Deliver reparations

 

Nikkei Progressives and Black reparations community activists at dinner in 2022. Photo: 

Japanese Americans from the National Nikkei Reparations Coalition are pressing outgoing President Joe Biden to pursue reparations and a full investigation for the Tulsa Race Massacre survivors while he has the power to act.

by Alb Mickey 

TULSA, Okla.–A group of Japanese Americans whose ancestors received reparations from the U.S. government are calling on President Biden to provide reparations to the two last known living survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre before his term in office ends on January 20, 2025.

“Given the outcome of the 2024 Presidential Election, we implore President Biden and his Administration to use his executive powers to deliver reparations before the end of his presidential term to Ms. Viola Ford Fletcher and Ms. Lessie Benningfield Randle, the two known living survivors of the Tulsa Massacre,” said the National Nikkei Reparations Coalition.

The California-based organization is made up of Japanese American descendants of World War II internment camp victims. Delegations have previously visited Greenwood on multiple occasions to offer support.

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Their message to Biden comes less than two months before he turns over power to President-elect Donald Trump. It also comes just weeks ahead of a Dec. 31 deadline for the Department of Justice to produce a report on its review of the 1921 massacre.

Between the hours of May 31 and June 1, 1921, a White mob numbering in the thousands, sanctioned by the city government, destroyed the historic Greenwood District and killed upwards of 300 Black men, women and children.

Thousands of Black residents were displaced and temporarily forced into internment camps around the city, according to the Tulsa Historical Society.

“Japanese Americans remember how 125,000 of our people were forcibly removed from their homes on the West Coast and unjustly incarcerated by the United States government during World War II.  We know what disappearance of our family members feel like and what destruction of our communities look like,” the coalition stated.

Japanese Americans demand reparations for Tulsa survivors

Formed in 2022, the coalition is made up of organizations that support reparations to American descendants of chattel slavery. Its members include Japanese Americans, Black Americans and activists from other communities who first came together to lobby Congress for the passage of H.R. 40 in 2021, a bill that calls for a reparations study.

In their statement, they called on Biden to take the DOJ review into a full investigation and to hold the government entities that helped perpetrate the massacre accountable. To this day, not a single person or entity has ever faced criminal liability.

“We also know that reparations are necessary and reparations are possible because we won a measure of justice in 1988 when the US government officially apologized and paid reparations to our community,”

The Coalition stated, referring to a bill providing cash payments to Japanese Americans survivors of internment camps. Republican President Ronald Reagan signed the bill in 1988.

“So, what is most important in this bill has less to do with property than with honor. For here we admit a wrong; here we reaffirm our commitment as a nation to equal justice under the law,” Reagan said before signing the bill, which provided $20,000 payments to 60,000 Japanese American survivors.

Oklahoma refuses to right a wrong

Japanese Americans outside of Oklahoma call for reparations to Tulsa survivors. Meanwhile, neither the city of Tulsa, nor the state of Oklahoma have moved forward on decades-old recommendations for reparations to the survivors and descendants of one of the nation’s worst instances of racial domestic terrorism.

An interim study at the Oklahoma Capitol in 2023 explored the recommendations with updates on its lack of implementation. A newly formed Tulsa Reparations Commission is exploring housing and equitable policies directed to survivors and descendants. Yet, neither the state or city efforts have gone as far as providing direct cash payments.

On the federal level, a bill to establish the Historic Greenwood District—Black Wall Street National Monument recently moved out of a Senate committee. It awaits a full Senate vote, though it would not provide reparations.

What will the DOJ review lead to?

A years-long state legal battle for restitution and repair ended in a dismissal by the Oklahoma Supreme Court in June. Meanwhile, Tulsa Race Massacre survivors Mother Fletcher and Mother Randle continue to seek justice, each at 110 years old each.

Their lead counsel, civil rights attorney and Justice for Greenwood Foundation founder Damario Solomon-Simmons, urged the federal government to take action.

It responded with a decision from The U.S. Department of Justice Office of Civil Rights to open the first-ever federal review of the massacre at the end of September. The announcement of the review offered a sliver of hope to a community rebuilding from the ashes.

“When we have finished our federal review, we will issue a report analyzing the massacre in light of both modern and then-existing civil rights law. We hope to have our overall review finalized by the end of the year,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke announced on Sept. 30.

