SEPTEMBER 6, 2018

NEWS AND VIEWS

ANOTHER ONE OF “MY MEN” HAS DIED. HE WAS TALENTED, UPBEAT, BEAUTIFUL, AND SEEMED VERY KIND. HE WAS “ONE OF THE GOOD GUYS.” I MISS THESE HOLLYWOOD PEOPLE WHEN THEY DIE. I AM ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO LOOK UNDER THE SURFACE, EVEN WITH PEOPLE I’LL NEVER REALLY KNOW IN THE FLESH. HE WAS A DEFINITE ADDITION TO OUR SOCIETY AND AMERICAN LIFE. IF YOU’RE FEELING BORED, GET “SMOKY AND THE BANDIT” AND WATCH IT. I’VE NEVER SEEN “BOOGIE NIGHTS.” HOPEFULLY I’LL REMEMBER TO FIND IT ON YOUTUBE AND WATCH IT SOON.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/burt-reynolds-died-boogie-nights-actor-age-82-today-2018-09-06/
Burt Reynolds, star of "Boogie Nights" and "Smokey and the Bandit," dies at 82
By ANDREA PARK CBS NEWS September 6, 2018, 3:07 PM

Hollywood legend Burt Reynolds, star of films like "Smokey and the Bandit," "Boogie Nights" and "Deliverance," has died at 82. He reportedly died Thursday morning at Jupiter Medical Center in Florida.

The actor, director and producer was born in Lansing, Michigan, in 1936, and played football at Florida State University before an injury dashed his hopes of a football career.

He launched his acting career in Western TV shows like "Gunsmoke" and "Dan August," but his breakout film role was in the thriller "Deliverance" in 1972. He was Hollywood's top-grossing star each year from 1978 through 1982, during which time he starred in the 1997 hit film "Smokey and the Bandit" with Sally Field. The two had a highly-publicized romance. Reynolds was one of the leading sex symbols of the era, posing nude for Cosmopolitan magazine in 1972.

Reynolds made a comeback in 1997 with Paul Thomas Anderson's "Boogie Nights," for which he was nominated an Oscar. Reynolds had mixed feelings about the film in spite of the acclaim. In 2015, he admitted to GQ that he did not get along with Anderson and said he most likely would not work with him again. According to The Hollywood Reporter, he was so unhappy when he first saw the film that he fired his agent over it. Though the actor lost the Oscar that year to Robin Williams, he did win a Golden Globe for the role.

Reynolds recently starred in "The Last Movie Star," which was released in March. The film tells the story of a forgotten Hollywood icon.

Reynolds suffered from several health issues in recent years. In 2013, he was admitted to the intensive care unit of a Florida hospital due to dehydration and severe flu symptoms. In 2010, Reynolds underwent a quintuple heart bypass one year after entering rehab to end a reliance on prescription drug habit acquired after back surgery.

Reynolds was married to actresses Judy Carne from 1963 to 1965 and Loni Anderson from 1988 to 1993. He had a son, Quinton Reynolds, with Anderson in 1988. In March, he said on the "Today" show that ex-girlfriend Sally Field, who was also his co-star in "Smokey and the Bandit," was the love of his life.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

99 PHOTOS – NOTABLE DEATHS IN 2018


FREEDOM OF ART

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mural-inspired-by-starry-night-becomes-a-first-amendment-issue/
By STEVE HARTMAN CBS NEWS August 24, 2018, 6:55 PM
Mural inspired by Starry Night becomes a First Amendment issue

MOUNT DORA, Fla. — Lubek Jastrzebski and Nancy Nemhauser of Mount Dora, Florida, say it was the strangest thing: They noticed their 25-year-old autistic son, Chip, kept opening the same art book, and kept turning to the same page to stare into the same Starry Night.

"It seemed to comfort him. And given that there is not a whole lot that helps, we have to capitalize on whatever we can use," said Nancy.

That's why they hired someone to paint a huge, Starry Night-inspired mural on the wall in front of their house.

Chip loved it. The city did not.

sm-hartman-otr-0824-frame-2408.jpg
A family in Mount Dora, Florida decided to paint the famous Starry Night painting on their house, after they saw their autistic son looking at the same painting. CBS NEWS
Last year, a citation showed up at the door, saying graffiti is prohibited, and until the Van Gogh was gone, the family could be fined as much as $250 a day, up to the value of the house.

"First I thought it was a prank. And then I thought it was a mistake," Nancy said.

So they asked the code enforcement officer: which is it?

