Good morning everyone! Happy Tuesday to you!

AP Photo/Matt Rourke
Joining the panel today to go over the latest happening in Baltmore and more are Trymaine Lee, Mike Barnicle, Phil Mattingly, Dorian Warren, Wes Moore, Neill Franklin, Kasie Hunt, April Ryan, Michael Steele, Rev. Al Sharpton, Tom Costello, Peter Schweizer, Lewis Pugh, Ed Webster, Sara Eisen, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, Jordan Roth and more

What host was breathless yesterday about the situation that was a pre-cursor to what went down in Baltimore? I am dying to know what Joe (Scarborough) is talking about by that lead in. I also wonder(ed) if the mayor is up to this challenge because last week on Chris Hayes, she was grilled about her stance on why there are and/were no body cameras on the police yet. Stephanie Rawlings Blake also made some odd comments over the weekend but she kind of took a step back on the Chris Hayes show that night I speak about because Chris was asking over and over about it (body cameras), and again, what she said one day was not exactly said that night. 

But man does this remind me of when I was in Los Angeles for those riots in the early 90's. That was because of a result after the cops were given that innocent charge. I wish the mayor or whomever would have arrested or taken the cops off duty that were in that van while Freddie Grays neck was snapped. Some bad cops did not act perfect and they should have been arrested for it and / or disciplined for it at the very least. If that would have happened in the last week, this rioting would not be happening last night / today. Because in Los Angeles that year of those riots, that erupted because that system somehow stated by that verdict that the cops in L.A. did not do anything wrong after 11 of them beat the crap out of Rodney King which was caught on camera. We (an ex girlfriend of mine that we were living together for years back then) fled from our Hollywood Hills house to head up to Santa Barbara once we started to see the smoke from our home balcony and patio. 

I am not saying that the kids in Baltimore had no reason to uproar but I wish they would NOT hurt the people in that community. They also set up a curfew in Los Angeles during those riots but ours was at like 430PM. Baltimore set one up for 10PM. That is not even a real curfew.

And, Joe is now also talking about how the Mayor one day said she wanted to have a result of some study about whether to place cameras on cops. And, then again, she took a step back on Chris Hayes' show. She basically said that she never said that she did not want them on police. She said that she wanted to see a study about it which may be what Joe is speaking about now. She even got a bit testy about it on that show. She is so wrong and also like Joe says again today, the ONLY cops that do NOT want cameras on them to view what they do all day, are those bad cops that have things to hide. 

Anyway, I did say the following last night at Sunset Daily (www.Sunset-Daily.com) which is that I get that people want to get at the police, but stealing from local business owners is what i hate. I saw one mini market owner just sitting there after being looted wondering why him. Again, this is what I wrote last night in the heat of it:

What does stealing from CVS and setting that store on fire have to do with Police brutality? Counterproductive Folks!
Embedded image permalink
You do NOT fight violence with more violence. It makes what happened to Freddie Gray a secondary issue when we have to pay attention to watching people set cars on fire and stealing from other people that are not police. We have raised so much awareness over the last 5 to 10 years about the prison industrial complex, the so called war on drugs, private prisons (for profits), and how black people are incarcerated at a huge rate compared to everyone else. We are making major head ways in real ways that are NON violent. Think about it. No one knew about these issues 10 years ago. Now, its common place because of people like me and certain media people. Laws need to be changed. That's where we are at today and by looting and hurting people just sets that back big time. The Police are gung ho. We know it. No one trusts them. Most are dumb asses. They can't get that job being smart people (what I mean is that to become a cop on the street or to become a state trooper, they have to test at a median level and anyone that scores high grades on that test, will NOT get that gig). We know that fact. But, we need to solve a huge issue. We do NOT need to steal from other small business owners. We do not need to hurt people just because they hurt us/you. Get at them where it really hurts. By Law. Everyone is angry. I am angry. We are all angry (and scared). What is stealing going to do about that anger?

Regardless of how I feel about being set back again, Baltimore Riots include Looting Clash Tears Gas Freddie Gray Protesters Clashes Freddy Gray Destroy Stores Protest Erupts In Chaos A Police Car Camera Woman Gets Robbed While Covering Baltimore Protests! Kept It Real: Dude Goes In On How The Media & The System Are Portraying The Baltimore Protests! Scenes Of Chaos In Baltimore As Thousands Protest Freddie Gray’s Death! Cars Get Smashed 4/25/2015!!

