The Full Belmonte, 2/28/2023
Saul Loeb /AFP via Getty Images
“The Supreme Court is hearing arguments today from six Republican-dominated states seeking to block the Biden administration's student loan forgiveness program.
The legal argument: The Biden administration determined it had the authority to forgive loans under a law passed by Congress called the HEROES act, which made sure federal student loan borrowers wouldn't be economically clobbered during a national emergency. Some states don't agree.
Who's affected: 16 million student loan borrowers have already been approved for some form of loan forgiveness.
More consequences: In recent years, both Democrats and Republicans have used state lawsuits as a forceful tool to get the Supreme Court to block Biden and Trump administration policies.” [Axios]
Murdoch says some Fox hosts ‘endorsed’ false election claims
FILE - Rupert Murdoch introduces Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during the Herman Kahn Award Gala, Oct. 30, 2019, in New York. Murdoch, chairman of Fox Corp., acknowledged in a deposition that some Fox News commentators endorsed the false allegations by former President Donald Trump and his allies that the 2020 presidential election was stolen and that he did not step in to stop them from promoting the claims. The documents unsealed Monday, Feb. 27, 2023, are at the heart of a defamation lawsuit against the cable news giant by Dominion Voting Systems. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)
“DOVER, Del. (AP) — Fox Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch acknowledged that some Fox News commentators endorsed the false allegations by former President Donald Trump and his allies that the 2020 presidential election was stolen and that he didn’t step in to stop them from promoting the claims, according to excerpts of a deposition unsealed Monday.
The claims and the company’s handling of them are at the heart of a defamation lawsuit against the cable news giant by Dominion Voting Systems.
The recently unsealed documents include excerpts from a deposition in which Murdoch was asked about whether he was aware that some of the network’s commentators — Lou Dobbs, Maria Bartiromo, Jeanine Pirro and Sean Hannity — at times endorsed the false election claims. Murdoch replied, ‘Yes. They endorsed.’
The Murdoch deposition is the latest filing in the defamation case to reveal concerns at the top-rated network over how it was handling Trump’s claims as its ratings plummeted after the network called Arizona for Joe Biden, angering Trump and his supporters….” Read more at AP News
Biden Administration Plans Crackdown on Migrant Child Labor
The move came days after a Times investigation showed children were working in dangerous jobs throughout the United States.
“The Biden administration on Monday announced a wide crackdown on the labor exploitation of migrant children around the United States, including more aggressive investigations of companies benefiting from their work.
The development came days after The New York Times published an investigation into the explosive growth of migrant child labor throughout the United States. Children, who have been crossing the southern border without their parents in record numbers, are ending up in punishing jobs that flout child labor laws, The Times found.
The White House laid out a host of new initiatives to investigate child labor violations among employers and improve the basic support that migrant children receive when they are released to sponsors in the United States. Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, called the revelations in The Times ‘heartbreaking’ and ‘completely unacceptable.’
As part of the new effort, the Department of Labor, which enforces these laws, said it would target not just the factories and suppliers that illegally employ children, but also the larger companies that have child labor in their supply chains. Migrant children often use false identification and find jobs through staffing agencies that do not verify their Social Security numbers….” Read more at New York Times
Ukraine
“In a surprise visit to Kyiv on Monday, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to reaffirm US economic support and to announce the recent transfer of $1.25 billion in assistance. Addressing the Russian economy, which has not buckled under an array of sanctions from the US and other Western countries, Yellen said she expects it to grow weaker as the country loses foreign investment and runs through its reserves. ‘We will see an increasing toll on Russia's economic trajectory over time,’ she said. ‘And their ability to replenish the military equipment that's been destroyed in their attacks on Ukraine, that's been very greatly jeopardized.’ This comes as Ukraine's military says units of the Russian mercenary group Wagner are throwing their ‘most trained’ units into the battle for the eastern city of Bakhmut, where the situation is ‘extremely difficult’ due to non-stop assaults.” [CNN]
Ron DeSantis Appoints Allies to Oversee Disney’s Special-Tax District
New legislation gives Florida Republican governor authority to name members to a board of supervisors
Gov. Ron DeSantis has clashed publicly with Disney over the company’s opposition to Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law. PHOTO: WILFREDO LEE/ASSOCIATED PRESS
“Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law legislation ending Walt Disney Co.’s control of a special-tax district near Orlando and named new members to the state-controlled board that now governs it.
