On February 7, 1997, Detroit Firefighter Ardra Young, who also owned a truck business, went to Bolingbrook Illinois to purchase vehicles for his business. On the evening of February 8th, Young claimed to be ill during a business dinner. He returned to his hotel room and claimed he passed out and did not wake up until approximately 3a.m.. It was when he called home at 3 a.m. and spoke with his brother, that he learned that his ex-wife Terri and teenage son Emmanuel had been shot. He was informed that his ex-wife had died and although his son had survived, he was on life support. Young immediately left Illinois and drove home to Detroit. At the hospital, Young ordered that his son be removed from life support. Young was allowed to sign the form to have life support disconnected for Emmanuel, who died shortly after life support was removed. On February 9th, Firefighter Young confessed to killing his wife and teenage son. According to Young, after excusing himself from the business dinner on Saturday evening, he did not return to his room. Instead he drove to Detroit and arrived at approximately 9:30pm. From a phone booth, Young called his wife to meet him in Detroit. When his wife and son arrived, he shot and killed them both. He flattened one of the tires on his wife's car and threw the contents of her purse around to make it appear as though his wife and son were robbed and killed after their car broke down. Young then drove back to Bolingbrook Illinois. During his confession, Young claimed to police that he had killed his family, "To be free..." Young was convicted by a jury of two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of felony- firearm in the shooting deaths of his wife Terri and son Emmanuel. In November 1998, Young was sentenced to concurrent terms of life imprisonment and to consecutive two-year terms for felony firearm.
Detroit - A former Detroit firefighter was charged with killing his wife and teen-age son.
Ardra Young, 34, was arraigned Monday on two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Terri Young, 34, and Emmanuel Young, 14.
Young arranged a meeting Saturday evening with his wife of 14 years at a park near their home in Wayne County's Redford Township, police said. Terri Young insisted that Emmanuel accompany them to the park - where Ardra Young allegedly shot them both.
Young returned to his home, washed his bloodstained clothes and drove to the home of a female acquaintance in Illinois, investigators said. He returned to Detroit early Sunday, ordering doctors at Grace Hospital to turn off his son's life-support system, police said.
Young then went to Detroit police headquarters, where investigators said he described his role in the shootings.
Young, a firefighter for seven years, resigned Monday. He is jailed without bond.
The Detroit Fire Department is on edge while the FBI investigates hate letters that claim white firefighters are ready to kill black colleagues and their families. Fire Commissioner James Bush says he's taking the threats from an unknown group called the White Fire Fighters Association 'very, very seriously.'
However, Bush is declining comment about one letter that allegedly ties the mysterious group to the shooting deaths of a black firefighter's wife and son last year. The firefighter, Ardra Young, was later dismissed and convicted on two murder counts, for which he's now serving life in prison. The letter's claim that the killings were racially motivated to punish Young has prompted his lawyer to plan an appeal. In an interview with UPI today, Bush implied that one distraught firefighter may be responsible for the letters threatening harm to any black firefighters who harass whites. At least four letters were sent in recent weeks to fire officials and the mayor's office. Bush says, 'We're a family here and when there's a member who needs guidance we all try to help.' About two-thirds of the city's 1,400 firefighters are black. Bush says the department's blacks and whites 'have a good relationship. We work very well together.' The FBI is working with Detroit police on the investigation. There've been no arrests. ---
January 05, 1998:
Ardra Young filed an appeal on his conviction for his wife's and son's murders. On March 14, 2000, Young's conviction was confirmed.
March 14, 2000:
Michigan Court Of Appeals Affirmed Ardra Young's conviction
The Violence Against Women Act will expire at the end of September if lawmakers don’t act on a bill to extend the protections introduced by Democrats just before the House leaves town for the August recess.
Congress first passed the landmark domestic violence law in 1993 and most recently reauthorized it in 2013. House Minority Whip Steny H. Hoyer urged chamber Republicans not to hold up the new proposal by “playing politics.”
When House members return in September, they’ll have just 11 legislative days before the law lapses. In 2013, conservatives in the House GOP caucus opposed the bill after leadership brought the Senate version to the floor without committee consideration in the House.
Hoyer, a co-sponsor of the original 1993 bill, invited Republicans to join Democrats in backing the current iteration.
But consideration of the bill could be slowed because the measure goes beyond just extending the same protections under the existing law and because it was not proposed by a bipartisan group of lawmakers.