Several thousand protesters have converged in the US city of Baltimore to protest over the death of 25-year-old black man Freddie Gray while in police custody. Gray died on Sunday after sustaining multiple injuries which included three fractures in his neck vertebrae, a smashed voicebox and the severing of 80 per cent of his spine from his neck. Gray had been in police custody for a week, having been arrested in a high-crime neighbourhood after he made eye contact with police and fled. After he was caught he was found to be carrying a knife. Melissa Ealey, Gray’s cousin, told Al Jazeera that no crime perpetrated could warrant such abuse.

“There is no reason the police had to conduct themselves in a manner to where…it cost him his life," Ealey said. "I can understand breaking the law is wrong but the way they apprehended him and the things they did were completely against protocol and just inhumane as a whole."

National epidemic' of violence
Signs in hand, with slogans such as "Jail Killer Police" and "Unite Here," demonstrators from different racial backgrounds flooded two city blocks and marched to city hall, where the crowd overtook a plaza. March organiser and lawyer Malik Shabazz described violence against by American police officers as "a national epidemic against black men".

Al Jazeera's Shihab Rattansi, who was reporting from Baltimore's city hall, said the marchers had converged on the city centre and were now headed towards Baltimore's Oriole Park Major League Baseball stadium at Camden Yards where Baltimore's Orioles were later set to take on the Boston Red Sox.

Rattansi said police had attended the protest but were keeping a safe distance, as the protesters called for sweeping national policy changes on how cases of police brutality should be dealt with. Their demands included the establishment of an independent civilian review board in every city to review the cases, immediate suspension without pay for police officers accused of violence and protection for whistleblowers so they could freely speak about police brutality without retaliation.

"Speaker after speakers keep saying here, when a genocide is happening against you, why would you ask the people committing it what is going on," our reporter said. Stafford Sutton, an activist who attended the march, said changes to federal policies were required to defuse anger after a spate of recent cases of police brutality. "I've seen a lot of individuals who have been done wrong. A federal mandate needs to be brought down. We have to go through the process, we have to follow it through and go to Washington," Sutton said. 

Demonstrators have flooded the streets of Baltimore almost every day since Gray's death, although Saturday's rally was the largest. Gray's death has been compared to those of other unarmed black men who died at the hands of police in New York City and Ferguson, Missouri, and has intensified a national debate over police treatment of African-Americans.

The US Department of Justice is conducting a separate probe into Gray's death. A wake for Gray is scheduled for Sunday, with his funeral to be held on Monday. Rioters looted stores and hurled rocks and bricks at Baltimore police Monday, injuring several officers just hours after thousands mourned the man who died after suffering a severe spinal injury in police custody.

A helicopter circled overhead as groups of rioters moved through the city. One group piled onto and rode a car as it drove down the street. Monday's riot was the latest flare-up over the mysterious death of Freddie Gray, whose fatal encounter with officers came amid the national debate over police use of force, especially when black suspects are involved. Gray was African-American.

Police urged parents to locate their children and bring them home. Many of those on the streets appeared to be African-American youths, wearing backpacks and khaki pants that are a part of many public school uniforms. The riot broke out just as high school let out, and at a key city bus depot for student commuters.

Many who had never met Gray gathered earlier in the day in a Baltimore church to bid him farewell and press for more accountability among law enforcement. Early in the service, the attorney representing Gray's family, Billy Murphy, received a standing ovation after calling on the six officers who arrested him to tell the public what happened.

"This is our moment to get at truth. This is our moment to get it right," Murphy said. The 2,500-capacity New Shiloh Baptist church was filled with mourners. But even the funeral could not ease mounting tensions. Police said in a news release sent while the funeral was underway that the department had received a "credible threat" that three notoriously violent gangs are now working together to "take out" law enforcement officers.

A small group of mourners started lining up about two hours ahead of Monday's funeral. Placed atop Gray's body was a white pillow with a screened picture of him. A projector aimed at two screens on the walls showed the words "Black Lives Matter & All Lives Matter."The service lasted nearly two hours, with dignitaries in attendance including former Maryland representative and NAACP leader Kweisi Mfume and current Maryland Rep. John Sarbanes.

