plea to Congress to take action against gun violence in an address to the nation Thursday night, calling on lawmakers to restore a ban on the sale of assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines after a string of mass shootings. If legislators fail to act, he warned, voters should use their “outrage” to turn gun violence into a central issue in November’s midterm elections.
Speaking at the White House, Biden acknowledged the stiff political headwinds as he sought to drive up pressure on Congress to pass stricter gun limits after such efforts failed following past attacks. He said if Congress won’t embrace all of his proposals, they must at least find compromise on other measures, like limiting access to firearms to those with mental health issues or raising the age to buy assault-style weapons from 18 to 21.
“How much more carnage are we willing to accept,” Biden said after last week’s shootings by an 18-year-old gunman, who killed 19 students and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, and another attack on Wednesday in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where a gunman shot and killed four people and himself at a medical office.
And those came after the May 14 assault in Buffalo, New York, where a white 18-year-old wearing military gear and livestreaming with a helmet camera opened fire with a rifle at a supermarket in a predominantly Black neighborhood, killing 10 people and wounding three others in what authorities described as “racially motivated violent extremism.”
“This time we have to take the time to do something,” Biden said, calling out the Senate, where 10 Republican votes would be needed to pass legislation.
“I know how hard it is, but I’ll never give up and if Congress fails, I believe this time a majority of the American people won’t give up either,” he added. “I believe the majority of you will act to turn your outrage into making this issue central to your vote.”
All major broadcast networks broke away from regular programing to carry Biden’s remarks at 7:30 p.m. EDT, before the start of primetime shows.
Biden has used national speeches in the past to speak about the coronavirus pandemic and the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan. But the president has used such addresses sparingly during his nearly 18 months in office, especially during evening hours
Earlier Thursday, Vice President Kamala Harris spoke about the Oklahoma shooting, saying, “All of us hold the people of Tulsa in our hearts, but we also reaffirm our commitment to passing commonsense gun safety laws.”
“No more excuses. Thoughts and prayers are important, but not enough,” Harris said. “We need Congress to act.”
Before marking Memorial Day on Monday, Biden told reporters at the White House that there may be some bipartisan support to tighten restrictions on the kind of high-powered weapons used by the gunman in Uvalde. But he also noted that, while he had taken some steps via executive actions, he didn’t have the power as president to “outlaw a weapon.”
He also said that “things have gotten so bad that everybody’s getting more rational, at least that’s my hope,” adding, “There’s realization on the part of rational Republicans” who realize “we can’t keep repeating ourselves.”
Visiting Uvalde on Sunday, Biden mourned privately for three-plus hours with anguished families. Faced with chants of “do something” as he departed a church service, the president pledged: “We will.”
His Thursday night address coincided with bipartisan talks that are intensifying among a core group of senators discussing modest gun policy changes. Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said the group is “making rapid progress,” and Biden has spoken to Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, among those leading their party’s efforts on the issue.
Democrats are hoping Biden’s remarks encourage the bipartisan Senate talks and build pressure on the Republicans to strike an agreement. White House Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden is “encouraged” by congressional negotiations but the president wants to give lawmakers “some space” to keep talking.
The private discussions in the Senate, which is split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans, are not expected to produce the kinds of sweeping reforms being considered by the Democratic-led House — which has approved expansive background checks legislation and will next turn to an assault weapons ban.
But even a House package debated Thursday that is less sweeping but includes a provision raising the required age for buying semi-automatic firearms to 21, faces slim chances in the Senate.
Instead, the bipartisan senators are likely to come up with a more incremental package that would increase federal funding to support state gun safety efforts — with incentives for bolstering school security and mental health resources. The package may also encourage “red-flag laws” to keep firearms away from those who would do harm.
Any major action is still a long shot. While the Senate approved a modest measure to encourage compliance with background checks after a 2017 church mass shooting in Texas and one in Parkland, Florida, the following year, no major legislation cleared the chamber following the devastating massacre of 20 children at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012.