"What do we have to do fix this? And she said, 'The wall has to match the house,'" Nancy said. "We followed the instructions."

They did follow the instructions, and today the wall definitely matches the house. But despite their cynical compliance -- or perhaps because of it -- the couple's legal problems only intensified. Next, the city said the mural needed to come down for a second reason.

"It violated a sign ordinance," said Mayor Nick Girone.

"A violation of the sign ordinance based on the fact that it had squigglies," Girone added.

This is what the family was up against.

hartman-van-gogh-house-exported-01-frame-4887.jpg
Lubek Jastrzebski and Nancy Nemhauser. CBS NEWS
All the while, the fines kept mounting, which is why even though their son would be disappointed, Nancy and Lubek almost painted over it – in a surrender white.

"The turning point, for you, I think, was when a young girl offered her allowance to help us to fight to keep the mural," Nancy said to Lubek.

For Lubek especially, the mural had become a First Amendment issue. Eventually the city saw it that way, too.

Last month, the mayor conceded and publicly apologized.

Today, those once-scorned squiggles are a now tourist attraction, with people visiting from around the world.

"It's very seldom when two crazy people are willing to lose the house," Lubek said. "For First Amendment."

To contact On the Road, or to send us a story idea, email us: OnTheRoad@cbsnews.com.

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.



IT SHOULD BE ILLEGAL TO MAKE FAKE GUNS THAT LOOK THIS REALISTIC. I HOPE, FOR THEIR SAKE, THAT THE OFFICERS HAD A THIRD-PARTY WITNESS OR TWO. THERE WAS A MENTAL HEALTH WORKER WITH THEM, BUT THIS HAPPENED ANYWAY. WHY, I WONDER, DIDN’T THEY LET THE PROFESSIONAL HANDLE THIS?

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/vanessa-marquez-former-er-star-shot-dead-by-police/
CBS NEWS August 31, 2018, 4:54 PM
Vanessa Marquez, former "ER" star, shot dead by police

PHOTOGRAPH -- Vanessa Marquez as nurse Wendy Goldman on "ER." NBC

Vanessa Marquez, who starred on "ER" as nurse Wendy Goldman, was shot and killed by South Pasadena, California, police in her home on Thursday, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said. The 49-year-old actress pointed what appeared to be a handgun at officers before they shot her, the sheriff's department said in a statement.

South Pasadena police officers conducting a welfare check in an apartment complex Thursday afternoon found Marquez having seizures, the sheriff's department said. In a press conference, Lt. Joe Mendoza of the sheriff's department's homicide bureau told reporters that Marquez was "gravely disabled," according to the South Pasadenan.

The sheriff's department said authorities attempted to offer Marquez medical care for over an hour and a half.

"At the time [of the shooting] there was an LA County mental health clinician here with the officers," Mendoza said, according to the newspaper. "They began to communicate with her, she became very uncooperative and during that contact she armed herself with a handgun, she pointed it at the officers and an officer-involved shooting occurred."

Marquez was taken to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead. Police determined that Marquez had been holding a BB gun that "resembled a semi-automatic handgun," according to Mendoza.

Marquez acted on "ER" from 1994 to 1997. In 2017, she accused George Clooney of hurting her career during their "ER" days, saying he helped "blacklist" her when she reportedly spoke up about alleged harassment on the show. Clooney denied the accusation.

Marquez also appeared on "Seinfeld," "Melrose Place" and others. She also appeared on a 2005 episode of A&E's "Intervention" to address her depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and shopping addiction.

Marquez's death is under investigation, which is common for police-involved shootings.

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.


AN OPEN MIND CAN CHANGE ALL THINGS. WATCH THIS VIDEO.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kayla-mckeon-lobbyist-national-down-syndrome-society/
By STEVE HARTMAN CBS NEWS August 10, 2018, 6:55 PM
Meet the high-powered Washington lobbyist with Down syndrome

WASHINGTON -- Kayla McKeon may be Washington's most unlikely powerbroker. As the first registered lobbyist with Down Syndrome, the 31-year-old roams the Capitol advocating for the National Down Syndrome Society.

"She's an incredible asset to this organization," said her boss, Sarah Hart Weir. "She's extremely articulate. And she's quick on her feet."

"And I'm not going to take no for an answer," Kayla said.

They hired her for her communication skills.

"That too," Kayla said.

0810-dsguardianpics5.jpg
Kayla McKeon CBS NEWS

And her charm.

"You're good at this," she said.

It takes a schmoozer to know a schmoozer.

But Kayla also has a certain sincerity that can turn almost any politician into putty.

