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Alligator Alcatraz leans on myth steeped in racism

Axios

2 days ago

Politics
Axios

Alligator Alcatraz leans on myth steeped in racism

Key to the marketing ploy underpinning Florida's detention camp in the Everglades is the alligator, portrayed by Republican leaders as a blood-thirsty prison guard ready to attack anyone who escapes. Why it matters: Nothing about the portrayal is accurate, experts in alligator biology and history tell Axios. What's more, the idea of the alligator lusting for human flesh is rooted in racism, dating back to Jim Crow, when tourists could buy postcards illustrating Black children as "gator bait." "This idea that being around alligators is inherently dangerous is very problematic and misunderstood," said Mark V. Barrow Jr., a Virginia Tech history professor working on a book about the cultural history of American alligators. The big picture: Florida's reptilian mascot isn't just in the nickname-turned-official name of the detention center. It's central to the premise. "When people get out, there's not much waiting for them other than alligators and pythons," state Attorney General James Uthmeier said in a June 19 video introducing Alligator Alcatraz. "Nowhere to go, nowhere to hide." AI-generated memes depicting alligators in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement hats, as well as merchandise, followed soon after. During his visit to the facility this month, President Trump joked that the critters serve as "bodyguards" and "cops." Reality check: "They're not on our side. It's silly to think that," Mark Teshera, a wildlife biologist who studies alligator behavior, told Axios. Flashback: The idea of alligators as ferocious, human-eating beasts dates back to accounts from William Bartram, a naturalist from Philadelphia who in the late 18th century traveled to the Southeast, Barrow told Axios. Bartram's widely read book chronicling the experience included over-the-top descriptions of the reptile and stories of seemingly unprovoked attacks. The myth has persisted for centuries — including after Emancipation, when the false, racist belief that alligators liked the taste of Black flesh proliferated in the South. It was "part of this broad campaign to dehumanize, oppress, suppress newly freed African Americans," Barrow said. That history is why the University of Florida ceased its "gator bait" cheer and band performance in 2020. The other side: Gov. Ron DeSantis' office did not respond to Axios' requests for comment. Between the lines: Alligators don't consider humans prey and often react to them with fear, said Teshera, who authored a study that found that risky human behaviors caused most alligator attacks. Those behaviors include swimming in waterways known to be inhabited by alligators, walking dogs near their habitats, and feeding them. That also explains why, in Florida's scenic rivers and swamps, humans can observe alligators with little risk. Just be sure to practice situational awareness and give them space, Teshera said. What they're saying:"Alligators get such a bad rep, but when you break it down … they're usually reacting to a situation," he said.

Cumbria stories you might have missed this week

BBC News

3 days ago

Health
BBC News

Cumbria stories you might have missed this week

Three campaigning dads who lost their daughters to suicide were given welcome news this week, while an announcement for hospital patients in Barrow was less well received - here are some of the stories from Cumbria you might have missed this week. Dads win battle for suicide prevention lessons Three fathers who each lost a daughter to suicide say "lives will be saved" now the government has agreed to their call for suicide prevention to be taught in the past four years, Andy Airey, Mike Palmer and Tim Owen called for awareness of the subject to be added the national curriculum, following the deaths of their daughters Sophie, Beth and as the 3 Dads Walking, they said their "voices have finally been heard" after the Department for Education (DfE) announced on Tuesday that lessons discussing suicide prevention would be compulsory in secondary schools from September Airey, from Morland in Cumbria, said: "I'm absolutely gobsmacked, it doesn't feel real."Read the full story here. Hospital could stop treating sickest patients Sick and injured people requiring the highest level of intensive care may have to be transported more than an hour's drive away to a neighbouring county under a plan to permanently reduce a hospital and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) intends to make permanent the temporary suspension of the level 3 unit at Furness General Hospital (FGH), in Barrow-in-Furness, due to a lack of who require lower levels of critical care will continue to be treated at FGH, but the sickest patients would have to attend Royal Lancaster director Prof Andy Knox said the ICB would engage with the community and staff before confirming the information on this story is here. Council scraps discounts for first-time buyers A council has scrapped the need for housebuilders to provide discounted homes to first-time buyers on new housing and Furness Council has dropped the First Home Statement which gave buyers a 30% discount on their first home.A report by the council said the scheme did not fulfil its housing objectives, in part due to the area's ageing Democrat councillor Judith Derbyshire said the scheme "undermines our goal for local housing needs" and was "narrowly targeted".And you can read more about this story here. First mayoral election deferred to May 2027 A proposed mayoral election has been delayed to 2027 in a bid to save and Westmorland and Furness councils wrote to the government earlier this month to request deferring the proposed 2026 mayoral election in Cumbria to the following authorities said at the time holding the election would cost about £1m, but holding it in conjunction with the already planned local elections in 2027 would "save significant resources".The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) confirmed the request had been all about it here. Troubled jail now one of most 'impressive' A prison with a troubled history has become one of the country's most "impressive jails," inspectors have Haverigg, near Barrow, houses about 490 convicted sex offenders and had previously been forced to close for several weeks after a in recent years the prison has increased efforts to rehabilitate prisoners by finding them jobs on farms and in coffee Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, said the jail had become "safe, decent and effective".For all the details on this story click here. Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.