“Some wanted an extension, but we knew we had to answer the pain of many women,” said Texas Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, sponsor of the reauthorization measure.
The new proposal includes provisions to help victims of domestic violence and stalking stay in stable housing situations and to bar evictions based on the actions of an abuser. It also includes an expansion of gun control laws aimed at prohibiting persons convicted of dating violence and stalking and those under protective orders from possessing firearms. Some states already have so-called red flag laws in place, with the aim of preventing escalation of violence.
“We will not stop fighting until this plague has been banished from our homes and communities,” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said.
Jackson Lee lauded expanded protections for Native American women, improved tribal access to federal crime databases, and affirmation of tribal criminal jurisdiction over non-Indian perpetrators. Native populations are especially vulnerable with 84 percent of women on reservations experiencing some type of sexual violence in their lifetimes.
Pelosi pointed to the rise of the #MeToo movement and said increased focus on prevention and educating men and boys is an important part of the proposal.
Pelosi, Deb Haaland Stump for Violence Against Women Act
Albuquerque event showcases Democratic plans for reauthorization
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., joined House candidate Deb Haaland in Albuquerque Tuesday to advocate for reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, touting the bill’s provisions aimed at protecting Native American communities.
“For indigenous women, change has been slow and we are in the fight for our lives,” said Haaland, who, if elected to the Albuquerque-based 1st District seat, would make history as the first Native American woman elected to the House. She is an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Laguna.
Native populations are especially vulnerable, with 84 percent of women on reservations experiencing some type of sexual violence in their lifetimes, according to the National Institute of Justice, a research division of the Justice Department.
Democrats’ reauthorization proposal, introduced in July, would expand resources to combat violence against women in Native American communities and on reservations.
The 2018 reauthorization proposal, led by House Democrats, would direct the attorney general and Interior secretary to work with tribes to evaluate laws and policies on missing and murdered native women and report to Congress with recommendations.
“We must increase funding for tribal justice systems and track the data because Native women deserve to be counted and we deserve to live,” said Haaland.
During the last reauthorization of the bill in 2013, Congress hit roadblocks as Republicans and Democrats diverged on protections for Native Americans, undocumented immigrants and the LGBT community. A Republican proposal was defeated in the House, but both chambers ultimately passed a bipartisan Senate version.
The 2013 reauthorization extended tribal jurisdiction over non-Native Americans who commit crimes of domestic violence or sexual assault against a Native American woman. Before that, tribal courts had no authority to prosecute non-Indians — even if the perpetrator lived on the reservation, worked for the tribe, and was married to a tribal member.
Both Haaland and Pelosi credited the inclusion of some provisions to address issues facing Native American communities in the 2013 bill, but said that more needs to be done.
“VAWA needs to be modernized and updated so that it works for every family, woman, man, child,” said Haaland. She said that funding for tribal law enforcement will be a priority if she is elected. (In November, Haaland faces Republican Janice E. Arnold Jones that Inside Elections with Nathan Gonzales/Roll Call rates as Solid Democratic.)
The 2018 bill also seeks to improve tribal access to federal crime databases.
During her comments, Pelosi acknowledged members of Native communities who worked with lawmakers to address areas of the 2013 law that could be changed to better serve their communities.
“We must recognize the specific nature of the issues facing the native community, mostly perpetrated by non-Indians,” Pelosi told the crowd in Albuquerque.
When House members return in September, they will have just 11 legislative days before the current authorization of the law lapses.
Congress Speaker Of The House and Majority Leader letter to US Senate
Nearly 50 House Republicans are calling on Speaker Paul D. Ryan, R-Wis., and Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., to bring a reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act to the floor before it expires Sept. 30.
“Since being signed into law in 1994, VAWA has helped to protect and support millions of Americans who have faced domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking,” the group, led by New Yorkers John Katko and Elise Stefanik, wrote in a letter.
The group cited Centers for Disease Control statistics that show one in three women and one in six men encounter sexual violence during their lifetime.
Congress first passed the landmark domestic violence law in 1993 and most recently reauthorized it in 2013. There are only seven legislative days where both chambers are slated to be in session until the end of the month.
“This landmark legislation has drastically improved our nation’s response to these crimes and has contributed to the overall declining rates of domestic abuse since its enactment. However, instances of violence are still very common” said the letter.
“This is a bipartisan issue that affects every district in the country and we must act now to avoid any lapse in these critical services,” Stefanik said in a statement Monday.