Erica Garner, 24, the daughter of Eric Garner, attended Gray's funeral. She said she came after seeing video of Gray's arrest, which she said reminded her of her father's shouts that he could not breathe when he was being arrested on a New York City street. Garner died during the confrontation. "It's like there is no accountability, no justice," she said. "It's like we're back in the '50s, back in the Martin Luther King days. When is our day to be free going to come?"

With the Rev. Jesse Jackson sitting behind him, the Rev. Jamal Bryant gave a rousing and spirited eulogy for Freddie Gray, a message that received a standing ovation from the crowded church. "Freddie's death is not in vain," Bryant said. "After this day, we're going to keep on marching. After this day, we're going to keep demanding justice."

Gray was arrested one week before he died when officers chased him through a West Baltimore neighborhood and dragged him into a police van. Police said Gray was arrested after he made eye contact with officers and ran away. Officers held him down, handcuffed him and loaded him into the van. While inside, he became irate and leg cuffs were put on him, police have said.

Gray asked for medical help several times, beginning before he was placed in the van. After a 30-minute ride that included three stops, paramedics were called. Authorities have not explained how or when Gray's spine was injured.

Police acknowledged Friday that Gray should have received medical attention on the spot where he was arrested — before he was put inside a police transport van handcuffed and without a seat belt, a violation of the police department's policy. Associated Press writer Amanda Lee Myers contributed to this report.

Riots in Baltimore raise questions about police response. National Guard troops fanned out through the city, shield-bearing police officers blocked the streets and firefighters doused still-simmering blazes early Tuesday as a growing area of Baltimore shuddered from riots following the funeral of a black man who died in police custody.

Baltimore erupts in riots after funeral of man who died in police custody. Police targeted, stores looted in Baltimore riots. Baltimore is not Ferguson. The violence that started in West Baltimore on Monday afternoon — within a mile of where Freddie Gray was arrested and placed into a police van earlier this month — had by midnight spread to East Baltimore and neighborhoods close to downtown and near the baseball stadium.

It was one of the most volatile outbreaks of violence prompted by a police-involved death since the days of protests that followed the death of Michael Brown, an unarmed black man who was shot and killed during a confrontation with a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, last summer. At least 15 officers were hurt, including six who remained hospitalized late Monday, police said. Two dozen people were arrested.

State and local authorities pledged to restore order and calm to Baltimore, but quickly found themselves responding to questions about whether their initial responses had been adequate. Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake was asked why she waited hours to ask the governor to declare a state of emergency, while the governor himself hinted she should have come to him earlier. "We were all in the command center in the second floor of the State House in constant communication, and we were trying to get in touch with the mayor for quite some time," Gov. Larry Hogan told a Monday evening news conference. "She finally made that call, and we immediately took action."

Asked if the mayor should have called for help sooner, however, Hogan replied that he didn't want to question what Baltimore officials were doing: "They're all under tremendous stress. We're all on one team." Rawlings-Blake said officials believed they had gotten the unrest that had erupted over the weekend under control "and I think it would have been inappropriate to bring in the National Guard when we had it under control." But later on, Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony Batts made it clear events had become unmanageable. "They just outnumbered us and outflanked us," Batts said. "We needed to have more resources out there."

Batts said authorities had had a "very trying and disappointing day." Police certainly had their work cut out for them: The rioters set police cars and buildings on fire in several neighborhoods, looted a mall and liquor stores and threw rocks at police with riot gear who responded occasionally with pepper spray.

"I understand anger, but what we're seeing isn't anger," Rawlings-Blake said. "It's disruption of a community. The same community they say they care about, they're destroying. You can't have it both ways." U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, in her first day on the job, said she would send Justice Department officials to the city in coming days. A weeklong, daily curfew was imposed beginning Tuesday from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., the mayor said, and Baltimore public schools announced they would be closed Tuesday.

Maj. Gen. Linda Singh, adjutant general of the Maryland National Guard, said up to 5,000 troops would be available for Baltimore's streets. "We are going to be out in massive force, and that just means basically that we are going to be patrolling the streets and out to ensure that we are protecting property," Singh said at a news conference Monday night. Col. William Pallozzi, the superintendent of the state police, said a request for up to 500 additional law enforcement personnel in Maryland had been sent. Pallozzi added that the state is putting out a request for up to 5,000 more law enforcement personnel from around the mid-Atlantic region.