Most Americans say GOP tax bill helps the rich: Poll

Qatar Tribune

4 days ago

Business
Qatar Tribune

Most Americans say GOP tax bill helps the rich: Poll

Agencies Republican lawmakers are touting their newly passed tax and spending bill as a victory for working Americans, but a new survey finds most Americans view it as a benefit primarily for the wealthy. About two-thirds of U.S. adults expect the new tax law will help the rich, according to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Most - about 6 in 10 - think it will do more to hurt than help low-income people. About half say it will do more harm than good for middle-class people and people like them. Republicans have already begun airing advertisements framing the legislation as a tax cut for all Americans, highlighting new deductions on tips and overtime income. But Democrats have been making the case that the wealthiest Americans will benefit from the legislation, citing cuts to Medicaid and food assistance programs. The new poll indicates that Republicans still have persuading to do. The high price tag may also be turning off some Americans. Trump's approval rating on government spending has fallen since the spring, according to the new survey, and about 6 in 10 U.S. adults across the political spectrum think the government is spending 'too much.' Most people have heard at least something about the new law, according to the poll, which found that about two-thirds of U.S. adults have heard or read 'a lot' or 'some' about it. Those who know something about the legislation are more likely to believe it favors the wealthy, compared with people who have heard 'only a little' or 'nothing at all.' Anaiah Barrow, a 25-year-old single mom from North Carolina who doesn't identify with a political party, said she's concerned that the new law will hurt caregivers like her. Barrow -- who's juggling a job, taking care of two young children and pursuing a degree -- is concerned about losing access to day care and food stamps. 'It has a really big effect,' Barrow said of the recently passed legislation, which she has learned about on TikTok. 'It may not be as big now, but in the long run it's going to have that effect -- it's going to hit bad.' Even many Republicans agree that the wealthy are likely to benefit from the tax and spending law. About half say the law will do more to help the wealthy. A similar percentage say this about middle-class people, while about 4 in 10 Republicans think it will do more to help than hurt low-income people. Lori Nichols, a 51-year-old caregiver for her elderly mother in Illinois, said the legislation has 'very little for the older people and people that are on disability.' Although Nichols is a Republican, she said she didn't vote in the 2024 presidential election and voted for Democrat Joe Biden in 2020. 'As far as the tax part goes, it seems to me like (Trump's) just making the rich richer,' Nichols said. Despite the overall sense that wealthy people will be the primary beneficiaries, Democrats and independents are much likelier than Republicans to think the law could harm them personally. Nathan Hay, a shift service manager at an international dealership that repairs trucks, said he thinks lower-income people might see a 'slight increase' in taxes but still supports the bill. 'Personally, it's not helping me a ton,' Hay said, but he believes it will help small businesses, which have been a staple in his own life and his family's. About half of Republicans expect the legislation to do more to help 'people like you,' compared with about 2 in 10 independents and just 6% of Democrats. 'I'm not a tax accountant, but it sounds as if it would be more beneficial to (people) in the higher tax level,' said Republican Geraldine Putnam, 87, a Trump voter who lives in the rural south. 'It's not that I would want to take away the incentive to become more wealthy - that's the American dream,' Putnam said. But she also thinks she'll end up paying more in taxes. 'What he's doing I'm sure he thinks is correct,' she said of Trump. 'It's just the extreme method that he's using.' The law's hefty price tag may be factoring into some Americans' assessments of the law. The poll found they are less likely to approve of how Trump is handling government spending since the spring. Just 38% of Americans approve of how Donald Trump is handling government spending, compared with 46% in an AP-NORC poll conducted in March. Republicans are less likely to say the government is spending 'too much' than they were in March 2023, when Joe Biden was president, but about 6 in 10 still think the government is overspending. A similar share of Democrats say the same thing.

