On Steps of US Supreme Court, AG Rosenblum Rallies Abortion Rights Supporters
Speaking at an ACLU-organized rally on the steps of the United States Supreme Court this morning, Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum made an impassioned defense of abortion as essential healthcare, and of medication abortion as a key part of those healthcare rights. The rally coincided with arguments being presented inside the Supreme Court in the AHM (Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine) v. FDA (Food & Drug Administration) case.
Should College Essays Touch on Race? Some Feel the Affirmative Action Ruling Leaves Them No Choice
When the Supreme Court ended affirmative action, it left the college essay as one of few places where race can play a role in admissions decisions. Yet the added weight of the college essay has fallen unevenly on students of color, who often feel pressure to exploit their hardships as they compete for a spot on campus.
Bird Flu, Weather and Inflation Conspire to Keep Egg Prices Near Historic Highs for Easter
The cost of filling a basket or completing a Seder plate reflect a market scrambled by disease, high demand and growing costs for farmers. While global prices are lower than they were at this time last year, they remain elevated.
Strippers' Bill of Rights Bill Signed Into Law in Washington State
Gov. Jay Inslee signed the measure on Monday which creates safer working conditions for people in the adult entertainment industry. The law requires employee training in establishments to prevent sexual harassment, identify and report human trafficking, deescalate conflict and provide first aid.
The Portland Art Museum presents Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks
Exhibition on view March 30 - August 11, 2024. Programs to include sneaker-focused Summer Camps and in-gallery activities ...
Portland Street Response Hosts Town Hall
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Joint Center Responds to the U.S. House Office of Diversity and Inclusion Disbandment
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Should college essays touch on race? Some feel the affirmative action ruling leaves them no choice
CHICAGO (AP) — When she started writing her college essay, Hillary Amofa told the story she thought admissions offices wanted to hear. About being the daughter of immigrants from Ghana and growing up in a small apartment in Chicago. About hardship and struggle. Then she deleted it...
Georgia ends game on 12-0 run to beat Missouri 64-59 in first round of SEC tourney
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Blue Cain had 19 points, Justin Hill scored 17 off the bench and 11th-seeded Georgia finished the game on a 12-0 run to beat No. 14 seed Missouri 64-59 on Wednesday night in the first round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament. Cain hit 6 of 12 shots,...
Georgia faces Missouri in SEC Tournament
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COMMENTARY: Is a Cultural Shift on the Horizon?
As with all traditions in all cultures, it is up to the elders to pass down the rituals, food, language, and customs that identify a group. So, if your auntie, uncle, mom, and so on didn’t teach you how to play Spades, well, that’s a recipe lost. But...
A Full Court Press to Get the Lead Out
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OP-ED: Congress Is Right: Federal Reserve’s Reg II Will Hurt Minority Communities in America
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OP-ED: A Silent Killer No More
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France's lower house passes a bill banning hair discrimination. It now goes to the Senate
PARIS (AP) — Lawmakers in France's lower house of parliament on Thursday approved a bill that would ban discrimination over the texture, length, color or style of someone's hair. The bill's authors hope the groundbreaking bill sends a message of support to Black people and others...
US changes how it categorizes people by race and ethnicity. It's the first revision in 27 years
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Carl Grant, a Vietnam veteran with dementia, wandered out of a hospital room to charge a cellphone he imagined he had. When he wouldn’t sit still, the police officer escorting Grant body-slammed him, ricocheting the patient’s head off the floor. Taylor Ware, a former Marine and...
Celebrity birthdays for the week of March 31-April 6
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How to make an Easter ham last all week
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Book Review: 'Glorious Exploits' turns classical history into an endearing comedy about tragedy
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UConn, San Diego State set for title game rematch in Sweet 16; Iowa State, Illinois target Elite 8
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VP Harris says US agencies must show their AI tools aren't harming people's safety or rights
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Dethroned crypto king Sam Bankman-Fried to be sentenced for defrauding FTX investors
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A Paris exhibit shows how the Olympics mirror society, from Nazi propaganda to fighting inequalities
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It's a bittersweet Easter for chocolate lovers and African cocoa farmers but big brands see profits
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Ukraine foreign minister arrives in New Delhi to boost ties with India, a historical ally of Russia
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Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, left, stands up and joins others in the audience in applauding the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) vote on Net Neutrality during an open hearing at the FCC in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2015. The FCC has agreed to impose strict new regulations on Internet service providers like Comcast, Verizon and AT&T. The regulatory agency voted 3-2 Thursday in favor of rules aimed at enforcing what's called "net neutrality." That's the idea that service providers shouldn't intentionally block or slow web traffic, creating paid fast lanes on the Internet. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Internet activists scored a major victory after the Federal Communications Commission agreed to rules that would ban service providers from creating Internet fast lanes.
What "net neutrality" means and what is likely to happen next:
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THE ISSUE
Net neutrality is the idea that Internet service providers won't block or slow Web traffic, instead allowing all data to have equal access to its networks. That means you won't be more inclined to watch a particular show on Amazon Prime instead of on Netflix because Amazon has struck a deal with your service provider to load its data faster.
For years, providers mostly agreed not to pick winners and losers among Web traffic because they didn't want to encourage regulators to step in and because they said consumers demanded it. But that started to change around 2005, when YouTube came online and Netflix became increasingly popular. On-demand video began hogging bandwidth, and evidence surfaced that some providers were manipulating traffic without telling consumers.
By 2010, the FCC enacted open Internet rules, but the agency's legal approach was eventually struck down in the courts. Thursday's vote by the FCC was intended to erase any legal ambiguity by setting clear rules on what broadband providers can do.
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THE PLAN
The FCC put the Internet in the same regulatory camp as the telephone, regulating it like a public utility. That means whatever company provides your Internet connection, even if it's to your phone, will now have to act in the public interest and not do anything that might be considered "unjust or unreasonable." If it doesn't, you can complain and the FCC can step in to investigate.
Regulators say reclassifying the Internet as a telecommunications service under the 1934 Communications Act will empower the FCC to go after Internet service providers if they start blocking or slowing Web traffic.
The FCC says it won't apply some sections of the law, including price controls. That means rates charged to customers for Internet access won't be subject to preapproval. But the law allows the government to investigate if consumers complain that costs are unfair.
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NEXT STOP
Some of the big Internet providers, or possibly a group of them, are expected to file lawsuits. It's likely they will ask the courts to block implementation of the new rules. That legal wrangling could go on for years, probably well into the first term of the next president.
Meanwhile, congressional Republicans that oppose the regulation say they are committed to pushing for a legislative fix. Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, is expected to lead this fight, starting with a March 18 hearing.
But how far the GOP and industry will get in Congress is unclear. The FCC regulations give most Democrats exactly what they wanted in the first place. And Obama likely would veto anything else. Democrats are unlikely to negotiate any deal until the courts weigh in.
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HOW THIS AFFECTS YOU
Consumers are unlikely to notice anything different about their Internet service. Industry says it's already operating under basic open Internet principals, and most providers say they have no desire to start throttling data for most of its customers.
What the FCC regulations do, however, is usher in a new era of government oversight where Internet service is deemed a public right. Consumers can complain if they don't believe they are being treated fairly. Regulators will have broad powers to go after companies they believe aren't acting in the public interest, including price gouging.
One open question is whether state taxes or fees on Internet service will eventually creep on to your bill. Right now, the Internet Tax Freedom Act prohibits that. But that law expires in October. While Congress is expected to renew the tax break, some states could start pushing back now that the Internet has been declared a public utility.
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Follow Anne Flaherty on Twitter at https://twitter.com/annekflaherty.
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