A reauthorization proposal, introduced by Democrats in July, includes provisions to help victims of domestic violence and stalking stay in stable housing situations and to bar evictions based on the actions of an abuser. It also includes an expansion of gun control laws aimed at prohibiting persons convicted of dating violence and stalking and those under protective orders from possessing firearms. Some states already have so-called red flag laws in place, with the aim of preventing escalation of violence.
In 2013, conservatives in the House GOP caucus opposed the bill after leadership brought the Senate version to the floor without committee consideration in the House.
“This is not a partisan issue. VAWA has been continually reauthorized on a bipartisan basis in Congress. We must act now to maintain and strengthen this critical law,” wrote the group of Republicans.
Violence Against Women Act Extension Included in Stopgap Spending Deal
Programs authorized under law set to continue through Dec. 7
The Violence Against Women Act, which was set to expire Sept. 30, will be extended through Dec. 7 under a stopgap spending bill released Thursday.
“Any program, authority or provision, including any pilot program, authorized under the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 shall continue in effect through the date specified,” the bill text reads.
The short-term continuing resolution will provide funding to keep the government operating through Dec. 7 as Congress continues work on the fiscal 2019 appropriations bills.
Earlier Thursday, Rep. Elise Stefanik, a New York Republican, filed legislation that would extend the current Violence Against Women Act for six months and give lawmakers more time to negotiate potential changes.
Congress first passed the landmark domestic violence law in 1993 and most recently reauthorized it in 2013.
A reauthorization proposal, introduced by Democrats in July, includes provisions to help victims of domestic violence and stalking stay in stable housing situations and to bar evictions based on the actions of an abuser. It also includes an expansion of gun control laws aimed at prohibiting persons convicted of dating violence and stalking and those under protective orders from possessing firearms. Some states already have so-called red flag laws in place, with the aim of preventing escalation of violence.
Neither chamber has taken action on the new Violence Against Women Act reauthorization proposal yet.
Earlier this week, 46 House Republicans called on Speaker Paul D. Ryan and Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy to bring a reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act to the floor before its Sept. 30 expiry date.
Pelosi: Short-Term VAWA Extension ‘Abdication of Our Responsibilities to Women’
Minority leader pens letter to speaker asking for long-term reauthorization
Updated 2:39 p.m. | House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi penned a letter to Speaker Paul D. Ryan on Monday criticizing House Republicans’ decision to only temporarily extend the soon-to-expire Violence Against Women Act.
House Republicans plan to extend VAWA through Dec. 7 as part of a fiscal 2019 government funding package that would provide yearlong funding for the departments of Defense; Labor, Health and Human Services; and Education and short-term funding for a handful of other agencies. The House is expected to vote on the package the week of Sept. 24. VAWA is set to expire Sept. 30.
“Republicans’ decision to include only a short-term VAWA reauthorization in the must-pass ominibus spending bill is nothing short of an abdication of our responsibilities to women in our country,” Pelosi said in her letter to Ryan. “Democrats’ support for keeping government open does not diminish our resolve to ensure that a strong, long-term VAWA reauthorization be passed immediately.”
Specifically, the California Democrat asked the speaker to schedule a vote on the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2018, a bill by Texas Democratic Rep. Shelia Jackson Lee, that would update the law and reauthorize it for five years.
“As Members of Congress, it is our responsibility to ensure that every woman, in every part of our society, can live free from violence,” Pelosi wrote. “Yet, the continued refusal over many years of House Republicans to extend VAWA’s critical protections to include vulnerable communities, particularly Native American, immigrant and LGBTQ communities, represents a blatant dereliction of that duty.”
A Ryan spokeswoman said that as work continued toward a broader agreement, “an extension is necessary to ensure there is no lapse in the program.”
“We are confident our Democratic colleagues will join us in ensuring that doesn’t happen,” Ryan spokeswoman AshLee Strong said.
Joe Biden: When a woman alleges sexual assault, presume she is telling the truth
Former vice president Joe Biden, who was scrutinized for his handling of sexual harassment allegations made in Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’s 1991 Senate confirmation hearings, said Monday night that any woman’s public claims of assault should be presumed to be true.
Asked for his thoughts on the allegations of sexual assault made Sunday against federal judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, President Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court, Biden said the episode “brings back all of the complicated issues that were there” nearly three decades ago.
As chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Biden presided over the confirmation hearings for Thomas during which Anita Hill alleged the nominee had sexually harassed her while he was her boss. Biden allowed personal questioning of Hill from the all-male Senate panel, and though he voted not to confirm Thomas and later apologized for his handling of the hearings.
Biden, who is considered a possible 2020 presidential candidate, was asked by reporters Monday night whether he believed Hill’s claims.
“Oh, I thought she was telling the truth at the beginning,” Biden said. “I really did.”
Speaking generally, Biden added, “For a woman to come forward in the glaring lights of focus, nationally, you’ve got to start off with the presumption that at least the essence of what she’s talking about is real, whether or not she forgets facts, whether or not it’s been made worse or better over time. But nobody fails to understand that this is like jumping into a cauldron.”
Biden made his comments to a handful of reporters during a reception at the residence of Irish Ambassador Dan Mulhall to celebrate the publication of the new Cambridge History of Ireland, where the former vice president gave lengthy remarks about Ireland and his family’s roots there.
Biden defended Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s handling of allegations against Kavanaugh. The senator from California, who is the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, did not make the claims public when she first learned of them. The accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, wished to remain anonymous, but eventually shared her story with The Washington Post in an article published Sunday.
“Dianne’s getting beat up now for why didn’t she go forward,” Biden said. “The one thing that’s not said is, of all the progress we’ve made in the country, #Metoo, you still have the fundamental question of, what is the individual’s right to come forward or not to come forward?”
Biden noted that Feinstein sits on the Judiciary Committee because he insisted when she got elected in 1992 that she, as well as newly elected Sen. Carol Mosley Braun (D-Ill.), join what had been an all-male committee.
“Neither one wanted to be on and I campaigned for them on the condition that if they won they had to come on the committee,” Biden said.
Reflecting on the Hill hearings, Biden said, “The one regret I have is I wish there had been a way I could’ve controlled the questions. But you can’t in a committee. Remember, when they went after the last victim [Hill], I kept trying to gavel, but there was no way to say, ‘You can’t ask that question.’ ”
Biden said he convened more than 1,000 hours of hearings on domestic violence and assault as he crafted the Violence Against Women Act, one of his signature achievements in the Senate. He reflected on the emotional trauma associated with women who come forward with allegations.
“For all, it’s damaging,” Biden said. “For some, it’s devastating.”
As the questions from reporters continued, Biden’s staffers grew visibly uncomfortable with him holding forth on the topic. The former vice president ignored their nudges to move along and mingle with other guests — preferably non-journalists — who had packed into Mulhall’s living room to see him.
Then one question got him to cut off the impromptu gaggle. Asked whether it mattered that Ford’s claims of assault by Kavanaugh occurred when the judge was 17 and in high school, Biden demurred.
“What I’m going to do is I’m not going to answer any more questions,” the former vice president said, with a laugh. “I’d be happy to talk about Ireland.”
Kavanaugh Controversy and Violence Against Women Act Collide on Capitol Hill
Not the first time a Supreme Court fight and VAWA have been linked
Christine Blasey Ford’s sexual assault allegation against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh upended his confirmation process and brought sexual misconduct back into the spotlight on Capitol Hill. While the Senate Judiciary Committee digs into what happened more than 30 years ago, other lawmakers are working to extend and expand protections for victims under the Violence Against Women Act.
The competing claims from Ford and Kavanaugh have divided both the Senate and the country, with Ford accusing Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her at a party when they were teenagers, and Kavanaugh issuing blanket denials and saying he welcomes the chance to “clear my name.”
On Sunday, more allegations of sexual misdeeds from Kavanaugh’s past emerged, causing more turbulence for Republican efforts to make him a justice.
There is also a split on how and when to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, which is set to expire at the end of September. The House is expected to vote this week on a stopgap spending bill that includes an extension through Dec. 7 of the landmark anti-violence law, but many lawmakers would prefer a full reauthorization.
“Republicans’ decision to include only a short-term VAWA reauthorization in the must-pass minibus spending bill is nothing short of an abdication of our responsibilities to women in our country,” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi wrote in a letter to Speaker Paul D. Ryan on Sept. 17.
In the Senate, Iowa Republican Joni Ernst called for a full debate in “regular order” on a reauthorization.
“I believe we can strengthen this act in several ways by addressing changing circumstances since its last reauthorization five years ago by tailoring its language to better fit the needs of our communities. There are provisions we need to change and to work on, but we are not afforded that opportunity,” Ernst said on the Senate floor following passage of the short-term extension in that chamber.
