TIMELINES 7/6/17

CNN’s Legality Over Reddit User’s Gif

CNN faced backlash after implying that they would reveal the identity of the Reddit user who made an anti-CNN gif that President Trump eventually tweeted if the individual recanted an apology to the network.

Some critics suggested that the network may have violated the law. Texas Senator Ted Cruz (R) tweeted in regards to Georgia state law’s prohibition against “theft by exortortion,” which makes it a crime to reveal any information to subject a person to hatred, contempt or ridicule.

WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange also chimed in to claim CNN may have violated state and federal laws related to coercion and the First Amendment.

CNN defended its stance, saying that they did not blackmail or reveal the user. They also said they uncovered the user’s identity following Facebook clues. The applicable laws would only apply if the network had data-mined the users IP address.

Abused Pitbulls Turned into Service Dogs
Abused pitbulls from Hi Tor Animal Care Center in Pomona are being trained to be service dogs. Due to the stereotype of pitbulls as aggressive dogs and the abused nature of these dogs, they are having trouble being adopted. Expert trainer Frank Pugliese, the owner of Behavior Plus, teamed up with Hi Tor earlier this year to train these dogs.

Volunteers teach the dogs the basics. The dogs learn to care for their owner over the course of three to four months. The program was inspired by Pugliese’s son, Matthew, who has a brain injury from football and relies on his dog, Bella, to get around. Recently, the first dog to graduate the program was placed with a veteran upstate that has post-traumatic stress disorder. The staff will be choosing the second dog to be trained.

Rockland Teachers Awarded Grants
The Rockland Community Foundation has awarded more than a dozen teachers grants to bring more engaging lessons into the classroom next fall. Each teacher will receive between $200 to $500 to implement their proposals that will provide more exciting hands-on activities. Teachers from East Ramapo, Rockland County Day School, Ramapo Central, North Rockland, Pearl River and Clarkstown have been awarded grants for the 2017-18 school year.