Who Said That
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, regarding the unanimous approval by the Senate to make Juneteenth, the date commemorating the end of chattel slavery in the U.S., a public holiday. (NPR — June 15, 2021)
Attorney General Merrick Garland, regarding the Biden administration’s plans to increase security analysis of domestic terrorists while also protecting individual’s First Amendment rights. (Associated Press — June 15, 2021)
Michael Veale, a University College London professor, regarding the risks of having sensitive information, such as credit card information and identification cards, saved on a person’s cellphone. Apple recently announced its plans to allow users to save their driver’s license digitally on their phone as a legitimate form of ID. (NPR — June 12, 2021)
New York Assembly Member Daniel O’Donnell, regarding the bill that was passed to provide a gender neutral option on driver’s licenses, allowing residents to use “X” instead of selecting either male or female. (Reuters — June 11, 2021)
The American Jewish Committee, in a statement responding to the fact that Arizona is working to refurbish its gas chamber. Officials have declined to state why they are starting the lethal gas chamber, but the state has struggled to acquire lethal injection drugs as manufacturers refuse to supply them and there are currently 17 eligible death-row prisoners who may elect the gas chamber as their form of execution. The state has purchased materials to make hydrogen cyanide gas, which is the same lethal component that the Nazis used to kill 865,000 Jews at the Auschwitz concentration camp alone. (Associated Press — June 10, 2021)
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, regarding the lawsuit the state filed against the tech giant, asking the court to declare Google a public utility. The lawsuit aims to deter Google’s “self-preferencing” and is the first of its kind. (The Hill — June 8, 2021)
Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, who chairs the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which conducted a report into the Jan. 6 Capitol Insurrection with the Senate Rules Committee. The report found that there were broad intelligence breakdowns and law enforcement and military failures ahead of the attack. Peters also remarked that the report will allow immediate improvements to be made to the Capitol’s security systems. (Associated Press — June 8, 2021)
Kalman Hettleman, an education policy analyst in Maryland, regarding the increased demand in summer school this year as students try to catch up from a year of distance learning. (Associated Press — June 7, 2021)
JPMorgan Chase & Co., regarding its decision to pull its political donations to U.S. lawmakers that voted to overturn President Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election. The bank will pause its donations to a “handful” of the 147 lawmakers who voted to overturn the results through the 2021-2022 election cycle, which will include the midterm elections. (Reuters — June 4, 2021)
Jim Baker, executive director of the Private Equity Stakeholder Project, regarding a new report that found that the private equity investment firm Pretium Partners has been evicting residents in majority-Black counties at a much higher rate than those in majority-white counties. The report found that in predominantly white counties, Pretium has been filing for eviction against about 2 percent of people renting from them, whereas in majority-Black counties the company has filed to evict 10 to 12 percent of its residents. Pretium Partners owns 55,000 homes, making it the nation's second-largest owner of single-family rental residences. (NPR — June 3, 2021)
“Your task is to determine the depth of the harm, and the ways in which we are to repair that harm.”