Time is running out

When first announced, the reaction from members of the community was full of hope. “That the Department of Justice has decided to take this on and just look into it, it says that we are not forgotten,” Oklahoma state Senator-elect Regina Goodwin (D-Tulsa), a descendant of Tulsa Race Massacre survivors, said after the announcement of the review.

With the DOJ’s self-imposed timeline just a couple weeks away, advocates for the survivors want Biden to elevate the DOJ review into a full investigation. They’re concerned the review won’t include all the evidence or result in substantial action.

“We implore the Department to take all necessary steps to immediately broaden the scope of its review into a formal investigation that explores all angles of the Massacre and its continued harm,” attorney Solomon-Simmons wrote in a Nov. 15 letter to the DOJ.

Echoing his sense of urgency, Japanese Americans from the National Nikkei Reparations Coalition pressed Biden to pursue reparations for the Tulsa Race Massacre survivors while he has the power to act.

The Coalition urges Biden’s DOJ “to go beyond a review, provide direct reparations, and hold the individuals and institutions accountable for orchestrating and perpetrating the massacre and subsequent anti-Black laws and conditions, including the deputized White citizens from Tulsa and outside territories, the City of Tulsa, Tulsa County, Tulsa’s Sheriff Department and the State of Oklahoma.”

The Black Wall Street Times has reached out to Department of Justice Office of Civil Rights for a response.

Pamela A. Smith, Metropolitan Police Department Chief of Police, serves as the keynote speaker for the 38th annual D.C. Adoption Day event on Nov. 23, held at Moultrie Courthouse for the first time in five years.

 

by Alb Mickey 

For the Wilson family, the adoption journey began in 2008 when Phyllis Wilson fostered Jayden, then a two-week-old infant, through the District of Columbia Courts.

Wilson, who was present during the District’s 38th annual Adoption Day on Nov. 23, began raising the infant, aiming to provide a stable, nurturing environment for him, and eventually decided to adopt him at two years old in April 2010. 

“I just wanted to be a foster parent, but … he’s all we knew, and we were all that he knew,” Wilson, 72, told The Informer. “We had all of his history from birth on … he needed to stay with us. It just became important, and we didn’t want to let him go.”

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In 2019, nine years after her nephew joined the family, Wilson’s sister, Carolyn Woods heeded the call to adopt 18-month-old Warrior, who is also Jayden’s brother.

“It’s growth, because I was going to be the jet setter who was going to travel. I had no idea, no plans to have a child at all,” said Woods during the Adoption Day event at Moultrie Courthouse in Northwest D.C. “Now I’m in the process of renewing my license so that I can have another child in the home with him.”

During the event, themed “Families Forever by Choice,” Wilson’s daughter, Tracie Wilson-Brockington, followed in her mom and aunt’s footsteps when she officially adopted Jayden and Warrior’s baby sister: one-year-old Jessey.

“We’re not against bringing other children in, but what we have started here is kinship. They’re all siblings, so it was important to keep them all together,” said Wilson-Brockington, as she and her big, blended family officially welcomed baby Jessey. 

The energy in Moultrie Courthouse was nothing short of joyful and heartwarming, as community leaders, families and 64 adoptees like Jessey gathered in recognition of newly-formed “forever families” across the District. 

“We celebrate because we know the immeasurable importance of children. We celebrate today because we know that when children are supported by families who love them, they have a better opportunity to grow and to thrive,” said Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Chief of Police Pamela A. Smith.

Serving as the celebration’s keynote speaker, Smith emphasized the magnitude of the moment.

“Sixty-four families,” she said with awe and pride. “You’re going to be the impetus to change the lives of our young people here in the District of Columbia. We need you now more than we’ve ever needed you before.”

The Wilson-Brockington family on D.C. Adoption Day, officially welcoming their newest addition, Jessey Wilson (holding the mic) on Nov. 23. The Wilson family consists of adopted children who are all siblings. Photos: Ja’Mon Jackson/The Washington Informer

Local leaders get personal, emphasize finding foster children ‘forever homes’

With live entertainment and individual certificate officiations, the 38th annual celebration was a reflection of the joy of building families, as much as the critical call to continue advocating for children in need. 

In addition to Smith, event speakers included: D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, an adoptive parent since August 2019; District of Columbia Courts’ Chief Judge Milton C. Lee, Associate Judge Darlene Solyts, and the Honorable Kelly A. Higashi;

And other officials from the D.C. Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA). Many speakers magnified the moment by offering heartfelt remarks and ceremonial tributes of new beginnings.