What’s old is new again
If the connection between the two topics sounds familiar, there is a reason for that.
Congress passed the original VAWA in 1994, sponsored by Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware and Rep. Louise M. Slaughter. The legislation came together in the aftermath of the 1991 Anita Hill hearings — where Hill alleged she faced sexual harassment by Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas — and the subsequent “Year of the Woman,” when a record four women were elected to the Senate and 24 to the House in 1992.
The future of VAWA is uncertain at a time when, once again, more women than ever are running for public office and another woman may publicly testify about a high court nominee’s alleged misconduct.
Despite Republicans and Democrats both saying that prevention of violence against women and support for survivors is not a partisan issue, a stark party-line divide has emerged since the allegations against Kavanaugh became public.
Democrats have pushed for an FBI investigation before Ford testifies and demonstrators have flocked to Capitol Hill to show their belief in Ford’s side of the story. Republicans, the White House and the Justice Department have pushed back on opening a federal investigation of the matter.
President Donald Trump cast his own doubt on Ford’s claims Friday, suggesting that if she had been assaulted, then charges would’ve been filed against Kavanaugh — a claim that discounts the fact that the vast majority of sexual assault victims do not report the incidents.
“I have no doubt that, if the attack on Dr. Ford was as bad as she says, charges would have been immediately filed with local Law Enforcement Authorities by either her or her loving parents,” the president tweeted. “I ask that she bring those filings forward so that we can learn date, time, and place!”
It is not clear that efforts on both sides of the aisle to move toward a VAWA solution will prevent the kind of partisan posturing that soured the 2013 reauthorization, when conservatives in the House GOP caucus opposed the bill after leadership brought the Senate version to the floor without committee consideration.
“The VAWA extension through December 7th is a good step as we continue to work for a long term solution,” House Republican Conference Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington said in a statement. The highest-ranking GOP woman in Congress, McMorris Rodgers has also called on Trump to fill the vacant director position of the Justice Department’s Office on Violence against Women.
House Democrats introduced a VAWA reauthorization proposal in July, sponsored by Texas’s Sheila Jackson Lee, that includes updates to the law such as provisions to help victims of domestic violence and stalking stay in stable housing situations and to bar evictions based on the actions of an abuser.
The update, backed by 163 Democrats and no Republicans, also includes a gun-related provision that could prove to be a poison pill for any action in the GOP-led House. The Democratic proposal would expand firearms laws to ensure that partners under protective orders or convicted of dating violence or stalking are prohibited from having a gun. Some states already have so-called red flag laws in place, with the aim of preventing escalation of violence.
Earlier this month, 46 House Republicans called on Ryan and Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy to bring a VAWA reauthorization to the floor before its expiration. New York GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik introduced a bill that would extend the current law for six months and give lawmakers more time to negotiate potential changes.
Congress’ own protocols
One set of negotiations that is likely to slip past the midterms are talks between House and Senate staff on competing bills to overhaul the Congressional Accountability Act, which set up and oversees the process for how sexual harassment complaints are made and handled on Capitol Hill.
Both chambers passed bills that would hold lawmakers personally liable for paying settlements, an issue that arose when the #MeToo movement came to Capitol Hill and taxpayer-funded settlements paid to victims of harassment spurred outrage. A wave of resignations and retirements swept through as former Hill staffers came forward to talk about what they endured.
There are still significant sticking points in reconciling the two bills, including the scope of lawmaker liability for harassment and discrimination claims. So with limited time left in the legislative calendar before the November elections, the likelihood that Congress will take action to clean up sexual misconduct on Capitol Hill is dwindling.
Todd Ruger and John T. Bennett contributed to this report.
An outside group dedicated to electing Republican women is launching digital ads urging three lawmakers to support reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which is set to expire in December.
The digital ads, obtained first by Roll Call, target Reps. Mimi Walters of California and Barbara Comstock of Virginia — both facing tough re-elections — and Rep. Martha McSally of Arizona, who’s running for Senate.
All three are being challenged by Democratic women. In a year that’s seen high enthusiasm among female voters for Democratic candidates, especially in suburban districts, these issue ads try to highlight GOP lawmakers’ advocacy for women. Republicans are at risk of seeing the number of women in their House conference decline next year.