California Secretary of State Shirley Weber, regarding the state’s newly formed task force that will study and advise state leaders on reparations for African Americans. The task force is the first of its kind. (Associated Press — June 2, 2021)
Ricco Wright, the owner of The Black Wall Street Gallery in New York City, after someone smeared white paint on the gallery's glass facade. The gallery was featuring tributes to those who were killed in the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921. (NPR — June 1, 2021)
Editor-at-Large Clay Jenkinson, commenting on how the country has not only embraced the 1787 Constitution in precisely the way Jefferson feared, but has also been hesitant about amending it to keep it current with changing demographics, technologies and domestic geopolitical challenges. (Governing — May 30, 2021)
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, in a letter to the state’s Board of Regents that was released earlier this week, stating that critical race theory should not be taught in the public school system. (Associated Press — May 25, 2021)
Erik Olson, a senior strategic director with the Natural Resources Defense Council, regarding the 8 to 10 million lead and galvanized pipes across the nation that need to be replaced. President Biden has proposed spending $45 billion of his Infrastructure Plan to replace each lead service line, but the American Water Works Association estimates the replacement could cost more than $60 billion. (NPR — May 25, 2021)
Glenn Sheriff, a professor at Arizona State University, regarding a study about heat islands in cities and surrounding areas and how people of color are almost always exposed to more extreme urban heat than white people. The disparity was seen in 169 of the country’s 175 largest urban areas. (Associated Press — May 25, 2021)
Wisconsin state Sen. Andrew Jacque, regarding Gov. Tony Evers’ decision to veto a bill that would have allowed paddlewheel devices in raffles. It is Evers’ second veto of such a bill, which he deems unconstitutional because of the devices’ similarities to roulette, which is banned in the state because of the threat it poses to gambling rights given to the state’s Native American tribes. (Associated Press — May 21, 2021)
Isi Baehr-Breen, the deputy communications director for Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, regarding a Facebook ad Omar’s office says badly misstates a tweet she sent. Facebook has not yet removed the ad but told Omar’s office that it would be eligible for a fact check. (The Hill — May 20, 2021)
Kristin White, a workplace safety attorney in Cleveland, Ohio, regarding the fact that businesses can legally request their workers to show proof of vaccination but many don’t because they don’t realize they’re allowed to do so. As mask mandates have begun to lift across the nation, some workers are worried about the risks that a trust-based system could bring. (Associated Press — May 20, 2021)
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, regarding the state’s decision to remove the mask mandate for those fully vaccinated against COVID-19. (NPR — May 19, 2021)
Maricopa County, Ariz., Recorder Stephen Richer tweeted responding to the Republican audit of the county’s 2020 election results and the continued lies about how the elections were run. (Associated Press — May 15, 2021)
Dr. Anthony Fauci, regarding the nation’s health disparities that have grown worse from the coronavirus pandemic response. (Associated Press — May 11, 2021)
Josh Bivens, research director at the Economic Policy Institute, regarding the fact that many companies are struggling to find workers and are increasing wages to try and bring in new employees. Several major chain companies, such as McDonald’s, Sheetz, Chipotle, Amazon, Walmart and Costco have boosted wages, in some cases to $15 an hour or higher. (Associated Press — May 14, 2021)
President Joe Biden, responding to reports of gasoline price gouging while the Colonial Pipeline was offline for several days due to a cyberattack. The pipeline has since been reopened, but some motorists are still waiting for fuel to return to normal levels. (Associated Press — May 13, 2021)
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, regarding his decision to ban mask mandates and the use of vaccine passports in the state. (NPR — May 12, 2021)
The People’s Collective for Environmental Justice’s Ivette Torres, regarding the increased number of retailer warehouses that are being built closer to residential areas that have experienced increased levels of pollution that can cause asthma, heart attacks and Parkinson’s disease due to delivery trucks’ diesel fuel. Amazon, one of the nation’s most prominent retailers, plans to expand its American warehouse square footage by 50 percent this year. (Ars Technica — May 11, 2021)
Vermont Gov. Phil Scott, commenting on the large amounts of federal funds that states are receiving under President Biden’s pandemic relief law. Guidance on how the funds can be used hasn’t yet been released but many governors and lawmakers are already developing plans on how they will invest the money. (Associated Press — May 10, 2021)
Former Alabama state Rep. Patricia Todd, commenting on passage of medical marijuana legislation. Todd had proposed a similar medical marijuana bill in 2013, which was not only rejected but received an award for “deadest“ bill of that year. (Associated Press — May 7, 2021)
Sharon Hoover, co-director of the National Center for School Mental Health (NCSMH), regarding the mental and emotional impact that the pandemic has had on students across the nation. The NCSMH is launching an online course to help train teachers and school staff on how to give support to students’ mental health concerns. (Reuters — May 6, 2021)
Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, responding to complaints from motorists who are “appalled” by some of the messages on vanity plates in the state. Lawmakers are considering legislation to ban offensive language from vehicle plates. (Boston Globe — May 5, 2021)
Most Read
Finance