“What I love most is that it (the app) can do so many things,” says Shalimar Thomas, executive director of North Broad Renaissance. “One thing is that we’re getting feet on the street, which is important to business development and business growth.” —Tribune Photo/Abdul R. Sulayman
“North Broad Renaissance has been a great experience,” says Luke Kirby, co-owner of Tropical Smoothie on North Broad Street. “So excited to have the Summer a Broad program right here.” —Tribune Photos/Abdul R. Sulayman
“We wanted to invest in this opportunity, invest in Shalimar (Thomas), work with her, and call her a partner because we believe in finding ways to use technology for good,” says Ellen Hwang, Philadelphia director for the Knight Foundation.
This summer, Philadelphians will be able to experience a renaissance of augmented reality along North Broad Street.
Starting June 2 and every Thursday through Aug. 25, “Summer a Broad” will offer an interactive experience via ground decals that visitors or residents can check out on smartphones of these five historic North Broad Street locations: The Rail Park (North Broad and Noble streets), The Divine Lorraine Hotel (699 N. Broad St.), The Historic Blue Horizon (1314 N. Broad St.), The Historic Sullivan Progress Plaza (1501 N. Broad St.) and The Uptown Theater (2240 N. Broad St.).
Standing in front of the Divine Lorraine Hotel, Shalimar Thomas, executive director of North Broad Renaissance, introduced the augmented reality experience that will allow people walking down the street to scan a QR code that will be on the ground decal and experience community vitalization efforts.
According to Thomas, the North Broad Renaissance has partnered with local businesses, restaurants, barbershops, and the Free Library of Philadelphia to offer discounts to patrons. At the same time, they bask in augmented reality and take a trip through the historic city streets.
“You’ll see that the participating businesses are not just restaurants,” Thomas said. “We wanted to make sure that we were inclusive. We understand the dynamics and the demographics of the corridor.”
Thomas added that she wanted to make sure people could find comfortable spaces. In addition, it is an opportunity for people to get a feel for the development designed to enrich North Broad Street and learn about the history of some of the corridor’s buildings.
“What I love most is that it can do so many things,” Thomas said. “One thing is that we’re getting feet on the street, which is important to business development and business growth. The other thing is it breaks down barriers to engagement. All you need is a smartphone to be connected to community vitalization. You don’t have to attend a meeting. You don’t have to register for an event. All you have to do is walk down the street, and just like that, you’re connected to the work we’re doing here.”
Ellen Hwang, Philadelphia director for the Knight Foundation, a social investor who helps fund arts, culture, community, media and democracy projects.
Hwang said that an effective democracy comes from an engaged community and that technology fundamentally impacts that.
“In some ways, when you hear augmented reality, maybe some of you are like, ‘what is that?’” Hwang said. “For others, it’s like a fun type of technology. So we wanted to invest in this opportunity, invest in Shalimar, work with her, and call her a partner because we believe in finding ways to use technology for good and finding ways to use technology to connect people to the city to fall in love with it, to talk about the histories. There are so many things along Broad, both in our individual and collective histories, that can come alive through this technology platform.”
Denis Murphy, who works for the Philadelphia Commerce Department, said that his office has learned that reaching people requires diverse thought, means and methods.
“I think North Broad Renaissance’s work has many dimensions,” Murphy said. “It’s bringing people together in an area where it’s changing where there are new people, there are longtime business owners, and I just want to commend Shalimar.”
Co-owner of one of the partnering businesses of “Summer a Broad” is Luke Kirby, who partnered with Rosalind Lindsey to own a Tropical Smoothie at 1600 N. Broad St.
“North Broad Renaissance has been a great experience,” Kirby said. “We had such a great time and the synergy that everybody has with all the various companies and vendors coming out today. So excited to have the ‘Summer a Broad’ program right here.”