PHOTOGRAPH -- 0810-dsguardianpics.jpg
Kayla McKeon CBS NEWS

She approaches New York Republican Rep. John Katko. "I need your help," Kayla said.

"Do you need a sponsor?"

"I definitely need you."

"Am I surprised that she's in Washington, D.C., calling on senators and congressmen? Yeah," said Kayla's father, Mark.

Her parents, Mark and Patti, say that although their daughter continues to surprise -- Kayla never really let Down syndrome slow her down. They say that even at 2, Kayla had already decided she would drive a car someday.

"To pass the permit test we said, 'You have to be able to read,'" Mark said. "So that gave her encouragement to knuckle down and start reading. And right now she still reads a book a week."

0810-dsguardianpics4.jpg
Kayla McKeon CBS NEWS

And she got her driver's license, too.

She's now one of just a handful of people with Down syndrome to have a license.

What about that parallel parking?

"You don't want to know," she said. "That's challenging."

Today she does more flying than driving. A couple of times a month she leaves her home in Syracuse for her office in D.C., where Kayla is focused on passing a law that would make it illegal to pay people with disabilities anything less than minimum wage.

PHOTOGRAPH -- 0810-dsguardianpics6.jpg, Kayla McKeon CBS NEWS
She says if it passes, it would be a monumental achievement – but a thrill, regardless, just to be part of the process.

"I just love the feeling of: Wow, I'm here, I'm making history," Kayla said.

Hard to believe?

"Oh yeah," Kayla said.

Kayla McKeon, lily in the swamp.

To contact On the Road, or to send us a story idea, email us: OnTheRoad@cbsnews.com

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.


ENTER THE HERO -- https://president.psu.edu/biography.html
President Eric J. Barron

WHY IS HE A HERO? BECAUSE HE IS RISKING THE DISSATISFACTION OF PARENTS WHO WANT THEIR YOUNG MEN TO BE IN A POSITION OF ADMIRATION ON CAMPUS, PLEDGE THE FRATERNITY THAT THEY DID, AND PARTY, EVEN IF HORRIBLE THINGS HAPPEN AT THEIR PARTIES.

HIS WILLINGNESS TO BREAK WITH TRADITION WHEN THINGS NEED TO CHANGE SHOWS INTELLIGENCE AND A DEEPER THAN AVERAGE LEVEL OF HONESTY.

SEE THIS ARTICLE AND THE NEXT. DR. BARRON IS PUSHING FOR A LAW THAT MANDATES ARREST ON A FELONY CHARGE WHEN HAZING OCCURS. I HAVE NEVER KNOWN THE PSYCHOLOGICAL REASON WHY YOUNG PEOPLE WILL PUT UP WITH THIS, AND EVEN APPROVE OF IT. THIS IS ONE OF THOSE PRACTICES THAT MAKE ME FEEL THAT MEMBERSHIP IN A GROUP SHOULD BE CLOSELY EXAMINED BEFORE IT IS EMBRACED. BEING “A PART OF THINGS” IS A MIXED BLESSING AT BEST.

TO ME, BEING AN INDIVIDUAL IS THE ONLY WAY TO BE AT OUR BEST AS HUMANS. IN THIS COUNTRY WE PRIZE SOCIABILITY AND COMPETITION. I PRIZE INDIVIDUALITY AND A SMALL NUMBER OF GOOD, RELIABLE FRIENDS IN A COOPERATIVE RELATIONSHIP. WOULD THEY EVER GET YOU DOG DRUNK AND WATCH YOU TOPPLE DOWN STAIRS WITHOUT EVEN GOING DOWN TO HELP? THAT IS WHAT HAPPENED TO THIS YOUNG MAN AT THE HANDS OF HIS “FRIENDS?”

Eric J. Barron, former dean at Penn State and former president of Florida State University, began his presidency at Penn State on May 12, 2014. Succeeding former President Rodney Erickson, who had served since 2011, Dr. Barron was named the 18th President of Penn State by the University's Board of Trustees February 17, 2014.

The President has nearly 35 years of leadership experience in academic administration, education, research, and public service.

Dr. Barron returned to Penn State from the helm at Florida State, bringing with him nearly 35 years of leadership experience in academic administration, education, research, and public service, and a track record as a talented manager of fiscal policy within large and complex institutions. Dr. Barron led Florida State to two consecutive U.S. News and World Report rankings as the nation's "most efficiently operated" institution of higher education.

Dr. Barron served as dean of the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences and founding director of the Earth System Science Center during his previous years at Penn State.