Maryland Congressman Elijah Cummings and about 200 others, including ministers, tried unsuccessfully to quell the violence at one point Monday night, marching arm-in-arm through a neighborhood littered with broken glass, flattened aluminum cans and other debris. As they got close to a line of police officers, the marchers went down on their knees. They then rose to their feet and walked until they were face-to-face with the police officers in a tight formation and wearing riot gear. But the violence continued, with looters later setting a liquor store on fire and throwing cinder blocks at fire trucks as firefighters labored to put out the blazes.

Monday's riot was the latest flare-up over the death of Gray and came amid a national debate over police use of force following the high-profile deaths of several black men in encounters with police — from the Brown death in Ferguson to the deaths of Eric Garner in New York and Walter Scott in North Charleston, South Carolina. Police have declined to specify the races of the six officers involved in his arrest, all of whom have been suspended with pay while they are under investigation.

While they are angry about what happened to Gray, his family said riots are not the answer. "I think the violence is wrong," Gray's twin sister, Fredericka Gray, said late Monday. "I don't like it at all." The attorney for Gray's family, Billy Murphy, said the family had hoped to organize a peace march later in the week. Hours before the riots began Monday, mourners filled the 2,500-capacity New Shiloh Baptist church to attend Freddie Gray's funeral.

Gray was arrested on April 12 after making eye contact with officers and then running away, police said. He was held down, handcuffed and loaded into a van without a seat belt. Leg cuffs were put on him when he became irate inside. He asked for medical help several times even before being put in the van, but paramedics were not called until after a 30-minute ride. Police have acknowledged he should have received medical attention on the spot where he was arrested, but they have not said how he suffered a serious spine injury. He died April 19. Associated Press writers Juliet Linderman and Jeff Horwitz contributed to bottom part of this report.

What I took for granted last night is that this has been brewing for years. I hate to say it though, this is a perfect storm that is coming to yet another head (so to speak of course). It is NOT just the drug laws, though the drug laws are part of it (the perfect storm if you will). Gun laws are also a part of it (the perfect storm if you will). Private Prisons for profit are another part of it (the perfect storm if you will). A corrupt police force with things to hide has something to do with it (the perfect storm if you will). What I really take for granted is that the Freddie Gray funeral and even the other deaths by police with black kids and black men just brought that boiling point over the top. Thats what this is all about. Mika just said what i want to articulate in that this is a culture issue. Its overly encompassing and it is NOT just about Freddie Gray.

BTW, I don't necessarily agree with the mom slapping the kid in the hoodie around for him being on the street or for him throwing something at the officers. She could have guided him away from the scene rather than make a scene and most of all, you should not be hitting your kids. Let alone she should NOT have done that to anyone in public let alone with cameras everywhere. 
Dharahara tower via satellite before and after the quake
Anyway, I just heard that more than 10,000 people have died in the 'quake in Nepal. Eight million people affected, UN says. Eight million people have been affected by the massive earthquake in Nepal - more than a quarter of the country's population - the United Nations says. International aid has started arriving but there is still huge need - 1.4 million require food aid, the UN said. The 7.8-magnitude quake hit Nepal on Saturday destroying buildings in Kathmandu and severely affecting rural areas across the region. The death toll has risen to 4,310, with almost 8,000 injured, officials say.
But Prime Minister Sushil Koirala has warned the toll could reach 10,000, telling Reuters news agency the government was on a "war footing".

Nepal and surrounding areas have continued to experience aftershocks. Thousands in Kathmandu, Nepal's capital, spent a third night outside, too afraid to go back into their houses.
Water, food and electricity are in short supply and there are fears of outbreaks of disease."According to initial estimations and based on the latest earthquake intensity mapping, eight million people in 39 districts have been affected, of which over two million people live in the 11 severely affected districts," said the most recent report from the UN Office of the Resident Co-ordinator. The situation is critical in the remote rural regions towards the epicentre of Saturday's quake.

Rebecca McAteer, an American doctor who was one of the first to arrive in the district of Gorkha close to the epicentre, told Associated Press that 90% of houses there were "just flattened". She said most residents were older men and women and children, as the younger men had left to find work elsewhere. Many have also lost livestock and have little food. A district official, Surya Mohan Adhikari, told AP that villages around the epicentre were very difficult to reach - cut off by landslides - and that bad weather was hampering helicopter access.