This shows the right arm and torso of a patient, whose skin displayed a number of lesions due to what had been an active case of monkeypox. Health authorities in Europe and elsewhere are rolling out vaccines and drugs to stamp out the biggest monkeypox outbreak beyond Africa in 2022. —CDC via AP
Pennsylvania’s first probable case of monkeypox has been reported in Philadelphia, city health officials said Thursday afternoon. Further testing by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to confirm the case is pending.
As of Thursday, there have been 19 confirmed cases of monkeypox in the U.S. Worldwide, there are more than 500 cases, and there has been one death associated with this outbreak.
“The threat to Philadelphians from monkeypox is extremely low,” said Health Department Acute Communicable Disease Program Manager Dana Perella in a statement. “Monkeypox is much less contagious than COVID-19 and is containable particularly when prompt care is sought for symptoms.”
The virus that causes the disease — which is related to smallpox — is transmitted through close contact with broken skin, or through the eyes, nose, and mouth. Monkeypox is not a sexually transmitted disease, but it can spread through intimate contact.
Local infectious disease experts say the new outbreak is noteworthy because of the number of cases across multiple continents at once over a relatively short time period, however, the disease is less contagious than COVID-19, since it does not spread through the air, and vaccines and therapeutics are available to treat the disease after exposure.
The outbreak is unlikely to become widespread, said epidemiologist Michael LeVasseur of Drexel University.
“It has kind of a long latent period. So it’s not surprising that we’re still finding cases,” he said. “I think that there’s still plenty of time for it to be contained, especially with contact tracing and making sure that any close contacts that they’ve had are alerted and are put on watch.”
Symptoms typically arise about 12 days after exposure, but can present any time between four and 21 days. The virus can cause fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, and swollen lymph nodes. The most distinguishable symptom is a blistering rash.
To protect the resident’s privacy, the Philadelphia health department won’t confirm any information about them. The infected resident is currently working with the health department to identify any contacts that may have been exposed, who will be contacted directly.
Philadelphia’s health department “strongly recommends that anyone who is experiencing symptoms of an unexplained rash on their face, palms, arms, legs, genitals, or perianal region that may be accompanied by flu-like illness should contact their regular healthcare provider as soon as possible.”
LeVasseur said doing so will make a difference in stopping the spread.
“If you have sores, go to the doctor and make sure that you keep in mind any intimate partners that you may have over the course of the next couple of weeks in the event that we have to do contact tracing to prevent further spread,” he said. “This isn’t about stigmatizing anyone. This is about making sure that everyone is taken care of and can be watched to make sure that they don’t have substantial disease and to prevent further transmission.”
Your credit rating from agencies can affect who does or doesn’t get a credit card, car loan, insurance, an apartment lease, a mortgage or even a job. —2019 AP Photo/Jenny Kane
U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans said accuracy on credit reports is important and we need to be vigilant. —TRIBUNE FILE PHOTO
The U.S. Congress is looking into mistakes on credit reports and how disputes are being handled by all three major credit reporting agencies, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, as a result of payment deferment programs and rising cases of identity theft during the pandemic.
In May, U.S. Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., chairman of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, wrote letters to all three credit reporting agencies, pointing out the increase in complaints about errors and asking them to explain their response and dispute process.
In the U.S., credit reporting agencies hold enormous power over consumers. The information they collect is used by banks, auto dealers, retailers, sometimes insurance companies and employers to make decisions about credit or for millions of Americans. This can affect who does or doesn’t get a credit card, car loan, insurance, an apartment lease, a mortgage or even a job.
“We are focused on ensuring that the American consumer can emerge from the pandemic on a solid economic footing,” said U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans, D-3rd District. “Obviously, Chairman Clyburn is doing the right thing. Accuracy on credit reports is very important and we need to be vigilant.”
Evans, who sits on the small business committee, said, “The implications could affect the availability of capital for small businesses, housing loans and those type of things.”
