President Joe Biden hailed the March jobs report, saying it shows that the U.S. economy “has gone from being on the mend to on the move.”

America’s employers extended a streak of robust hiring in March, adding 431,000 jobs in a sign of the economy’s resilience in the face of a still-destructive pandemic, Russia’s war against Ukraine and the highest inflation in 40 years.

The government’s report showed that last month’s job growth helped shrink the unemployment rate to 3.6 percent. That’s the lowest rate since the pandemic erupted two years ago and just above the half-century low of 3.5 percent that was reached two years ago.

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Russia accused Ukraine of escalating their war by carrying out a helicopter attack against a fuel depot in the Russian city of Belgorod, in what appeared to be Ukraine’s first airstrike on Russian soil since the invasion began.

Ukrainian officials would not confirm or deny the attack, suggesting that it could be a Russian error or even linked to Russian helicopter pilots who had refused to fly into Ukraine. These officials suggested that Moscow should sort out what was happening on its own territory.

Despite this apparent trolling, many military and intelligence analysts said it had been a Ukrainian attack carried out by two Mi-24 helicopters that swept in low; fired rockets at the fuel depot, causing a massive explosion and igniting fuel tank fires; and then departed, still flying at a very low altitude. No casualties were reported.

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Susan and John talk about the recall about Chesa Boudin, drug use in the Tenderloin, the recent Board of Education recall, and the future of politics in San Francisco.

Gotham by the Bay   GothamByTheBay.com

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TDOV was created to celebrate the lives of trans people. According to GLAAD, only 20% of Americans personally know a transgender person - meaning most learn about transgender people through the media. 

New York gubernatorial candidate Andrew Giuliani sparked controversy for invoking his daughter when talking about transgenderism.

“I have changed the diapers,” Giuliani said. “I have looked under the hood. She’s a woman. I’m going to be the last guy in a long time that looks under the hood right there. But guess what? She was born a woman, and she’s going to stay a woman. It’s that simple.”

His remarks were a jab at transgender people who identify with a gender different than the one assigned to them at birth.

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A federal judge in Florida issued a forceful ruling today that blocked parts of Florida’s controversial election law, finding that some of the GOP-crafted restrictions it contained were passed “with the intent to discriminate against Black voters.”

U.S. District Judge Mark Walker invalidated certain limits the law placed on ballot drop boxes, voter registration by third parties and the distribution of water to those waiting in line to vote, determining the restrictions violated the Voting Rights Act and constitutional protections. 

“At some point, when the Florida Legislature passes law after law disproportionately burdening Black voters, this Court can no longer accept that the effect is incidental,” wrote Walker.. “Based on the indisputable pattern set out above, this Court finds that, in the past 20 years, Florida has repeatedly sought to make voting tougher for Black voters because of their propensity to favor Democratic candidates.”

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Freight & Salvage Hosts Little Village’s April First No Foolin’ Artist Revue featuring Aki Kumar, Tia Carroll, Skip The Needle, Marcel Smith, Mariachi Mestizo, and Nick Clark.

They will be backed by the Greaseland All Star Band

Friday, April 1, 2022  8:00 p.m. 

Freight & Salvage 2020 Addison St. Berkeley

Tix: $10-$20  For more information:  510.644.2020

littlevillagefoundation.org

The mission of Little Village, a nonprofit record company that seeks to shine the light of awareness on musicians who might not otherwise be heard. We believe that a life filled with diverse music builds empathy making for stronger communities. The artists range in genres, come from non-traditional backgrounds and are as diverse in cultural influences as they are in ethnic seasoning. The music represents mariachi, folk, blues, gospel, rock, spoken word, roots, soul, and so much more! 

Pamela Rose is on Little Village’s Board of Directors. She is a San Francisco based jazz and blues vocalist who has been performing and recording music for the past 40 years.  Her work celebrating women in jazz and blues has been featured on stages across the country.  Rose is on the faculty of the California Jazz Conservatory and has seven recordings under her name. 

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California’s Reparations Task Force voted Tuesday to define those who are eligible for reparations as descendants of African Americans enslaved in the U.S. or of free Black people living in the country before the end of the 19th century.

Much of the discussion among the task force members focused on differing interpretations of the state law that created the panel and on if all Black Californians should receive some form of reparation because of the lasting effects of slavery and the discrimination that has continued long after abolition. After hours of tense debate, the group voted to tie reparations to lineage.

“This measure is about reparations for those who are harmed by chattel slavery in this country,” said the Rev. Amos Brown, a civil rights leader and vice chair of the task force.

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Hunter Biden finds himself under investigation for allegations that include failure to pay federal taxes, failure to register as a foreign agent, and possible money laundering. He has said he was messed up on drugs during the time period under investigation, and while we're certainly sympathetic to those who get addicted to drugs, it kind of seems like a too-convenient excuse. If he gets indicted, Republicans are going to have a field day blaming his father for the son's misdeeds.

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Sen. John Thune has officially said he will oppose Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as a nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The South Dakota Republican says he is concerned she will allow her personal political opinions to shape her judicial decisions.

The Judiciary Committee is expected to recommend her nomination to the full Senate in a vote on April 4. Democrats can confirm her without one Republican vote in the 50-50 Senate, as long as every Democrat supports her and with Vice President Kamala Harris’s tie breaking vote.

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U.S. intelligence officials have determined that Russian President Vladimir Putin is being misinformed by advisers about his military’s poor performance in Ukraine, according to the White House. The advisers are scared to tell him the truth, the intel says. The findings, recently declassified, indicate that Putin is aware of the situation on information coming to him and there now is persistent tension between him and senior Russian military officials.

Russian tankers transporting oil and petroleum products have been disappearing from tracking systems. Dark activity, or when a ships’ transponders are turned off for at least a couple of hours, is up 600% compared to before the Ukraine War began, maritime risk management company Windward said.

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