For the District’s first Black woman chief of police, the opportunity to be present at the ceremony served as an intervention of divine timing. 

Smith delivered a powerfully transparent speech, opening up about her own challenging experience in the foster care system before she was adopted by, who she calls, her “biggest cheerleaders.” 

“It was this week, over 30 years ago, where I entered the foster care system, and I spent over six months in foster care before a pastor and his wife thought enough of my brother and myself to adopt us,” Smith said. “And that family has … been an instrumental part of my life in every aspect and everything that I’ve done.”

D.C. Adoption Day recognizes the sometimes complex, yet fruitful journey of foster children finding a forever home, a fulfillment for 144 children in the District this past year, according to WUSA9. 

While she was there to officialize Jessey’s adoption, Wilson-Brockington, 51, emphasized her family’s dedication to helping all children in need through fostering and spreading love.

“It’s still important for us to keep doing foster care,” she told The Informer. “As long as we have the space, and we always have the love, we’ll keep doing it.”

According to Tanya Trice, Interim Director of CFSA, about 542 children are still in the District’s foster care system, and 42 of them are seeking adoptive services. 

Additionally, CFSA research has shown that, as of quarter four of Fiscal Year 2024, 83 percent of children in the foster care system are Black or African American. 

Mayor Bowser said she considers her choice to adopt: “the best decision I’ve ever made in my life.” 

She called on adoptive parents to be ambassadors of the adoption process and continue telling their stories to support youth still in the system. 

“Families, they don’t all look the same, they don’t all come about in the same way, but if you have love in your heart to give, you can be a family—and family by adoption is just an incredible gift,” said the mayor. 

‘The power of adoption’ in protecting Black youth’s future 

Because of her journey, Smith, an Arkansas native, is passionate about the vitality and safety of District youth and is committed to sustaining relationships with childcare services like CFSA. 

“My prayer today is that we continue to promote the awareness, understanding and the acceptance of what it truly means to give the gift of adoption,” Smith said.

“Together, we can and will build a bright future for our children, ensuring that they are loved, that they are safe, they are supported, and most importantly, that they are chosen every single day.”

Alexia Wilson, daughter of Wilson-Brockington, underscored the need for more positive visibility in the District with celebrations like D.C. Adoption Day, and how it can make a difference in the lives of underserved youths.

“You hear about the rise in crime in the area … but you don’t hear about the good things that are happening with the youth,” Alexia told The Informer.

“[Visibility] is great to build community, to see that other people are going through the same process … and to let people know that …it is something to be celebrated and applauded. To be able to give a child a solid foundation in a home is more than anybody could ask for.”

In her remarks as an officiant for the day, Judge Soltys emphasized the truly transformational and empowering nature of adoption for District families.

“Such beautiful and smart children [are] now and forever part of so many amazing families—families that are now complete with loved ones who are providing that forever home where anything and everything is possible,” said Soltys. “That is the power of adoption.”

A 7.0 earthquake strikes California as a snowstorm pounds the Northeast

A 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck near Petrolia, Calif., at 10:44 a.m. Photo: Graphic MGN Online

SAN FRANCISCO—Valerie Starkey was driving through Northern California to visit relatives when she suddenly felt shaking and feared her car had broken down, only to realize later that it was an earthquake so powerful that it triggered a tsunami warning for hundreds of miles of the U.S. West Coast.

The epicenter of the Dec. 5, 7.0 magnitude shaker occurred in what’s known as California’s “earthquake country” because it’s where three tectonic plates meet. The temblor was the most powerful to rattle the state since a 7.1-magnitude quake hit Ridgecrest in 2019.

Its intensity shocked Starkey and many of the 5.3 million other people along nearly 500 miles of the California and Oregon coasts who were under the tsunami warning for about an hour. It was lifted after no major waves arrived.

“I thought my axles had fallen apart,” said Starkey, a Del Norte County supervisor representing Crescent City, a town of fewer than 6,000 near the Oregon border. “That’s what I was feeling. … ‘My axles are broken now.’ I did not realize it was an earthquake.”

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The quake struck at 10:44 a.m. west of Ferndale, a small city in coastal Humboldt County, about 130 miles from the Oregon border, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The shaking knocked items off grocery store shelves and sent children scrambling under desks at schools.

It was felt as far south as San Francisco, some 270 miles away, where residents described a rolling motion for several seconds. It was followed by multiple smaller aftershocks. There were no immediate reports of major damage or injuries from the quake.