The agencies claim to have information on about 200 million Americans and credit profiles on almost every credit-using consumer in the U.S. During the pandemic many lenders, such as banks, real estate owners and other creditors offered various types of payment deferments and other types of debt arrangements. Congress had barred lenders from reporting the missed payments, under these programs, as late.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) a federal consumer watch dog agency, said it received 500,000 consumer complaints about credit reporting agencies between January and September 2021, up from 319,000 in the previous year.
The CFPB estimated that 37% of all consumers have been affected by identity theft and have probably had at least one account opened in their name.
None of the credit bureaus have commented to media, but their trade group, the Consumer Data Industry Association (CDIA) issued a response:
“The credit reporting industry is reviewing the House Select Subcommittee on Coronavirus’ letters in detail. We agree that accurate credit reporting is vital to consumers and to a healthy economy. We are committed to helping consumers resolve discrepancies on their credit reports. We are working diligently across the financial ecosystem to make sure data on consumer credit reports is accurate and comprehensive.”
The CDIA also said: “The dispute process is an important tool to notify credit bureaus about any data that may have been furnished inaccurately, so that we can correct those errors.”
According to the Federal Trade Commission, 1 in 5 Americans have some kind of error in the credit reports.
Cary L. Flitter, Esq. a partner in the Montgomery County law firm of Flitter & Milz, has sued banks, insurance companies, debt collectors and credit reporting agencies, on behalf of consumers.
“Probably the most common problem is what is called a mixed file,” Flitter said. “This can happen to people with similar names and similar addresses. It comes with similar names, similar address, Srs. and Jrs. and a whole variety of reasons. That is a recurring problem. The credit bureaus don’t do a nine-figure Social Security number match.”
The second most common problem, he said, is identity theft.
“I would say identity theft is very big,” Flitter said. “A fraudster opens an account in your name and a bill comes, maybe you dispute it, maybe you don’t. Maybe you are away. You don’t pay the bill and it shows up late on your credit report. They want to put the burden on the consumer to prove it’s not their account. No, you prove it is my account.”
Then you have factual inaccuracies from furnishers, he said.
“Furnishers are usually banks, or any company that furnishes data to the credit reporting bureaus. Sallie Mae is a furnisher for student loans, debt collectors, debt buyers, Flitter said. “All the banks are furnishers for credit cards, mortgages and car loans. A lot of times, they’ll furnish information, say it’s 60 days late and it was never 60 days late.”
According to the CFPB’s January 2022 report on credit reporting errors, the dispute process can be burdensome and frustrating to consumers.
In 2017, Equifax reported a data breach that put the personal information, such as Social Security numbers, some driver’s license and passport information of 145 Americans at risk.
In April, CFPB filed a lawsuit against TransUnion, two of its subsidiaries and a former executive, for violating a 2017 order to stop engaging in deceptive marketing practices.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court of Northern Illinois, alleged that TransUnion was using “deceitful digital dark patterns,” or hidden tricks or trapdoors that companies sometimes build into their websites to cause customers to inadvertently click links, sign up for subscriptions or purchase products or services. Dark patterns can also complicate or hide information, for instance, making it difficult to cancel a subscription service.
“TransUnion is an out-of-control repeat offender that believes it is above the law,” said Rohit Chopr, CFPB director, at the time in a statement.
Last week, Congress grilled the CEOs of the three major credit reporting agencies on Capitol Hill.
There aren’t many issues that Democrats and Republicans agree on in Washington, D.C., but this is one: The system that credit reporting agencies are using isn’t working correctly.
U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., said the “system is broken and in need of major repair.”
FILE - Connecticut Sun guard Yvonne Anderson, left, drives against New York Liberty forward Natasha Howard, right, in the second half during a WNBA basketball game, Tuesday, May 17, 2022, in New York. Yvonne Anderson understood that making a WNBA roster as an undrafted rookie was going to be tough and getting that chance a decade after she left college would be even tougher. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