Running on Facebook, Google, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and Hulu, the ads are targeted to younger women, softer Republican voters and independents, and are backed by a six-figure digital buy across the three states. The ads are part of the MyRoar campaign, which is paid for by Winning for Women. The group’s PAC has endorsed all three women, who are also identified as “Lionesses” on the MyRoar website.
One version of the ad begins by explaining the Violence Against Women Act. “What if there was a law that provided defense for victims of sexual assault?” the narrator asks.
“Well that law expires in just months,” the narrator continues. “But what if I told you you could help the efforts of women like Congresswoman Barbara Comstock to keep it alive when Congress returns?”
“What if I told you that you could be heard?” the narrator says, as the face of a young woman appears on screen.
Another version of the ad opens with statistics about rape and sexual assault and the percentage of the offenders who see jail time. Things would be “a lot worse” without the Violence Against Women Act, the narrator says.
“Congresswoman Mimi Walters has been working hard for women. Learn how to help Mimi keep working to pass a bigger, better Violence Against Women Act when Congress returns,” the narrator says.
The Violence Against Women Act was supposed to expire on Sept. 30, but it was extended under a stopgap spending bill in September.
Led by Texas Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, Democrats have introduced legislation to reauthorize the law with updates, including a provision that would prohibit those under protective order from possessing firearms. No Republicans have signed on to the Democratic proposal.
GOP Reps. Elise Stefanik and John J. Faso of New York and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania introduced their own six-month reauthorization legislation in September. Walters is listed as a co-sponsor on that measure. Comstock and McSally are not.
Forty-six Republicans sent a letter to Speaker Paul D. Ryan and Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy last month asking for urgent action to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act before its Sept. 30 expiration. Comstock and Walters signed on to that letter. McSally did not.
“In Congress, all three of these women have a strong track record of supporting legislation that promotes and empowers women. Each is a warrior. And we look forward to their continued commitment to the Violence Against Women Act and to victims of violence and sexual assault across the country,” Winning For Women Executive Director Rebecca Schuller said in a statement.
Comstock is running for a third term in Virginia’s 10th District against Democratic state Sen. Jennifer Wexton. Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates her race Tilts Democratic.
Walters faces Democrat Katie Porter, a law professor, in a Toss-up race in California’s 45th District.
McSally is running for the Senate seat of retiring Arizona GOP Sen. Jeff Flake. Her race against Democratic Rep. Kyrsten Sinema is rated a Toss-up.
Pop superstar Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Democratic Senate candidate Phil Bredesen failed to persuade the great people of Tennessee on Tuesday.
The race was called for Tennessee Republican Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07) at around 8:05 pm. She handily defeated her Democratic opponent, former Gov. Phil Bredesen, whom Swift gave a full-throated endorsement.
The 28-year-old singer broke longtime silence on politics last month to endorse Bredesen and Cooper, saying that Bredesen’s opponent Marsha Blackburn has a voting record that “appalls and terrifies” her.
“As much as I have in the past and would like to continue voting for women in office, I cannot support Marsha Blackburn.” the “Bad Blood” singer said.
“Her voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me. She voted against equal pay for women. She voted against the Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which attempts to protect women from domestic violence, stalking, and date rape. She believes businesses have a right to refuse service to gay couples. She also believes they should not have the right to marry. These are not MY Tennessee values.”
Swift also blasted America’s “terrifying” and “sickening” amounts of “systemic racism.”
“I believe in the fight for LGBTQ rights, and that any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is WRONG. I believe that the systemic racism we still see in this country towards people of color is terrifying, sickening and prevalent.”
Swift also used her speech at the American Music Awards (AMAs) in October to promote voting following her endorsement of Democrats, urging her fans to “get out and vote.”
The Grammy-winner went so far as to celebrate voting for Bredesen.
Finally, the “Shake It Off” singer pleaded with her fans to vote on Election Day Tuesday, saying, “I’m seeing a lot of underestimation of young voters and this new generation who now have the right to vote just in the last couple of years, but these are people who grew up post 9/11, they grew up with school shooting drills at their schools.”
Violence Against Women Act Extension Included in Latest Spending Proposal
Corrected 6:30 p.m. | Despite indications earlier Monday that the Violence Against Women Act would not be extended as part of the two-week continuing resolution, the stopgap funding measure would indeed extend VAWA until at least Dec. 21.
This means the landmark domestic violence law will not lapse for the second time in 25 years.
The law was set to expire Sept. 30, but it was extended through Dec. 7 under a stopgap spending bill that expires this week. Text of the latest short-term spending deal was released Monday.