Woman in a tent in Kathmandu, Nepal (27 April 2015)
This camp had been set up on a playground and even now there are quite a few children playing. But it no longer resembles a safe place. There's rubbish everywhere, paper plates, wrappers and plastic glasses are strewn all over.
"It's getting quite bad," says one man who is here with his wife and four daughters. "We've been here for three days and we've been living on instant noodles. There's nothing else to eat." His house is not badly damaged, but he is adamant that he will not go home despite the challenging conditions in the camp. "We've heard all these rumours about more earthquakes and aftershocks. We will not leave this place, not for a while."

The Nepal government has pleaded for overseas aid - everything from blankets and helicopters to doctors and drivers. "We urge foreign countries to give us special relief materials and medical teams. We are really desperate for more foreign expertise to pull through this crisis," said Chief Secretary Leela Mani Paudel. Many countries have sent aid including India, China, the UK and US. But there is a logjam at Kathmandu airport, with individuals trying to fly out of the country while flights of aid and rescue teams wait to land.
On Monday, four Indian air force aircraft had to return to Delhi international airport after encountering "congestion" at Kathmandu, tweeted a spokesman for India's defence ministry. 

Stranded Everest climbers rescued. All of the 170 climbers who had been stranded at camps high up Mount Everest by a huge earthquake and avalanches have been helicoptered to safety, Reuters reports. Taking advantage of Monday’s clear weather, three helicopters shuttled climbers all day from camp 1, above the impassable Khumbu icefalls, while others trekked back from camp 2 to be airlifted out.

Eighteen climbers at Everest base camp died in Saturday’s avalanche that destroyed half of the tents there, according to Nepal’s mountaineering association. Canadian Nick Cienski said many of the returning climbers’ tent camps had been wiped out by the avalanche which, surging at speeds estimated at up to 300 km per hour, cut a swath through base camp, hurling gear, people and tents hundreds of feet.

Danish climber Carsten Lillelund Pedersen said his team had been trekking on Saturday down from camp 2, which is at an altitude of 6,400 metres, when it was caught in a whiteout and had to turn back. He eventually made it to camp 1. Three helicopters shuttled 170 climbers from camp 1 to base camp on Monday. Because of the high altitude and thin air, the aircraft were only able to carry two climbers at a time.

“Everest, above base camp, is now empty,” Pedersen posted on his Facebook page. “A lot of gear, tents, oxygen, fuel etc is stashed a camp 2 ready to ‘rebuild’ later this season.” A rescue helicopter is shown at the Mount Everest south base camp in Nepal. Rescue teams, helped by clear weather, used helicopters to airlift scores of people stranded at higher altitudes, two at a time. 

 A rescue helicopter is shown at the Mount Everest south base camp in Nepal. Rescue teams, helped by clear weather, used helicopters to airlift scores of people stranded at higher altitudes, two at a time. A cloud of snow and debris triggered by an earthquake flies towards Everest Base Camp, moments ahead of flattening part of the camp in the Himalayas.  A cloud of snow and debris triggered by an earthquake flies towards Everest Base Camp, moments ahead of flattening part of the camp in the Himalayas. 

“We heard this most horrifying sound, it was like a train but came from so deep... and then finally there was this stillness, this complete stillness, and I knew I was alive,” Roberto Schmidt said. Schmidt, AFP’s South Asia photo chief, and Kathmandu bureau chief Ammu Kannampilly had just reached Everest base camp on assignment Saturday when the avalanche occured. After reaching the relative safety of Lukla town, the traditional gateway to Everest, they spoke of their recollections and recounted the scenes of carnage on the mountain where hundreds of climbers had gathered.

Schmidt said: “We hadn’t been there more than 10 minutes we just felt this rumbling, this moan. Ammu said to me: ‘What’s that?’ I said it’s the earth moving, it’s an avalanche.

“We went out of the tent and then we heard this most horrifying sound. It was like a train but came from so deep, just so powerful. “It was so cloudy, Ammu went into the tent and I remember looking to my left and suddenly saw this, this wave, with the rumble and I just thought ‘holy shit’. It was so big, the pictures don’t really do it justice.

“I grabbed the camera, just pressing the shutter, I got three shots and then it was right over us. I jumped in and went under the table. “You have this wind and then it’s like a wave crashing, we were swept up, you don’t know if whether you are upside down or what. You are just tumbling.

“Finally I came to, resting on my back and then I felt this tack, tack sound of falling rocks and you know I just felt ‘this is it. I’m going to be buried alive’. “They kept on piling on top of me and then finally there was this stillness, this complete stillness, and I knew I was alive. I knew I was conscious and I had to work out how I was going to breathe.