‘The corporate kingdom finally comes to an end,’ Mr. DeSantis, a Republican, said at a bill-signing event at a fire station in Lake Buena Vista. ‘There’s a new sheriff in town and accountability will be the order of the day.’
The new law renames the Reedy Creek Improvement District—which houses Walt Disney World Resort and other parks and has existed since the 1960s—the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. It gives Mr. DeSantis the authority to appoint members to its governing body, the five-member board of supervisors, which under previous law was essentially handpicked by Disney.
The move is the culmination of GOP efforts to rein in Disney’s special privileges after Mr. DeSantis clashed publicly with the company over its opposition to Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law, known by opponents as ‘Don’t Say Gay.’ That measure, which was approved last year, prohibits classroom instruction on gender and sexuality for elementary school students through third grade….” Read more at Wall Street Journal
Biden's big bet
President Biden takes a selfie after speaking about the economy Feb. 15 at a union local in Lanham, Md. Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
“President Biden plans a relentless focus on the economy during his re-election race, even as much of the public doubts the country's direction.
Why it matters: It's a high-risk strategy, Axios' Hans Nichols writes.
The gamble: If unemployment stays low and productivity holds steady, Biden would be set to ride a healthy economy to a second term.
But if the economy enters a deep recession before November 2024, the president would have spent precious political capital demanding credit — when voters would be more inclined to hand out blame.
Biden — who reiterated to ABC's David Muir last week that he intends to run, but hasn't made an official announcement — today takes his message of economic optimism to Virginia Beach.
He'll argue that Republicans plan to increase health care costs for millions of Americans.
Next week, Biden releases his budget. He'll emphasize his plans to cut deficit spending by $2 trillion over 10 years — and push House Republicans to specify what programs they want to cut.
Bharat Ramamurti, deputy director of the National Economic Council, told Axios: ‘We think the underlying numbers about consumer spending and business investment are also positive ... They show that people have a lot of confidence in their financial condition and where the economy is headed.’
‘As we've always said, we expect there to be some bumps along the way as we transition to steady and stable growth.’
By the numbers: In addition to the 12 million jobs added to Biden's economy, officials highlight the 3.4% unemployment rate — a 50-year low.
Biden takes the record 10.5 million small business applications in his first two years as individual votes of confidence.
The other side: Republicans continue to attack Biden over the cost of everyday goods and are convinced the public shares their skepticism about Biden’s economic record.
Reality check: Biden doesn't control the velocity or direction of the economy.
The economy's fate is largely in the hands of the Fed — which remains concerned about inflation, and is likely to continue to raise interest rates to slow down the economy.” [Axios]
The unexpectedly close race for Chicago mayor
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere Pool/Getty Images
“On Tuesday, Chicago voters will choose from nine candidates in a mayoral race dominated by voter concerns about crime.” [Vox] [Politico / Shia Kapo]
“Four years ago, incumbent Lori Lightfoot became the first Black woman and openly gay person to serve as mayor of the city. However, her support has fallen amid rising homicides and public disputes with the police and teachers unions.” [Vox] [Associated Press / Sara Burnett]
“Her top rivals, who are also Democrats, include former Chicago Public Schools executive Paul Vallas, US Rep. Jesús ‘Chuy’ Garcia, and Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson.” [Vox] [The Hill / Caroline Vakil]
“Race — and the city’s segregation — is also playing an important role in the contest, as each candidate works to appeal to the needs (and fears) of specific racial groups and ethnic enclaves. For instance, Vallas, who is white, is calling for more police; Johnson who is Black, is urging for progressive reforms.” [Vox] [NPR / Mariah Woelfel]
“Garcia, if he wins, would become the city’s first Hispanic major.” [Vox] [New York Times / Mitch Smith]
“If no candidate wins 50 percent of the vote, as is expected, the top two will head to an April 4 runoff election” [Vox] . [Chicago Tribune]
'More and more prevalent': Experts say trains are becoming less safe
“The Feb. 3 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, that resulted in the release of contaminated waste spurred calls for action to hold the freight rail industry accountable and steps to prevent such a disaster from happening again. In response to the National Transportation Safety Board’s initial report, president and CEO of the Association of American Railroads, Ian Jefferies, promised that the rail industry would use the report to prevent similar accidents. Still, the incident raises concerns about the safety of trains amid changes in how rail companies operate. ‘It’s profits over people,’ said Kenny Edwards, Indiana state legislative director for SMART Transportation Division, an industry workers union. ‘As they make cutbacks and changes, disasters like East Palestine will be more and more prevalent.’” Read more at USA Today
A black plume rises over East Palestine, Ohio, as a result of a controlled detonation of a portion of the derailed Norfolk Southern train on Feb. 6, 2023.