The tsunami warning issued shortly after the quake struck spanned from the edge of California’s Monterey Bay north into Oregon.

“It was a strong quake. Our building shook. We’re fine, but I have a mess to clean up right now,” said Julie Kreitzer, owner of Golden Gait Mercantile, a store packed with food, wares and souvenirs that is a main attraction in Ferndale.

“I have to go. I have to try and salvage something for the holidays because it’s going to be a tough year,” Kreitzer said before hanging up.

The region—known for its redwood forests, scenic mountains and the three-county Emerald Triangle’s legendary marijuana crop—was struck by a magnitude 6.4 quake in 2022 that left thousands of people without power and water.

The northwest corner of California is the most seismically active part of the state because it’s where three tectonic plates meet, seismologist Lucy Jones said on the social media platform BlueSky.

Shortly after the quake, phones in Northern California buzzed with the tsunami warning from the National Weather Service that said: “A series of powerful waves and strong currents may impact coasts near you. You are in danger. Get away from coastal waters. Move to high ground or inland now. Keep away from the coast until local officials say it is safe to return.”

Numerous cities urged people to evacuate to higher ground as a precaution.

Drinks and other food items are toppled on the floor inside Hoby’s Market and Deli after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake Dec. 5, in Scotia, Calif. Photo: Dylan McNeill/The Times-Standard via AP

In Santa Cruz, authorities cleared the main beach, taping off entrances with police tape. Aerial footage showed cars bumper-to-bumper heading to higher ground on California highways 1 and 92 in the Half Moon Bay area south of San Francisco.

Cindy Vosburg, the executive director for the Crescent City-Del Norte County Chamber of Commerce, said she heard alarms sound just before shaking began, and the city’s cultural center downtown started to creak.

“Just as it would start to subside, the building would roll again,” Vosburg said.

White House spokesperson Jeremy Edwards said President Joe Biden was briefed on the earthquake and that FEMA officials are in touch with their state and local counterparts in California and Oregon.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed off on a state of emergency declaration to quickly move state resources to impacted areas along the coast. State officials were concerned about damage in the northern part of the state, Newsom said.

Crews in Eureka, the biggest city in the region, were assessing if there was any damage. Eureka Mayor Kim Bergel, who works at a middle school, said lights were swaying and everyone got under desks.

“The kids were so great and terrified. It seemed to go back and forth for quite a long time,” she said. Some children asked, “Can I call my mom?”

The students were later sent home.

Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal said residents experienced cracks in their homes’ foundations, as well as broken glass and windows, but nothing severe.

Honsal said he was in his office in the 75-year-old courthouse in downtown Eureka when he felt the quake.

“We’re used to it. It is known as ‘earthquake country’ up here,” he said. “It wasn’t a sharp jolt. It was a slow roller, but significant.”

The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District, known as BART, stopped traffic in all directions through the underwater tunnel between San Francisco and Oakland, and the San Francisco Zoo’s visitors were evacuated.

This quake was a strike-slip type of temblor that shifts more horizontally and is less prone to cause tsunamis, unlike the more vertical types, said National Weather Service tsunami program manager Corina Allen in Washington state.

Snow squalls—sudden bursts of heavy snow and gusty winds—created whiteout conditions in parts of the northeast during a storm that brought even more snow to the Great Lakes region on Dec. 5. Two people died from heart attacks after shoveling snow in upstate New York, officials said.

The deaths were recorded Dec. 4 in western New York’s Erie County, which has seen steady snowfall since the end of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, well ahead of when winter officially starts on Dec. 21. Numerous schools in Buffalo and surrounding towns were closed Dec. 5, and vehicle accidents backed up traffic on highways after several inches of snow fell overnight and into the morning.

In Ohio, travel bans were in place Dec. 5 in the northeast corner of the state along Lake Erie, where up to 5 feet of snow was on the ground from storms earlier in the week and more was in the forecast.  (Compiled from Associated Press reports)

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Sudanese in the diaspora work to raise awareness

 

Sudanese Americans at a recent event hosted by Philly For Sudan. The organization hosted a film showing and discussion. From left: Shimah Mohammed, Rymaz Ahmed, Tibian El Sharie, Ola Bushra, Azza Bushra, Nabta Idries and Israh Mohammed.Photo: Nabil Mohammed

The World Population Review estimates that over 70,000 Sudanese Americans live, work, and attend college in the U.S. While small in number, according to Sudanese American Ibrahim Mohamed, “with a united effort,” their political and cultural insight, offered within the diaspora, could inform on key policy issues that they consider important, “including foreign policy, immigration, and civil rights,” noted newarab.com.

