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'Squad' lawmaker explains 'creative' way to pay $14 trillion in reparations: 'Moral and legal obligation'

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'Squad' lawmaker explains 'creative' way to pay  trillion in reparations: 'Moral and legal obligation'

A New York lawmaker wants the federal government to push a $14 trillion reparations measure.

The measure is touted by “Squad” member Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., who wants the federal government to be held accountable for slavery and the aftermath of it, according to the Journal News.

Bowman cited the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the “space race” endeavor as examples that would make the measure feasible.

“When COVID was destroying us, we invested in the American people in a way that kept the economy afloat,” said Bowman. “The government can invest the same way in reparations without raising taxes on anyone.”

“Where did the money come from?” Bowman said. “We spent it into existence.”

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The U.S. Capitol is seen lit by the morning sun. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc)

REPARATIONS MAKE INCREASINGLY LESS SENSE AS AMERICA GROWS MORE DIVERSE, THINK TANK REPORT ARGUES

Bowman is among nine sponsors of H.R. 414, which seeks to establish that the U.S. has “a moral and legal obligation to provide reparations for the enslavement of Africans and its lasting harm on the lives of millions of Black people in the United States.”

The measure, introduced in 2023, would prompt the federal government to spend $14 trillion on a reparations program that would support the descendants of enslaved Black people and people of African descent. Blacks make up 12% of the population in the U.S., according to Census figures.

Reportedly, the bill comes three decades after another bill that sought to assemble a federal commission to study reparations. The measure to establish a federal commission on the impact of reparations was reintroduced this year and Bowman is a sponsor of it.

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The measure could address concerns over perceived racial disparities in housing, mass incarceration and education outcomes, and, as the bill states, “eliminate the racial wealth gap that currently exists between Black and White Americans.”

Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., wants the federal government to acknowledge the harm of slavery and push a $14 trillion reparations measure to aid descendants of enslaved people. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call via Getty)

Bowman added that the “incarcerated should be able to vote.”

“And I definitely think that when they come out, they should automatically be enfranchised,” he said.

SAN FRANCISCO’S PROPOSED REPARATIONS PLAN COULD COST CITY $100 BILLION: REPORT

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“To put the price-tag in perspective, the federal government spent about $7 trillion in 2020, about 28% of the nation’s $25 trillion economy,” the Journal News reported.

Bowman believes that the $14 trillion could be distributed over decades.

“Who says the $14 trillion needs to be paid out in one shot?,” said Bowman. 

“It might be possible for it to be paid out over five or 10 or 20 years. You could take that $333,000 and break it up into monthly checks over X amount of time. There are creative ways to do the right thing and do what needs to be done.”

The bill cites scholars’ estimates that the U.S. benefited from over 222 trillion hours of forced labor between 1619 and the end of slavery in 1865, “which would be valued at $97,000,000,000,000 today.”

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“There were 246 years of free labor that produced trillions or hundreds of trillions of dollars for the U.S. economy,” said Bowman. “The economy wouldn’t exist in the way it does today if slavery hadn’t built it.”

The bill does not have any sponsors in the Senate.

Bowman’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a bill establishing a reparations commission to explore the best methods of providing reparations to descendants of slaves.  (Riccardo Savi/Getty Images for Concordia Summit)

This is the latest attempt to push reparations on the federal level. Similar efforts are underway across the country in blue states, including San Francisco. 

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New York in December established a commission to explore the best methods of providing reparations to descendants of slaves. 

Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the bill for a “community commission to study the history of slavery in New York state” to examine “various forms of reparations.”



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Boston, MA

Boston Weather: Mostly dry skies, late-week warm-up incoming

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Boston Weather: Mostly dry skies, late-week warm-up incoming


After a brief chance of early precipitation, Boston is likely in for a mostly dry week and warmer temperatures heading into next weekend, according to National Weather Service forecasts.

“In terms of rain and everything, that’ll be continuing to clear out (Sunday night), if it hasn’t already,” said NWS meteorologist Candice Hrencecin. “(Monday) should be pretty dry.”

Monday is set to kick off the week with some dry and breezy weather throughout the day, forecasts show. Winds are expected to reach gusts as high as 26 mph, and temperatures are likely to climb up in a high in the upper 40s, NWS states.

The only real chance for showers in the week should hit Monday night into Tuesday, Hrencecin said.