Gene J. Puskar/AP
Winter weather: Storms slam Midwest as California, Northeast brace for snow
“Parts of Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas were blasted by storms and tornadoes while heavy rain and snow blanketed much of California and parts of the West on Monday as belligerent weather marched across the U.S. In Michigan, about 150,000 homes and businesses remained in the dark Monday night, according to PowerOutage.us, after five days of high winds, snow and ice that wreaked havoc on power lines.” Read more at USA Today
People visit Mount Diablo State Park in Walnut Creek, California, on Monday, Feb. 27, 2023.
Godofredo A. Vásquez, AP
WaPo editorial board has no people of color
Jonathan Capehart. Screenshot: MSNBC
“Jonathan Capehart quit The Washington Post editorial board after a dispute over an editorial about 2024 politics, leaving the paper with an all-white editorial board, Axios Media Trends author Sara Fischer has learned.
Why it matters: Capehart left the board at a time when The Post — based in a city where nearly half the population is Black — is swirling in internal discontent over the paper's leadership.
By comparison, The New York Times editorial board has three people of color.
State of play: Since joining The Post as a member of its editorial board in 2007, Capehart has become one of The Post's most visible and influential commentators.
Capehart — who remains a Post columnist, associate editor and podcaster — quit in December as a member of the board, which debates editorials that represent the views of The Post as an institution.
He was the only Black person on the board for the past 15 years.
What happened: Capehart, a Black and gay Pulitzer winner, left the board in early December, following a disagreement over a Dec. 6 editorial about the runoff between Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) and Herschel Walker.
He turned in his resignation to Post editorial-page editor David Shipley shortly after the piece ran.
A Post spokesperson told Axios that The Post's Opinion section ‘is committed to diverse representation in all its pages,’ and that the section ‘plans to further expand the range of voices in the months to come.’
‘Writers like Keith Richburg and Mili Mitra regularly contribute editorials. In recent months, the section also announced the addition of several contributing columnists, including Theodore Johnson, Natasha Sarin and Bina Venkataraman, among several others,’ the spokesperson added.
What we're watching: The Washington Post continues to face business pressure as The New York Times continues to add digital subscribers.
The Post didn't break even last year, with heavy investments in newsroom additions meant to expand The Post's national footprint.” [Axios]
America's hunger cliff
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
“The U.S. poverty rate is likely to rise this year, Axios Markets co-author Emily Peck reports.
One of the last remaining major COVID relief programs — the expansion of SNAP benefits, a.k.a. food stamps — ends with February benefits, pushing about 32 million Americans off a ‘hunger cliff’ in March.
Why it matters: Since 2020, massive expansions of funding for programs that serve low-income Americans have lowered poverty rates meaningfully for adults and children. That era is mostly ending.
‘People are going to be hungrier,’ said Elizabeth Lower-Basch, deputy executive director for the Center for Law and Social Policy.
By the numbers: The SNAP emergency allotments kept 4.2 million people out of poverty, reducing poverty rates for children by 14% in the fourth quarter of 2021, according to an Urban Institute report published last year.