Mohamed runs a tech startup and a digital media agency that manages influencers. In addition, he oversees “Nile Nights,” a platform that connects talent from the Sudanese diaspora that perform and “raise awareness and funds to causes supporting Sudan.”

I was recently introduced to Mohamed in New York while appearing on The Oasis Podcast, where, along with University of Ottawa Professor Awad Ibrahim, the three of us discussed the crisis in Sudan. The weekly podcast is hosted by music industry veteran Abdul Haqq Islam, featuring intimate and informative discussions with Muslim American professionals.

In New York on set of The Oasis Podcast. From left, Ibrahim Mohamed, Brother Jehron Muhammad and host Abdul Haqq Islam. Photo courtesy of Jehron Muhammad.

According to Haqq Islam, “The Oasis Podcast is like a living lifestyle magazine where we talk about politics, we talk about fashion, (we) talk about comedy, (we) talk about the life of Muslims in general. As a community, we have a strong voice, but we are not being heard. With there being more than two billion Muslims worldwide, and that number is projected to reach over three billion by 2036, we should have more of a collective global presence.”

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Asked by Africa Watch why he featured a “segment on Sudan,” Haqq Islam said, “A lot of attention is being focused on our brothers and sisters, rightfully so, in Palestine. But the majority Muslim community in Sudan, representing the largest displaced population in the world, at over 11 million out of a population of 44 million, receives little or no media coverage.”

He added, “That is the same in Mali, in Burkina Faso, in Niger, where they’ve gotten rid of the French. They receive little or no attention.” He also noted, “They’re making a lot of political strides to control their own natural and mineral resources. And I think it’s a part of my mission to showcase the politics and economics of the global Black Muslim community.”

Mohamed said Nile Nights will host its next show in April 2025 at the Howard Theatre in Washington, D.C. However, until then, they will continue to share important information and content on social media about what is happening in the diaspora, including Sudan.

Another event I recently attended regarding the support of Sudan was a film showing and discussion hosted by Philly For Sudan. The event took place in Philadelphia at the Making Worlds Bookstore. It was the first in a film series paying tribute to Sudan’s spirit, showcasing powerful Sudanese narratives and capturing the complexities and richness of the Northeastern African country. The 2022 film showcased was “Heroic Bodies” by Sara Suliman. In addition to discussing the history and tragedy of female genital mutilation, the film documented present-day Sudan, which before the current war had brought greater equality and freedom for women.

Asked by Africa Watch to explain the origin of Philly For Sudan, Temple University engineering student Rymaz Ahmed, whose parents migrated to the U.S. from Sudan, said the group was started a couple of months ago. “And we started it originally because we saw a lack of participation from the Sudanese community in Philly for advocating for Sudan. And since we have one of the largest Sudanese communities in America, we thought we needed to do something about that.”

She added, “We’re a pretty small group, but we’ve been putting in a lot of work just advocating for Sudan, teaching people about the conflict. We hosted a teach-in over the summer at our community center just to teach people about the war in Sudan. A lot of people aren’t aware, and a lot of people are misinformed, thinking that it’s just a civil war, when it’s more of a proxy war. So, we’ve been trying to educate.”

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Namibia will have its first female leader after VP wins presidential election

 

Namibian president elect Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, of the ruling SWAPO Party, at a news conference in Windhoek, Namibia, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024 after the election results were made official. (AP Photo/Dirk Heinrich)

WINDHOEK, Namibia—Namibia elected its first female leader as Vice President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah was declared the winner Dec. 3 of a presidential election last week that was tarnished by technical glitches that caused a three-day extension to allow votes to be cast, and rejected as illegal by opposition parties.

The 72-year-old Nandi-Ndaitwah won with 57 percent of the vote, defying predictions that she might be forced into a runoff.

Her ruling SWAPO party also retained its parliamentary majority, although by a very thin margin, and extended its 34-year hold on power since the southern African country gained independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990.

Namibia, a sparsely populated country of around three million on the southwestern coast of Africa, has a reputation for being one of the continent’s more stable democracies and the problems around the election have caused consternation.