Dr. Barron earned a bachelor of science degree in geology at Florida State in 1973 before moving on to the University of Miami, where he earned master's and doctoral degrees in oceanography, in 1976 and 1980, respectively. Dr. Barron spent 20 years of his career at Penn State, serving as dean of the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences from 2002 to 2006, and as founding director of the Earth System Science Center, one of the first major initiatives focused on the total study of Earth as a system, from 1986 to 2002. He also had a simultaneous appointment as director of the Earth and Mineral Sciences Environment Institute from 1998 to 2002. In 1999, he was named Distinguished Professor of Geosciences at Penn State, and during his tenure as director, Industry Week magazine ranked him among "50 R&D Stars to Watch."

An accomplished scientist with a long background in atmospheric research, Dr. Barron served as director of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) from 2008 to 2010 and as dean of the Jackson School of Geosciences at the University of Texas at Austin from 2006 to 2008. Early in his career he was a postdoctoral research fellow and scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, a federal research center focusing on atmospheric and related science issues. Dr. Barron originally worked at NCAR as a postdoctoral fellow (1981–85), and served for one year on the faculty at the University of Miami before joining Penn State.

Dr. Barron has lent his scientific expertise to many national committees and federal organizations.

Over the decades, Dr. Barron has lent his significant expertise in the areas of atmospheric science and the geosciences to many national committees and federal organizations, including contributions as chair of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) science advisory board and nearly 20 years of service as the chair of multiple National Research Council committees and boards. Throughout his career he has earned numerous accolades and awards, including Penn State's Wilson Award for Excellence in Teaching (1999); the National Aeronautic and Space Administration's (NASA) Distinguished Public Service Medal (2003); and the Bridge Builders Leadership Award from the Martin Luther King Foundation of Florida (2012).

Dr. Barron is a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union, the American Meteorological Society, the Geological Society of America, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He has authored more than 125 peer-reviewed papers in geology, oceanography, and climate issues.


YOU PROBABLY REMEMBER THIS CASE. IT WAS TOO HORRIFIC TO FORGET. FINALLY, SOMETHING IS BEING DONE, OR AT LEAST AN ATTEMPT IS BEING MADE TO STOP THE PROBLEM.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/timothy-piazza-hazing-death-penn-state-president-eric-barron-speaks-out/
CBS NEWS September 6, 2018, 7:39 AM
Penn State president opens up about Timothy Piazza's death, vows to end hazing for good

The North-American Interfraternity Conference this week announced tough new restrictions on hard liquor in all fraternities following a settlement between the family of Penn State student Timothy Piazza and his fraternity, Beta Theta Pi, where the 19-year-old died during a hazing ritual last year.

There's been at least one hazing-related death in the U.S. every year since the early 1960s. Penn State President Eric Barron tells CBS News' Jericka Duncan about his personal mission to prevent future tragedies.

"It needs to be very clear that if you engage in behavior that harms somebody physically or mentally to a level of near death or serious consequences, that can't be a misdemeanor," Barron said.

Barron says reforming laws to make hazing a felony is just one of the causes he's been fighting for over a year and a half, ever since Timothy Piazza died in a hazing incident on his watch.

"I never want it to happen again. That's really why, I never want it to happen again," Barron said.

As part of an initiation ritual with Beta Theta Pi, Piazza was allegedly forced to consume 18 drinks in 82 minutes. He died two days later in the hospital after sustaining brain injuries and massive internal bleeding from dangerous falls while intoxicated at the fraternity house.

Parents Jim and Evelyn Piazza have formed a unique relationship with Barron, working together to end hazing nationwide.

"We thought you know we can kind of go to battle with him and the university or we can try to work with him and try to effectuate change," Jim Piazza said. "Not that we don't have our differences, we do, and there are things that we don't agree on. We don't agree on everything but it's important for us to work closely with him, with the university to make changes here."

Some of those changes include a national database to monitor Greek life like fraternity GPAs, sexual assaults and any alcohol violations.

"When I'm choosing as a student or as a parent, I can look at it and say, 'Now wait a minute, that house, the freshmen have a 1.9 grade point average. Do I want to risk my academics to join that one?'" Barron said.

d17n-duncan-penn-state-piazza-frame-3454.jpg
Penn State president Eric Barron CBS NEWS

But Timothy's fraternity, Beta Theta Pi, had a stellar record with an average 3.8 GPA.

"It was a – it looked very good on the outside. And there are other things here that have a different type of effect on behavior. We're working with the Piazzas on an anti-hazing law," Barron said.