The enhancements already ended in 18 states, affecting 9 million people.
Advocates for the poor say they've seen more people in those places struggling to buy food — at a time when food prices are high, making every dollar count.
A few new permanent benefits came out of the COVID era — including a food benefit, Summer EBT, that will provide $391 per child when school is out to help with groceries.
What's next: Federal grants to help with housing and childcare expenses are also expected to run out this year. A provision to simplify Medicaid enrollment also is ending.” [Axios]
Mexico
“In the wake of a mass protest in Mexico City over the weekend, Mexico's President Andrés Manuel López Obrador dismissed concerns about his plan to shrink the country's electoral watchdog and accused protesters of having links to drug traffickers. Many protesters held signs that read: ‘Hands off the INE,’ referencing the National Electoral Institute, which oversees elections and has been accused of partisanship by López Obrador. Mexican lawmakers last week approved a bill backed by the president to cut the budget of the agency, which could lead to an 85% reduction in its staff as well as the closure of several local offices. Electoral officials warn the change will affect their ability to run free and fair elections ahead of the 2024 general election, when López Obrador, who is limited to a six-year term, is expected to anoint a successor.” [CNN]
U.K., EU Reach Deal in Bid to Resolve Northern Ireland Trade Issue
Deal now faces political tests in U.K.’s ruling Conservative Party and Northern Ireland
“WINDSOR, England—The U.K. and the European Union agreed Monday on a new trading arrangement for Northern Ireland, a move aimed at ending years of friction caused by Brexit and allowing greater cooperation between both sides at a time of mounting geopolitical risk to Europe from Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Under its Brexit divorce deal, Britain agreed to place a customs border within its own country to avoid creating a hard border between Ireland, an EU member, and the British province of Northern Ireland. Both sides feared doing so would inflame sectarian tensions in the region between unionists, who favor continued British rule, and republicans, who want political union with the rest of Ireland.
The U.S., which helped broker the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, had also been urging the U.K. and EU to reach a deal to avoid jeopardizing the pact, which brought peace to Northern Ireland after years of conflict.
The U.K. has spent years trying to unwind the deal arguing it alienated unionist communities and stopped the free flow of trade within its own country.
Monday’s compromise saw U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen meet in Windsor, near the royal castle here, to shake hands on a new agreement that allows British goods destined for Northern Ireland to enter without customs checks, while creating a separate process for goods going to Ireland through the province.
The deal also gives the Northern Ireland assembly the power to ask the U.K. government to veto new EU regulations or laws that would apply to the province.
‘The United Kingdom and European Union may have had our differences in the past but we are allies, trading partners and friends, something that we’ve seen clearly in the past year as we joined with others to support Ukraine,’ Mr. Sunak told a news conference. ‘This is the beginning of a new chapter in our relationship.’
President Biden hailed the agreement as ‘an essential step to ensuring that the hard-earned peace and progress of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement is preserved and strengthened.’
The British pound was up 0.7% at $1.2030 on the day.
U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Windsor, England.PHOTO: DAN KITWOOD/GETTY IMAGES
Mr. Sunak now will have to sell the agreement to both his Conservative Party and pro-U. K. unionists in Northern Ireland. They have complained that a 2019 Brexit divorce deal left Northern Ireland cut off from the rest of Britain, causing political paralysis in the province and threatening its peace. If Mr. Sunak, who took over as prime minister in October, meets with success, his leadership will be given a big boost. If he fails, he will be only the latest Conservative prime minister to be undone by Brexit.
Mr. Sunak said the U.K. Parliament would get to vote on the deal at the appropriate time and that the outcome of the vote would be respected….” Read more at Wall Street Journal
U.N. Chief Criticizes ‘Most Massive’ Human Rights Violations
“U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said in a speech in Geneva that Russia’s war in Ukraine triggered the ‘most massive violations of human rights,’ and that the invasion ‘unleashed widespread death, destruction, and displacement.’