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The vote was marred by shortages of ballot papers and other problems that led election officials to extend voting until Dec. 7. Opposition parties have said the extension is unconstitutional, and some have pledged to join together in a legal appeal to have the election invalidated.

The Electoral Commission of Namibia, which ran the election, rejected opposition calls for a redo of the vote.

It has undermined Nandi-Ndaitwah’s place in history. She is set to become her country’s fifth president since independence and a rare female leader in Africa. She was a member of Namibia’s underground independence movement in the 1970s and received part of her higher education in the then-Soviet Union.

She was promoted to vice president in February after President Hage Geingob died while in office. Nangolo Mbumba, who became president after Geingob’s death, didn’t run in the election. 

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Den Of Thieves

 

Bitcoin Goes Mainstream

 

BlackRock, the world’s largest money manager, is now making the case for bitcoin in your traditional 60/40 investment portfolio. In new research from its Investment Institute, BlackRock analysts recommend that bitcoin, long shunned by mainstream investors, should now account for 1% to 2% of such portfolios. That would give the cryptocurrency, with a market cap of about $2 trillion, a risk level similar to companies like Nvidia, Amazon or Apple.  Still, bitcoin is incredibly volatile, dropping as much as 70% in a year, so the analysts found that weighting it higher than 2% gets exponentially risky. Let’s get into the headlines,

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Elon’s New High

 

Good morning, Health insurers are using AI to deny coverage for care. Now, patients are using the technology to fight back. UnitedHealthcare, whose CEO Brian Thompson was killed last week, refuses an estimated one-third of claims submitted—nearly double the industry average—and the insurance giant is being sued for allegedly denying claims using an AI model with a “90% error rate.” But one San Francisco Bay-area software engineer recently built a free tool that uses AI to create pre-written appeals based on information you provide. “This has come into sharp focus because of national events…. but the problem has existed for a very long time beneath the surface,” said Warris Bokhari, cofounder and CEO of Claimable, a new startup that also uses AI to fight denials. Let’s get into the headlines,

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Prison Diary

 

Good morning, Aritzia’s viral moment has made its Canadian founder a billionaire. Brian Hill, former CEO of the popular women’s clothing brand that sells “everyday luxury” items, is now worth at least $1.1 billion, according to Forbes’ estimates. The stock price of the company, of which Hill owns 18%, has jumped nearly 100% in the past year. He opened the first Aritzia in Vancouver in 1984, but the brand took off on social media in the U.S. during the pandemic with viral items like vegan leather pants and a Super Puff puffer coat for dogs. Plus, Aritzia’s more than 130 brick-and-mortar “boutiques,” which feature perks like free coffee and a designated sitting area for boyfriends, account for around two-thirds of its $1.7 billion in 2024 revenue. Let’s get into the headlines,

Albert G MickyWriter, Newsletters Follow me on X.com

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Employment Scams

 

Last year, employment scams saw a significant increase, as cybercriminals utilized AI (artificial intelligence) to trick jobseekers, while stealing their money and sensitive data. The Identity Theft Resource Center’s recent report found that consumer stories of job scams soared by 118 percent in 2023 compared to the previous year.

According to the report, employment scams were primarily carried out through websites, typically LinkedIn or job search platforms. The fake employers may ask job seekers to send them money or personal information, according to the report. The scammers may also claim that applicants must complete a paid training course or coaching services first to be eligible for their job opening. 

Another scam is offering to reimburse job seekers for a computer and phone necessary for the job.  After the person buys the accessories, the fake company sends a bad check that immediately lets the person know they’ve been scammed.

Many believe seniors are the target of these scams, but government research found that younger consumers fall victim to identity crimes more frequently. Of the victims who were willing to share their age range, the vast majority (62 percent) fall within a range from 25 to 64 years of age.

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The Identity Theft Resource Center has received the highest number of reports of identity crimes from victims who self-identified as White (60 percent), followed by Black or African American (15 percent) and Hispanic or Latino, or Spanish origin of any race (14 percent).

According to the Federal Trade Commission, consumers reported losing $367 million to job and business opportunity scams in 2022, up 76 percent year over year.  The typical victim lost $2,000, in pursuit of a job.

The report highlighted several scam scenarios. “Victim reached out and said that he had fallen victim to a job scam. The victim said that he was attempting to apply for a job online. He said he spoke to people he didn’t feel comfortable with, so he decided to look them up and found out that they used other people’s images. The victim said he gave them his SSN, Driver’s License picture, and address.”