“You’re trying to clear everything away, trying to get some air... and then suddenly I felt this hand pulling me up and it was our sherpa Pasang. “Ammu was bleeding and the nail on her left hand had been completely torn off. “We were lucky as I think our tents were next to a rock which stopped us from being completely swept away. “We went out of the tent and people then started appearing out of the blue, all very dazed. I started shooting and then you think, should I be taking pictures or helping people?

“In the next hour, you could hear more than half a dozen other avalanches in the vicinity. They were close but you couldn’t see them as it was so cloudy. The sound was very scary, very haunting, you didn’t know if it was coming your way. “I started helping down a Nepalese guy who had been injured and I remember talking to him about our families and saying we would both see our sons again, it was a nice moment, a human thing, amid all of this...

“We walked to this Himex (tour group) tent and there was Ammu, all bandaged up.” Sherpas, climbers, porters and rescue teams help carry a person injured by an avalanche that flattened part of Everest Base Camp. Sherpas, climbers, porters and rescue teams help carry a person injured by an avalanche that flattened part of Everest Base Camp. 

An AFP photographer has recounted how he survived the avalanche on Everest triggered by the earthquake.

Photograph: Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty
A rescue helicopter is shown at the Mount Everest south base camp in Nepal. Rescue teams, helped by clear weather, used helicopters to airlift scores of people stranded at higher altitudes, two at a time.


A cloud of snow and debris triggered by an earthquake flies towards Everest Base Camp, moments ahead of flattening part of the camp in the Himalayas.


Sherpas, climbers, porters and rescue teams help carry a person injured by an avalanche that flattened part of Everest Base Camp.

Rescue helicopters have begun to reach survivors in Gorkha, according to AP. Around noon, two helicopters brought in eight women from Ranachour village, two of them clutching babies to their breast, and a third heavily pregnant.

“There are many more injured people in my village,” said Sangita Shrestha, who was pregnant and visibly downcast as she got off the helicopter. She was quickly surrounded by Nepalese soldiers and policemen and ushered into a waiting van to be taken to a hospital. The little town of Gorkha, the district’s administrative and trading center, is being used as a staging post to get rescuers and supplies to those remote communities.

Some villages were reachable only by air after landslides blocked mountain roads. Some women who came off the helicopters were grimacing and crying in pain and unable to walk or speak, in agony three days after being injured in the quake. Sita Karki winced when soldiers lifted her. Her broken and swollen legs had been tied together with crude wisps of hay twisted into a makeshift splint.

“When the earthquake hit, a wall fell on me and knocked me down. My legs are broken,” she said. A Nepalese resident injured in an earthquake is carried by a relative towards an Indian Army helicopter as others follow at Lapu in Gorkha. A Nepalese resident injured in an earthquake is carried by a relative towards an Indian Army helicopter as others follow at Lapu in Gorkha. More reports are emerging of damage to remote areas in the Sindulpalchowk district north of Kathmandu.

Homes and roads have been destroyed in the area according to AFP. Nepalese nanny Sukamaya Tamang, whose parents and brothers are stranded in one of the worst-hit districts, said families there had been left to fend for themselves, with no government help reaching them so far.

Tamang’s family is stranded in Sindulpalchowk, some 100 km (65 miles) from the epicentre of the quake, where homes and roads have been destroyed. “There are a cluster of nine villages and they have been all flattened out,” said Tamang, who managed to speak to her brother over the phone at their village.

Tamang, 25, said the village has been banding together to care for the injured and help to cremate the dead. “My husband and cousins are leaving by air today (Tuesday) with supplies to see if they can reach our village,” she told AFP. “It makes me shudder to think what my family members must be going through with no one at hand to help them out.” Earlier the Guardian’s Pete Pattisson reported that all the homes in one village in Sindulpalchowk had been destroyed or damaged.


Jason Burke reports a similar scene on the edge of the district.
A Nepalese resident injured in an earthquake is carried by a relative towards an Indian Army helicopter as others follow at Lapu in Gorkha.
People have been gathering at the supreme Court since Friday last week. And, today's gay marriage arguments: What you need to know (by Richard Wolf (USA TODAY))


EPA USA SUPREME COURT GAY MARRIAGE CLJ JUDICIARY (SYSTEM OF JUSTICE) USA DC
When the Supreme Court assumes the bench Tuesday to hear historic oral arguments on same-sex marriage, only a few hundred lucky souls will be able to watch. Herewith, then, a non-viewers' guide for those who want to follow along.