Guterres pointed in particular to ‘attacks on civilian and civilian infrastructure,’ which, he said, ‘have caused many casualties and terrible suffering.’
He also cited cases of sexual violence, violations of prisoners’ rights, and arbitrary detention. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, he said, has been ‘too often misused and abused,’ saying, ‘Some governments chip away at it. Others use it as a wrecking ball.’
Russia has a permanent seat in and veto power on the U.N. Security Council, and in fact was taking part in a U.N.S.C. meeting when Russia invaded Ukraine last year.
Russia’s war in Ukraine entered its second year last week. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov said Monday, ‘We aren’t seeing any conditions for a peaceful settlement now.’” [Foreign Policy]
“In announcing the end of one of the world’s longest mask mandates, Hong Kong leaders declared the city is finally returning to normal. But for many in the former British colony, the city changed forever in July 2020 when the measure first took effect.
It coincided with Beijing imposing a national security law that has fundamentally altered a city with a proud history of protest, press freedom and vigorous debate. Three years later, key democracy proponents sit in jail and newspapers that criticized the Communist Party have been shuttered.
Authorities in Hong Kong are moving to revitalize an economy battered by Covid restrictions. Gross domestic product contracted in 2022 for the third time in four years, while the population has fallen by a net 187,000 in the past three years as residents left for other cities.
Hong Kong still has many positives to lure foreigners back. Taxes are low, nightlife is vibrant and the territory is blessed with great hiking trails and scores of beaches. Skyrocketing rents in nearby rival finance hub Singapore may push some expats to return. As long as money can be made, foreign companies will still operate in Hong Kong — just as they do in the mainland.
Yet even as the bars fill up, bands come to town and global executives start visiting employees they haven’t seen in years, the old days aren’t coming back.
It’s now firmly established that loyalty to the Communist Party remains the key qualification for government officials, putting anyone who challenges Beijing at risk of being expelled.
As Hong Kong residents finally take off their masks, it’s hard to ignore that Beijing has used the time to reveal its true face to the city.” — Daniel Ten Kate [Bloomberg]
“Trump admirer | Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is set to address this week’s Conservative Political Action Conference in suburban Washington where Donald Trump will appear as a speaker. Bolsonaro has been in the US for months, having failed to win reelection in October, and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s administration is considering ways to force his return to face investigations into his alleged role in inciting the Jan. 8 riots in Brasilia, a source says.” [Bloomberg]
Bolsonaro speaks at a Turning Point USA ‘Power of The People’ event in Miami on Feb. 3. Photographer: Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg
“Strings attached | US President Joe Biden’s administration warned companies seeking funding from the US Chips and Science Act that the money will come with limits, including on investing in other countries (namely China) and on stock buybacks. The $39 billion in incentives is aimed at helping pay for semiconductor factories in the US, but some of the biggest producers such as Intel are learning the risks of taking the cash.” [Bloomberg]
Fresno State mishandled sexual harassment complaints, lawsuits seeking damages allege
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Kenny JacobyUSA TODAY
A Fresno State student and a former employee have sued the California State University system and two former top administrators, alleging campus officials subjected them to undue harm by mishandling their reports of sexual assault and harassment.
The lawsuits seek damages for negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and violations of California's Fair Employment and Housing Act and Whistleblower Protection Act, which protect against harassment and retaliation. No dollar amount was specified.
The student and the employee were featured as part of a USA TODAY investigation last year into then-Fresno State President Joseph Castro's neglect of the school's Title IX office and failure to address numerous complaints of sexual harassment, bullying and retaliation against then-vice president of student affairs Frank Lamas. Title IX is the federal law banning sex discrimination in education.
"The Title IX situation was a problem in and of itself, but you have a system-wide problem that is propagated at the very highest level, all the way down," said Stephen Hammers, an attorney representing the student, Stephanie Ocampo, and the former employee, Terry Wilson.
More:Title IX: Falling short at 50
The lawsuits, filed in December 2022 in Los Angeles Superior Court, are the latest fallout from the news organization's reporting, which prompted Castro's resignation, outside investigations, a legislative audit, and numerous reforms adopted by the nation's largest university system and its 23 campuses across the state.