The Violence Against Women Act was first passed in 1994 to support victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. The legislation came together in the aftermath of the 1991 Anita Hill hearings — where Hill alleged she faced sexual harassment by Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas — and the subsequent “Year of the Woman,” when a record four women were elected to the Senate and 24 to the House in 1992.
The act expired in 2011, but many of the programs received funding in fiscal 2012 and 2013.
VAWA was most recently reauthorized it in 2013, after a fight. Conservatives in the House GOP caucus opposed the bill after leadership brought the Senate version to the floor without committee consideration in the House.
The law authorizes funding for social service agencies that aid victims affected by sexual violence, including rape crisis centers, shelters and legal-assistance programs. Reauthorizations over the years have included expanded provisions focused on reporting mechanisms for sexual violence on college campuses and extending protections for the LGBT community.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that one in three women and one in six men encounter sexual violence during their lifetime.
Earlier this year, 46 House Republicans called on Speaker Paul D. Ryan, R-Wis., and Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., to bring a reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act to the floor.
“Since being signed into law in 1994, VAWA has helped to protect and support millions of Americans who have faced domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking,” the group, led by New Yorkers John Katko and Elise Stefanik, wrote in the letter.
The pair joined with Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick to introduce a standalone six-month extension of the VAWA provisions.
“Congress must continue to aggressively combat domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking by swiftly reauthorizing the bipartisan Violence Against Women Act (VAWA),” Fitzpatrick said.
House Democrats introduced a VAWA reauthorization proposal in July, sponsored by Texas’s Sheila Jackson Lee, that includes updates to the law such as provisions to help victims of domestic violence and stalking stay in stable housing situations and to bar evictions based on the actions of an abuser.
The update, backed by more than 160 Democrats and no Republicans, also includes a gun-related provision that could prove to be a poison pill for any action in the GOP-led House. The Democratic proposal would expand firearms laws to ensure that partners under protective orders or convicted of dating violence or stalking are prohibited from having a gun. Some states already have so-called red flag laws in place, with the aim of preventing escalation of violence.
Neither measure was brought to committee or the House floor.
Violence Against Women Act Lapses Again
Authorization expired with partial government shutdown
The Violence Against Women Act lapsed for the second time in 25 years. Authorization for the law’s programs expired when the partial government shutdown began just after midnight Friday.
The landmark domestic violence law was set to expire Sept. 30, but was extended through Dec. 7 under the first stopgap spending bill and extended again until Dec. 21 in a second short-term bill.
The law authorizes funding for social service agencies that aid victims affected by sexual violence, including rape crisis centers, shelters and legal-assistance programs. Reauthorizations over the years have included expanded provisions focused on reporting mechanisms for sexual violence on college campuses and extending protections for the LGBT community.
Most VAWA programs are administered by the departments of Justice and Health and Human Services. Congress cleared fiscal 2019 funding for HHS in September, which means that funding for some VAWA programs administered by HHS may continue, even as the authorizations expire. The fiscal Commerce-Justice-Science spending bill, which funds DOJ, is one of the seven measures caught up in the shutdown standoff.
House Democrats pointed to the VAWA expiration as an argument against the government shutdown on Twitter. Debate over the shutdown has been primarily focused on the fight over funding for a wall on the US-Mexico border.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that one in three women and one in six men encounter sexual violence during their lifetime.
The Violence Against Women Act was first passed in 1994 to support victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. The legislation came together in the aftermath of the 1991 Anita Hill hearings — where Hill alleged she faced sexual harassment by Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas — and the subsequent “Year of the Woman,” when a record four women were elected to the Senate and 24 to the House in 1992.
The act expired in 2011, but many of the programs received funding in fiscal 2012 and 2013.
VAWA was most recently reauthorized it in 2013, after a fight. Conservatives in the House GOP caucus opposed the bill after leadership brought the Senate version to the floor without committee consideration in the House.
Rep. Gerry Connolly called the expiration “A shameful end to Speaker Ryan’s tenure.”
Earlier this year, 46 House Republicans called on Speaker Paul D. Ryan, R-Wis., and Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., to bring a reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act to the floor.
House Democrats introduced a VAWA reauthorization proposal in July, sponsored by Texas’s Sheila Jackson Lee, that includes updates to the law such as provisions to help victims of domestic violence and stalking stay in stable housing situations and to bar evictions based on the actions of an abuser.
Neither measure was brought to committee or the House floor.