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“(Monday) night, we could see some more showers come in once again,” said Hrencecin. “They might be mixed with some snow, but wouldn’t really accumulate or anything, and probably melt pretty quick, because we’d be going from like the mid-30s or so overnight (Monday), into the 40s during the day (Tuesday) pretty quickly. And that should switch over to rain.”

Rain is likely Tuesday, forecasts show, especially around the afternoon. The day is expected to be partly sunny, with a high in the upper 40s. The night is forecasted to get chilly, NWS states, with a low dipping down in the upper 20s.

“Then Wednesday, we kind of get back into the mid-40s during the day once again,” said Hrencecin. “And then overnight, a little bit better but still pretty cold for Wednesday night. Not as bad as Tuesday night, a few degrees improvement.”

Wednesday is expected to be sunny, with a high in the upper 40s and a nighttime low in the mid-30s, forecasts show.

Boston will kick off a warming trend more so towards the second half of the week, Hrencecin said.

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“And then by Thursday into Friday, we’d see highs into the mid 50s, and then into the mid 60s heading into the weekend,” Hrencecin said.

Thursday is forecasted to be sunny again, with the high climbing up to the mid-50s and a low in the low 40s, NWS states.

Friday into the weekend are preliminarily expected to remain partly sunny, with highs reaching up into the 60s through Sunday, forecasts show.



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Pittsburg, PA

My Biggest Concern With Pittsburgh’s New Special Teams Coordinator

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My Biggest Concern With Pittsburgh’s New Special Teams Coordinator


Pittsburgh has a punting problem. For years, decades really, the unit hasn’t been sufficient. New Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman’s goal is to come in and fix that while improving or maintaining the other special teams units. History says he may fix other aspects, but not punting.

Below is a chart of the average gross punting yards (how far a punt travels before the return) and NFL rank during all four of Crossman’s stints in the head role: Carolina, Detroit, Buffalo, and Miami. Included in the chart is Pittsburgh’s ranking over the Mike Tomlin era, 2007-2025.

The numbers below with analysis to follow:

Stint Gross Punt Avg Rank
Carolina (05-09) 44.2 yards 7th
Detroit (10-12) 43.3 yards 26th
Buffalo (13-18) 43.7 yards 29th
Miami (19-24) 45.3 yards 26th
Pittsburgh (07-25) 43.6 yards 32nd

Crossman’s numbers in Carolina were good. The rest were not. He had bottom-tier finishes in Detroit, Buffalo, and Miami. Perhaps Buffalo can be excused, given its cold-weather climate, naturally unfriendly to punters. Still, Detroit plays indoors (even with road games in Green Bay and Chicago, that’s just a fraction of the season), and Miami is a warm-weather climate. No matter the venue over the past 15 years, the results haven’t been there.

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Pittsburgh’s low finish isn’t shocking. Like Buffalo, punting at Acrisure (and Cleveland, Baltimore, and Cincinnati) makes life tough. The city will always have a disadvantage. Still, there’s no reason to accept finishing dead last in the league over nearly 20 years. Pittsburgh’s punting has always been subpar. It’s why the team’s record holder is from the 60s and not the modern day, like nearly every other NFL team. Washington is the only other team in this situation, thanks to Sammy Baugh’s league record that stood for generations.

How much can Crossman be blamed? He’s not the one on the field. But he evaluates and coaches the position. The results reflect him, especially over such a long span of time, and not a cherry-picked, single-season window. There is a consistently disappointing trend. And it’s gotten him fired in Buffalo and Miami.

Cameron Johnston is currently Pittsburgh’s only punter. Another will surely join the team. Whoever wins the job has their work cut out for them. Crossman must turn around his history – and Pittsburgh’s.



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Connecticut

Colorblends’ stunning displays make their spring return

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Colorblends’ stunning displays make their spring return


A local favorite is back.

Colorblends is known for its garden and gallery house.

In the next few weeks, visitors will see vibrant flower bulbs coming into bloom in the garden.

You can also see works of art displayed in the gallery, in partnership with Ursa Gallery.

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“We’re a wholesale flower bulb supplier, so it’s basically a living catalogue of everything that we carry,” says Colorblends owner Tim Schipper. “We have a lot of regular visitors that know to come a couple times in the spring time to see what’s going on.”

The garden and house are open until mid-May.

An artist reception is set for April 18 from 3 to 6 p.m.



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