A statement from Cal State spokesperson Mike Uhlenkamp said the university recently served and is reviewing both lawsuits.
"We would like to reiterate that a core tenet of the California State University’s mission is to ensure the safety of our respective campus environments and to remain accountable and responsible to all members of our communities," the statement said.
"We remain fully committed to the ongoing and transparent accountability and evaluation that both Fresno State and the CSU have undertaken over the past year when many of these allegations first surfaced."
Castro, now listed as a faculty member in the business school at the CSU's Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, did not return an email seeking comment. Nor did Lamas, who has previously denied wrongdoing.
Former employee cites hostile work environment, retaliation
Wilson, a former Fresno State student affairs analyst, said in his lawsuit and in interviews with USA TODAY that Lamas made multiple inappropriate comments toward him starting his first week on the job in 2014. Among them, shortly after they met, Wilson said Lamas asked him if he was gay.
Wilson reported that remark and others to Fresno State's then-human resources director and Title IX coordinator but said little action was taken in response. When Lamas learned Wilson had reported him, Lamas began making his work life miserable, Wilson alleged, bullying, belittling and embarrassing him in front of his colleagues. Lamas also placed him on a Performance Improvement Plan without getting proper approval from HR, Wilson said.
Lamas asked Wilson to improperly move money from Fresno State's donor foundation into a different account, according to the lawsuit. When Wilson refused, he said Lamas threatened him and pushed him in the chest.
Wilson sought a transfer to a different department but said Lamas blocked it. Wilson later left Fresno State for a job in the CSU Employees Union, telling USA TODAY that Castro's and other officials' failure to address his complaints ruined his career.
University officials continued to retaliate against Wilson, he alleged in the lawsuit, after USA Today's Feb. 3, 2022 investigation detailed Castro's mishandling of a dozen complaints against Lamas, including Wilson's, over a six-year period.
Days after the story, Wilson said Fresno State officials improperly revoked his key card access to campus buildings, which he needed to perform his job duties with the union, according to the lawsuit. Emails Wilson provided to USA TODAY show Fresno State officials first requested his access be removed in January 2021, then again on Feb. 11, 2022.
"I was shocked," Wilson told USA TODAY. "I was basically cancelled from my place of employment."
An outside investigation commissioned by the CSU Board of Trustees in response to USA TODAY's reporting confirmed Castro had a "blind spot" for Lamas and failed to "more rigorously address reports of Lamas' alleged misconduct," violating university policies in some instances.
The university said it is evaluating the allegations in Wilson's lawsuit and takes them "very seriously."
"As a current employee and a valued member of the campus community, we will not comment on the specifics of his lawsuit at this time," the statement said. "We appreciate his many contributions to the university.
Wilson said he filed the lawsuit to bring closure to this chapter of his life and the harassment and retaliation he started experiencing nearly a decade ago. In addition, he said his situation with the university had escalated to a "tipping point."
"They completely retaliated against him because he cooperated with the article and exposed what was going on there," said Phillip Baker, another attorney representing Wilson. "Their knee-jerk (reaction) wasn't an investigation. It was, 'Kick Terry out.'"
Student says school failed to protect her after she was groped
Ocampo, who goes by "Jane Doe" in the lawsuit but previously spoke on the record to USA TODAY and agreed to use her name for this story, started at Fresno State in 2018 as a double major in journalism and political science.
In February 2020, Ocampo was walking down a hallway in the journalism school when she said a male student in one of her classes ran up behind her, put her in a chokehold with one arm and used his other arm to fondle her breasts, she told USA TODAY. Ocampo said she thought in the moment that he was going to kill her. Eventually he let go, leaving a bruise on her neck.
Ocampo reported the assault the next day to the campus police department, where she said an officer did not take her report seriously, according to the lawsuit. The officer, she said, asked her a series of victim-blaming questions, including what she was wearing and whether she had "flirted" with or done something to "provoke" the male student. The officer interviewed him two weeks later and asked if he remembered "hugging" Ocampo, a police report shows. No arrest was made.