Long courtship leads to high court's altar for gay marriage

Q: What is the court considering?

A: Two questions: Does the 14th Amendment require states to license same-sex marriages? And does it require them to recognize those marriages performed in other states?

Q: Who is bringing the challenge?

A: There are 32 plaintiffs — couples, widows, even a 2-year-old child — whose six separate lawsuits against same-sex marriage bans in Ohio, Michigan, Tennessee and Kentucky were denied in November at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit.

Q: How will things work in court?

A: There will be 2½ hours of debate involving 14 people — the nine justices and five lawyers. For 90 minutes, same-sex marriage pioneer Mary Bonauto and U.S. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli will argue against the bans, while former Michigan solicitor general John Bursch defends them. Then, Douglas Hallward-Driemeier and Tennessee Associate Solicitor General Joseph Whalen will debate whether states must recognize other states' same-sex marriages.

Q: When will written transcripts, audio transcripts or video feeds be released?

A: The first written and audio transcripts will be available on the court's website at about 12:30 p.m. The full transcripts and audio should be up around 2 p.m. The court does not allow cameras, so there will not be any video available.

Q: When will a decision be announced?

A: Not until the end of June — most likely on the last day of the court's term.

Q: What has the court ruled on previous cases involving gay rights?

A: It ruled against same-sex marriage in 1972 in a one-sentence decision "for want of a substantial federal question," and it upheld state laws against sodomy in 1986. But starting in 1996, it struck down laws allowing discrimination against gays, banning sodomy and denying federal benefits to legally married same-sex couples.

Q: What is the status of same-sex marriage in the United States?

A: Massachusetts was the first state to legalize the practice in 2003 as a result of a state court ruling. By 2013, when the Supreme Court decided the federal benefits case United States v. Windsor, there were a dozen states. Since then, the number has risen to 37, almost all as a result of federal court rulings.

Q: What do the plaintiffs argue, and who is on their side?

A: They say marriage is a fundamental right for any two people regardless of gender, and that the Due Process and Equal Protection clauses of the Constitution give gays and lesbians equal marriage rights. More than 75 briefs were submitted on their behalf, including from major business leaders and most Democrats in Congress.

Q: What do the states argue, and who is on their side?

A: They say the prohibitions have a rational basis, were not enacted out of animus toward gays and lesbians, and are a matter of states' rights. They also say same-sex marriage may harm the institution of marriage and is not in the best interest of children. More than 60 briefs were submitted on their side, including from religious groups and Republican officials.

Q: Where do the justices stand?

A: The court's four liberals have been staunch defenders of gay marriage rights, while at least three conservatives are opponents. That leaves Justice Anthony Kennedy and, possibly, Chief Justice John Roberts in the middle.

Kennedy has authored the last three decisions upholding gay rights and is widely anticipated to be the key to the case. Roberts is a potential wild card who could provide a 6th vote for gay marriage — if there are five to begin with — or could vote only to require that states recognize out-of-state marriages.

Q: What happens after a decision is rendered?

A: Any ruling for gay challengers would make same-sex marriage legal nationwide, adding 13 states to the 37 that already permit it. Two more numbers would rise — the number of gay marriages, and the number of challenges from opponents claiming religious objections.


A ruling in favor of the four Midwestern states could lead some of the 22 states in which federal courts struck down gay marriage bans to seek their reinstatement. Eleven states that legalized it legislatively and four where state courts made the call would not be immediately affected.

Anyway, let's recap today's big news. We have the earthquake in Nepal. We have the riots in Baltimore. We have the supreme Court ruling with regard to same sex marriages. 

Ironically, the slam dunk today will be that Supreme court ruling and decision because that will be allowed by law. 

The problem in Southeast Asia is getting relief aid to Nepal and moreover, to the smaller communities outside of Katmandu.

And, as far as Baltimore and those riots, I have to now think or know that is a symbolic response to what is going on around and in our inner cities throughout the USA. 