Most US adults think the GOP tax bill will help the wealthy and harm the poor, AP-NORC poll finds

5 days ago

Business

Most US adults think the GOP tax bill will help the wealthy and harm the poor, AP-NORC poll finds

WASHINGTON -- WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican elected officials are promoting their recently passed tax and spending bill as a win for working Americans, but a new survey shows that Americans broadly see it as a win for the wealthy. About two-thirds of U.S. adults expect the new tax law will help the rich, according to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Most — about 6 in 10 — think it will do more to hurt than help low-income people. About half say it will do more harm than good for middle-class people and people like them. Republicans have already begun airing advertisements framing the legislation as a tax cut for all Americans, highlighting new deductions on tips and overtime income. But Democrats have been making the case that the wealthiest Americans will benefit from the legislation, citing cuts to Medicaid and food assistance programs. The new poll indicates that Republicans still have persuading to do. The high price tag may also be turning off some Americans. Trump's approval rating on government spending has fallen since the spring, according to the new survey, and about 6 in 10 U.S. adults across the political spectrum think the government is spending 'too much.' Most people have heard at least something about the new law, according to the poll, which found that about two-thirds of U.S. adults have heard or read 'a lot' or 'some' about it. Those who know something about the legislation are more likely to believe it favors the wealthy, compared with people who have heard 'only a little' or 'nothing at all." Anaiah Barrow, a 25-year-old single mom from North Carolina who doesn't identify with a political party, said she's concerned that the new law will hurt caregivers like her. Barrow -- who's juggling a job, taking care of two young children and pursuing a degree -- is concerned about losing access to day care and food stamps. 'It has a really big effect,' Barrow said of the recently passed legislation, which she has learned about on TikTok. 'It may not be as a big now, but in the long run it's going to have that effect -- it's going to hit bad.' Even many Republicans agree that the wealthy are likely to benefit from the tax and spending law. About half say the law will do more to help the wealthy. A similar percentage say this about middle-class people, while about 4 in 10 Republicans think it will do more to help than hurt low-income people. Lori Nichols, a 51-year-old caregiver for her elderly mother in Illinois, said the legislation has 'very little for the older people and people that are on disability.' Although Nichols is a Republican, she said she didn't vote in the 2024 presidential election and voted for Democrat Joe Biden in 2020. 'As far as the tax part goes, it seems to me like (Trump's) just making the rich richer,' Nichols said. Despite the overall sense that wealthy people will be the primary beneficiaries, Democrats and independents are much likelier than Republicans to think the law could harm them personally. Nathan Hay, a shift service manager at an international dealership that repairs trucks, said he thinks lower-income people might see a 'slight increase' in taxes but still supports the bill. 'Personally, it's not helping me a ton,' Hay said, but he believes it will help small businesses, which have been a staple in his own life and his family's. About half of Republicans expect the legislation to do more to help 'people like you,' compared with about 2 in 10 independents and just 6% of Democrats. 'I'm not a tax accountant, but it sounds as if it would be more beneficial to (people) in the higher tax level,' said Republican Geraldine Putnam, 87, a Trump voter who lives in the rural south. 'It's not that I would want to take away the incentive to become more wealthy — that's the American dream,' Putnam said. But she also thinks she'll end up paying more in taxes. 'What he's doing I'm sure he thinks is correct," she said of Trump. "It's just the extreme method that he's using.' The law's hefty price tag may be factoring into some Americans' assessments of the law. The poll found they are less likely to approve of how Trump is handling government spending since the spring. Just 38% of Americans approve of how Donald Trump is handling government spending, compared with 46% in an AP-NORC poll conducted in March. Republicans are less likely to say the government is spending 'too much' than they were in March 2023, when Joe Biden was president, but about 6 in 10 still think the government is overspending. A similar share of Democrats say the same thing. Putnam, now a retiree, took issue with Trump's cuts in federal workers, even though she says she approves of being able to 'trim off people who aren't really doing their jobs.' The way she sees it, Trump drew attention to people abusing social services, then 'fires the people in the office' that are investigating that very fraud and abuse. 'What's the sense in that?' she asked. ___ The AP-NORC poll of 1,437 adults was conducted July 10-14, using a sample drawn from NORC's probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.

Chesterfield sign midfielder Butterfield