Ocampo told USA TODAY reported the incident to the school's Title IX coordinator, Jamie Pontius-Hogan, who she said urged her to sign a resolution agreement that would provide a "roadmap" to her safety. It forbade Ocampo and the other student from contacting each other and directed them to use different entrances to the journalism school building.
Meanwhile, Pontius-Hogan removed Ocampo from the class the two students shared, Ocampo said. She was forced to meet with her professor after hours to catch up on course material, while the male student continued attending classes in person.
Ocampo said in the lawsuit that the school failed to enforce the no-contact order. In fall 2021, she said a professor informed her roughly two hours before the start of a new class that the male student was also enrolled in the course, which she needed to take in order to graduate.
Pontius-Hogan told Ocampo there was nothing her office could do unless she agreed to undergo a formal Title IX investigation, Ocampo told USA TODAY. Ocampo said she had never been informed of that option earlier.
Ocampo requested the formal investigation, which lasted nearly a year and concluded the evidence was insufficient to find the male student at fault, according to the lawsuit.
The university's statement said the case was "fully investigated by a neutral outside independent investigator, and after a full evidentiary hearing before a separate neutral outside hearing officer, the conclusion was that there was no violation of university policy and no misconduct."
Ocampo told USA TODAY that she knew she was "in trouble" as soon as the police officer began asking her inappropriate questions. After she reported to the Title IX office, she said, "things only got worse."
"The whole thing was horrible and stacked against me from the moment I met that officer," Ocampo said. "No one should ever have to go through what I went through, and I hope they change the whole system.”
SPORTS NEWS FROM THE ATHLETIC
“Talks in progress: The N.B.A. and its players’ association are nearing a dealthat would lower the draft age to 18.
N.B.A. purchase: Jimmy Haslam, who owns the Cleveland Browns, is buying a stake in the Milwaukee Bucks.
Wentz cut: The Washington Commanders released Carson Wentz, the third team in three years to sever ties with the quarterback.” [New York Times]
TIME turns 100
Covers from (clockwise) 1966, 1972, 1999 and 1983, courtesy TIME
“TIME — first published on March 3, 1923— today begins a yearlong centennial celebration of the power of its iconic red border.
Images courtesy TIME
The first issue of TIME ... and the 100th-anniversary issue, out today.” [Axios]
1 film thing: "Cocaine Bear" roars
Keri Russell in ‘Cocaine Bear.’ Photo: Redmond/Universal Pictures via AP
“The gonzo R-rated horror comedy ‘Cocaine Bear’ sniffed up a surprisingly strong $23.1 million in its opening weekend. Marvel's ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ shrank unusually quickly in its second weekend, AP reports.
‘Quantumania’ was still No. 1, with an estimated $32.2 million in ticket sales in U.S. and Canadian theaters.
But the ‘Ant-Man’ sequel, hit with some of the worst reviews and audience scores of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, dropped a steep 70% in its second weekend.
Universal Pictures' ‘Cocaine Bear’ rampaged through multiplexes, scoring notably above expectations.
Made for about $35 million, ‘Cocaine Bear’ stirred up plenty of buzz just from its title and its made-to-go-viral trailer.” [Axios]
Shinta Ratri, Fighter for Transgender Rights in Indonesia, Dies at 60
The Islamic boarding school she helped found offers a haven for transgender women in a country where discrimination can be acute.
“Shinta Ratri, the leader of an Islamic boarding school that offers a haven for transgender women in Indonesia, died on Feb. 1 in Yogyakarta, a city on the Indonesian island of Java. She was 60.
A colleague at the school, Rully Malay, said the cause of her death, in a hospital, was a heart attack.
Ms. Shinta, who had transitioned as a teenager, founded the school, Pesantren Waria al-Fatah, in 2008, along with two colleagues, as a retreat and a place to pray. For transgender women in this largely Muslim nation, discrimination is particularly acute at mosques, where men and women generally pray separately….” Read more at New York Times