Last week, Barron invited the Piazzas to visit Penn State and speak to the heads of fraternities and sororities.

"We've gotten really good feedback. We've had young men look us in the eyes, burst into tears, give us hugs and just promise us that it wasn't going to happen on their watch," Evelyn said.

Despite the fact that at least one person has died in a hazing incident every year since 1960, the Piazzas are hopeful this year will be different. The university says it's already seeing progress.

"There is substantial change in awareness," Barron said. "I think that gives us a lot more strength to begin to move forward aggressively in fixing it but we're not done yet."

The Piazzas are also fighting for justice in court. The more serious charges of involuntary manslaughter were recently dropped but charges have been filed, dismissed, and re-filed against more than 25 former fraternity brothers. Three students pleaded guilty and one is now under house arrest.

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.


MSNBC MADDOW
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/episodes


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 9/5/18
W.H. official's NYT screed on Trump sets up crisis for Americans
Rachel Maddow outlines the issues facing Americans after a senior White House official wrote anonymously in the New York Times about the paucity of Donald Trump's incapability to serve safely in the office he holds. Duration: 26:04


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 9/5/18
Some Trump admin officials see role as protecting US from Trump
Nicolle Wallace talks with Rachel Maddow about officials within the Donald Trump administration who see it as their duty to thwart Donald Trump in order to, as they see it, protect the United States from Trump's whims and ill-considered policies. Duration: 7:15


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 9/5/18
Veracity of Kavanaugh testimony under oath challenged at hearing
Rachel Maddow reviews highlights of Brett Kavanaugh's Senate Supreme Court confirmation hearing, from his ducking questions about prosecuting presidents to questions about whether he was truthful in his past Senate testimony. Duration: 4:30


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 9/5/18
Kavanaugh ducks answering on points of personal controversy
Senator Cory Booker talks with Rachel Maddow about his frustrations getting straight answers from Brett Kavanaugh at today's Supreme Court confirmation hearing, compounded by Republicans withholding information about Kavanaugh's record. Duration: 8:33



http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/thursdays-mini-report-9618
The Rachel Maddow Show / The MaddowBlog
Thursday’s Mini-Report, 9.6.18
09/06/18 05:30 PM
By Steve Benen

Today’s edition of quick hits:

* Just another day at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue: “A number of Cabinet and Cabinet-level officials in President Donald Trump’s administration rushed to deny Thursday that they were behind the explosive anonymous opinion article published in The New York Times a day earlier.”

* Today’s mass shooting: “A gunman opened fire at a bank in downtown Cincinnati on Thursday morning, fatally wounding three people and injuring two others, law enforcement officials said. The suspect was also killed.”

* More on this tomorrow: “The Trump administration announced a new rule Thursday that would allow immigrant children with their parents to be held in detention indefinitely, upending a ban on indefinite detention that has been in place for 20 years.”

* Abortion ruling: “A federal judge on Wednesday struck down a Texas law that would have required abortion providers and other health care facilities to bury or cremate fetal remains, the latest in a series of legal setbacks for anti-abortion activists and state Republican leaders who pushed for the law.”

* Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is usually very careful about criticizing the White House, but he nevertheless said on a radio show yesterday that he’s dealing with an American president “who doesn’t always follow the rules as they’re laid out.”

* Farm bill: “Nearly two million low-income Americans, including 469,000 households with young children, would be stripped of benefits under the House version of the farm bill being considered this week by congressional negotiators, according to an analysis by a nonpartisan research firm.”

* A provocative new bill: “An unusual public spat between Amazon.com Inc. and Sen. Bernie Sanders over workers’ wages escalated Wednesday as the Vermont independent introduced a bill aimed at taxing big companies whose employees rely on federal benefits to make ends meet.” The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a progressive think tank, raised some notable concerns about the bill.

* Roy Moore is seeking $95 million in punitive and compensatory damages: “Of all the absurd antics on Sacha Baron Cohen’s Showtime series ‘Who is America?’ … the most uncomfortable moment may have involved Roy Moore. Moore certainly wasn’t too happy about the July 29 episode that implied that he is a pedophile. Now, he is suing Cohen, CBS and Showtime for defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress and fraud.”

* Stefan Passantino, “the former top ethics lawyer in the Trump White House, is joining Reince Priebus’ law firm in its government relations, public policy and compliance practice group.”

* Sign of the times: “Not one, not two, but three men (at least) who were affiliated with conservative organizations or the Trump administration have recently been found to have social, professional, or organizational links to explicit white supremacists and members of the alt-right.

Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.

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