I must ask too that why and who let out the report yesterday that the gangs around the city of Baltimore were going to act like they were in our jails and prison systems (i.e.: bonding competing gangs together as one gang)? That was a reckless story to allow out and, how does whomever know that fact? Was there a treaty document served to the police authorities? That was dumb for anyone to say out loud let alone for anyone to allow it to hit the media wires. Who came up with that one in Baltimore? And, most of all, what basis did they have to leak that information to the media? Some gang bangers word? That was reckless and out and out stupid to leak that out yesterday afternoon.

Ray Kelly is on the Morning Joe show today. He says that the first things first which is that the authorities need to 'take back the streets.' You know something here? I totally forgot that Micheal Steele was the old Lieutenant Government in Maryland. I totally forgot or I thought he was a Pennsylvania guy. But he makes a good point in that do we think that because of what went down in Ferguson with regard to the military like actions those police took in that aftermath, was why the police in Baltimore held back a bit yesterday. I definitely think it was decided with kid gloves so to speak. I was thinking that at that time it started to manifest again yesterday afternoon.

And honestly, that mentality that it is "us agianst the cops" is because of cops. They are not out to protect us. They are out to get us. Its not as bad or animated in say suburbia but again, they look to give speeding tickets and they look to hassle people while not being out to protect people. They do thing sin suburbia and in inner cities like Ferguson as its way to get at people to make the town or city some money. They hassle people rather than listen. They interrupt you. They try to intimidate you. They never listen to what you have to say. They always paint you as guilty first. They always act that way no matter what community they police. It is way worse in cities. Do NOT get me wrong now but I have seen in it suburbia too. I see how they act in suburbia. They are not here to protect us. They are out to get us in some way, shape or form. Be real about it. Cops are dicks. They act like assholes. They think they have some form of power and they use it on every level. They will not even hear you out without interrupting someone. They will not listen without showing that they have some form of control. They try to scare people. They abuse their power even in light ways like by having attitudes towards normal people. Even if you get pulled over for a speeding ticket, they all act like condescending dick heads. Most of all, these are generally uneducated people that again, if they score high on their tests to become a trooper or a street cop, they will be denied being one. You must score at a median level and its because the powers that be, want their cops to act that way. They want them to act like sheep that do NOT respond to any authority. Plus, a lot of them are ex military with probably some form of post traumatic disorder. What I mean is that in some cases, these cops would act like they are in Felujah rather than acting as such for the given situation they are in here. I do NOT trust cops. They are NOT your friends. Even the most forthcoming and honest cop acts in some form of a corrupt way at some time while he has those stripes. Dealing with a cop is a crap shoot. And a good cop is the lesser of all evil ones. Remember that i said it here in writing. Cops are not your friends.

Now, the National Guard is in Baltimore. They guarantee that all parts of the city will be safe. The Governor just said that statement in some press conference he had already today. 

And, OMG. With the messes happening locally and abroad, I absolutely forgot that Peter Schweiser is on the Morning Joe show today. It is Tuesday today. I point blank spaced and forgot all about him. The lead in to it is Mika saying hat he has no clue of Hillary took money into her Foundation from foreign entities although he did write a book about it. I'll chime back after and/or during that interview if there is anything else to say about that issue which is being overshadowed by the riots and the earthquake. Peter makes some great points about his reporting. I can't absorb this fully but I respect what he has to say about that situation. I would go so far to say that he is most likely correct. (Mike) Barnacle is getting at him with precise examples the book makes about use of telecom in some country. I wish I knew more about it and is probably why i need someone to read me the content of whats in the book. There are a lot of moving parts here.I doubt it will affect her campaign and i would even say that if there were a debate and if this was brought up in it, that it would come out as sounding like mish mosh. A real prosecution or a real hearing about these issues would have to happen for it to affect her campaign. Its is too much to get and normal people are probably like wa wa wa wa wa hearing like the charlie brown hears things from adults. Mika is getting upset at the fact that the book is indeed political. We get that about the book from a mile away. I will also ask it again, why is this a crime but then how we deal with the likes of Israel? Let alone how other politicians have acted when making laws with foreign countries. But I will agree with Joe is why do the Clinton's get to act one way but say a Bob McDonald or a Bob Menendez gets indicted and/or thrown in Federal Prison? What the Clinton's have done is NOT illegal. But they did bend the rules almost like in that 'insiders trading sort of way." And interesting question Peter asks the fake Clinton's. Are the emails from their Clinton Foundation considered to be private ones? Very interesting. Because are they? 

Regardless of what is up this morning, please stay in touch!