In another example, a victim explained, “I had a potential employer get me in for a virtual interview, and I gave them my name, address and a photo of my I.D. Once the interview was over, I did some digging, and it looks like the company is a scam.”

LinkedIn, where many scammers set up shop, is working to foil the internet thieves.  According to its recent community report, the company blocked more than 63 million fake accounts during the second half of 2023. The site also removed more than 108 million pieces of spam and scam content over the same period, per the report.

The job site is “committed to ensuring the platform remains authentic, secure, and easy to use for members,” said Oscar Rodriguez, LinkedIn’s vice president of trust product management, in a statement.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, here are ways to spot and avoid phony job postings:

•       Verify job openings before you apply. Visit the official website for the organization or company you’re applying for. Most include a “career opportunities” or “jobs” section. 

•       See what others are saying. Look up the name of the company along with words like “scam,” “review,” or “complaint.” The results may include the experiences of others who’ve lost money.

Never deposit a check from someone you don’t know. An honest employer will never send you a check and then tell you to send them part of the money.

—Nabil Muhammad, Writer

Israel Strikes

People pause for a photo on an abandoned tank in Damascus, Syria (AFP)

 

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 Who can stop Jaylen Johnson?

Mangione’s arrest

 

This booking photo released Monday by the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections shows Luigi Mangione, a suspect in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS VIA AP

Luigi Mangione—the 26-year-old identified by authorities as a “strong person of interest” in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last week—was formally charged in New York late Monday, hours after his arrest in Pennsylvania. According to court records, Mangione was charged with murder, three weapons possession-related charges and one forgery charge in Manhattan state court. A description of Mangione’s arrest notes that officers found a 3D-printed pistol and 3D-printed silencer in his backpack, which authorities have said are consistent with the firearm used in the shooting of Thompson.

BUSINESS + FINANCE

 

Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan Murdoch. PHOTO BY JEAN CATUFFE/GC IMAGES

A Nevada court rejected Rupert Murdoch’s attempt to amend his succession plan and give sole control of the family trust to his eldest son in hopes of preserving the right-wing slant of his media empire, the New York Times reported. Murdoch, 93, was originally set to grant equal control of his empire, which includes Fox News and the Wall Street Journal, to his four oldest children, but last year he petitioned to grant exclusive control of the family trust to his son Lachlan. Nvidia shares slid 2.6% Monday after China announced it was opening an investigation into the company over potential antitrust law violations. Beijing is looking into Nvidia’s 2020 $7 billion acquisition of computer networking equipment company Mellanox Technologies, and the firm is also facing antitrust problems in the U.S.

Pivoting To AI

 

Three years ago, one of the world’s largest bitcoin miners offered a lifeline to the town of Denton, Texas, a community burdened with tens of millions of dollars in debt. The miner, Core Scientific, wanted to build a data center in the city. In exchange for a massive power contract that would double Denton’s energy footprint, the company would provide much needed revenue in the form of taxes and fees. Denton accepted.  But within months of powering on, Core Scientific filed for bankruptcy after being saddled with its own outstanding debt. Now, on the heels of the artificial intelligence boom, Core Scientific has reinvented itself as a cloud computing company for AI startups. Last month, the former crypto miner announced that its Denton facility will transform into what it claims will be one of the largest AI supercomputers in North America. It received a green light from Denton’s local government to increase its previously 297-megawatt power agreement by another 100 megawatts, enough to run nearly 400,000 homes—a capacity larger than Elon Musk’s “Colossus” supercomputer in Memphis, Tennessee. Core Scientific was drawn to Denton because of its abundance of electricity and cheap real estate. When Core Scientific proposed building its data center in town—a project that would supposedly deliver the utility up to $8 million a year in revenue—the city’s local power utility was $140 million in debt after a historic winter storm in 2021. Residents and some Denton city officials were skeptical of the project because of its secretive nature and large energy footprint, but they ultimately supported the project after the utility convinced them that Core Scientific would shoulder 100% of the risk.

WHY IT MATTERS

“Driven by the artificial intelligence frenzy, industrial-scale crypto miners—with existing access to infrastructure and massive power contracts—are looking for ways to pivot their operations to AI computing,” says Forbes senior writer Sarah Emerson. “Core Scientific is one of the largest bitcoin miners to have successfully transitioned its business to AI, and did so in the aftermath of bankruptcy. What remains to be seen is whether these AI supercomputers, which must run continuously, will be a burden to local energy grids.”