Alleged Anti-Gay Assaults in New York City Classified as Hate Crimes
The Manhattan District attorney has classified two of the most recent assaults on gay people in Greenwich Village as hate crimes, according to NY1. Last week, suspect Frederick Giunta walked into Julius, a well-known gay bar, shouted hateful insults and hit the bartender, according to police. The suspect had allegedly committed a similar attack at another bar right before the assault at Julius. The announcement that the assaults will be classified as hate crimes comes just weeks after two men were charged with beating a man while screaming anti-gay slurs at the famous Stonewall Inn, which is often recognized as the birthplace of the gay rights movement.
Fracking Liquids List to be Published Online
The Ground Water Protection Council (GWPC) announced Monday a plan to disclose the chemical contents of hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” liquids to the public. Drilling companies pump fracking liquids deep underground to break up rock and release natural gas. The GWPC is planning to create a searchable web database so the public can research fracking liquids. The announcement was made in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the heart of a massive, natural-gas, rich shale formation that has become a main battleground of the fracking debate. Environmentalists claim fracking contaminates ground water and does irreparable ecological damage, while industrialists claim it provides cheap and clean energy.
Violence Breaks Out in France During National Strike
Protesters clashed with police in Paris on Tuesday during protests against plans to change the French pension system, according to The New York Times. Workers and allies of all ages took to the streets during the sixth day of a national strike. Students called class boycotts in solidarity with striking workers in the public sector. Fuel shortages were reported across the country. Most of the protests were orderly, but in Paris about 300 young protesters threw up barricades and scuffled with riot police. Reports posted online by activists on the ground detail sit-ins and barricades across the country.
Ninety-Nine Democratic Seats in the House at Risk
New POLITICO analysis shows that 99 Democratic seats in the House of Representatives are under a considerable threat by challengers, putting the GOP well in range of gaining the 39 seats necessary to regain a majority after Congressional elections in two weeks. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report predicted Republicans would take at least 40 seats.
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