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2 Teens Charged in Murder of Gay 18-Year-Old Chicago Student

There have been two arrests in the case of Terrance "Jawan" Wright, the 18-year-old Chicago high school student was shot and killed two weeks ago in what police have described as a "routine robbery". The family disagrees and believe the teen was killed because he was gay.

The two teenage suspects were arrested over the weekend. The mother of the suspected gunman—who is only 14-years-old—turned him into police, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Jarone Carter, 16, has been charged as an adult with first-degree murder, attempted armed robbery and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, said Andrew Conklin, a spokesman for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office. A 14-year-old boy has also been charged with the murder but his name has not been released because he is being tried as a juvenile.

According to a police report, the 14-year-old boy was identified as the suspected gunman who shot Wright and caused his death. The 14-year-old boy's mother directed police to the boy who was arrested Sunday morning in his bedroom, according to police.

The tragic incident happened on Friday, October 19 outside Banner Academy on the city's far South Side. Wright was approached by five would-be robbers. He fought back and was shot in the chest, according to police reports.

The family wants the assault and homicide investigated as a hate crime. Wright had transferred to the high school last year after his family says he was" relentlessly" bullied at his previous school. They say the young man could not escape the bullies. "They had to kill my cousin because he was gay. That’s crazy," said Kenyatta Rogers.

"Since 2008, more than 530 youth have been killed in Chicago," according to The Chicago Reporter. "Nearly 80 percent of the homicides have occurred" in Black or Latinos neighborhoods on the South or West Sides.

The older suspect is scheduled to appear in a bond hearing today. The 14-year-old will reportedly appear in Juvenile Court on November 13.

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REPORTS: Romney REFUSES to Discuss FEMA After Hurricane Sandy

PHOTO: GETTY

Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney "refused to answer repeated questions about how he would handle the duties of the Federal Emergency Management Agency" while on the campaign trail today. The former Massachusetts governor has previously criticized federal disaster relief spending and suggested that he would privatize FEMA to respond to disasters such as Hurricane Sandy.

The questions came at an event in in Kettering, Ohio, "that was hastily converted into a 'storm relief event'" reports Reuters and the Washington Post.

"Governor, are you going to see some storm damage?" one reporter asked. Several others again asked Romney whether he would eliminate FEMA. "Governor, you’ve been asked 14 times. Why are you refusing to answer the question?" one asked.

Romney ignored the reporters’ queries and continued loading up the truck. Earlier, during the event, he ignored similar queries. During a 2011 primary debate, Romney supported the idea of curtailing federal disaster response and letting states and the private sector take on a bigger role.

And from the pool report via Huffington Post:

TV pool asked Romney at least five times whether he would eliminate FEMA as president/what he would do with FEMA. He ignored the qs but they are audible on cam. The music stopped at points and the qs would have been audible to him.

Romney said in a June 2011 debate that it would be "'immoral" for the federal government to fund disaster relief efforts without reducing spending elsewhere. Not sure how he feels about that today.

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Romney: Privatize FEMA

PHOTOS: Metro-North Tracks

PHOTOS: MTAPhotos Flickr

A view of the Metro-North line at Ossining and the Harmon Yard in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. "The entire Metro-North and MTA system remained shut down Tuesday while workers assessed Hurricane Sandy's damage to rail lines," notes Newsday.

New York City: Massive Flooding, Fires and Blackouts After Sandy

PHOTOS: REUTERS, NY1, GETTY

Much of lower Manhattan is shrouded in darkness and hundreds of thousands of people across the New York metropolitan area are without power in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.  Dozens are dead across the U.S., at least 70 were killed in the Caribbean, millions are without power and thousands need rescue as the storm heads into the Great Lakes and into Canada.

The storm damage was projected at $20 billion, "meaning it could prove to be one of the costliest natural disasters in U.S. history," reports the New York Daily News.

The devastation includes massive flooding, transportation outages, flooded tunnels and a wind-swept fire that claimed dozens of homes in the New York City borough of Queens.

At least 80 flooded homes were destroyed by a fast moving blaze in Breezy Point, Queens "before firefighters, some battling flames while standing neck deep in floodwaters, got it under control," reports NBC 4.

The six-alarm blaze was contained by 11A Tuesday, a full 12 hours after it was first reported. It erupted in a flooded Zone A area during a peak part of the superstorm and nearly 200 firefighters responded. "The winds were just devastating, blowing from one building to the next one," [Mayor Michael] Bloomberg said. City officials say it appears most of the area had been evacuated prior to the fire and no serious injuries have been reported.

A 13-foot surge of seawater at slammed the city, flooding its tunnels, subway stations and the electrical system that powers lower Manhattan. Bridges remained closed and seven subway tunnels under the East River remained flooded, reports the New York Times.

The storm was the most destructive in the 108-year history of New York City’s subway system, said Joseph J. Lhota, the chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, in an early morning statement. “We are assessing the extent of the damage and beginning the process of recovery,” he said, but did not provide a timetable for restoring transit service to a paralyzed city.

As the storm lashed the city, waves topped the sea wall in the financial district in Manhattan, sending cars floating down streets. West Street, along the western edge of Lower Manhattan, looked like a river. The Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, known officially as the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel in memory of a former governor, flooded “from end to end,” the MTA said, hours after Governor Cuomo ordered it closed to traffic. Officials said water also seeped into seven subway tunnels under the East River.

After the flooding: The power blackout.

Consolidated Edison said that as of 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, 634,000 customers in New York City and Westchester County were without power. Con Edison, fearing damage to its electrical equipment, shut down power pre-emptively in sections of Lower Manhattan on Monday evening, and then, at 8:30 p.m., an unplanned failure, probably caused by flooding in substations, knocked out power to most of Manhattan below Midtown, about 250,000 customers. Later, an explosion at a Con Ed substation on East 14th Street knocked out power to another 250,000 customers.

These last two images from Atlantic City, New Jersey. "Much of the city is underwater" and "parts of the famed historic boardwalk were washed" away by the ferocious superstorm.

Watch raw video and news reports AFTER THE JUMP ...

VIDEO, PHOTOS: Grace Jones Live at New York City's Roseland

PHOTOS: GETTY, KEVIN REED's Facebook, BARNACUNYC's Instagram

Here's some Grace in your face ...

The amazing and iconic Ms. Grace Jones performed at New York City's Roseland Ballroom on Saturday night.

At 64-years-old, the "post-disco diva" does "all the normal elderly activities: hula-hooping for Queen Elizabeth, receiving and declining offers to duet with Lady Gaga, and donning enormous headdresses and slinky leotards," notes Time Out New York.

All that was in effect as Ms. Jones "Returned to Roseland" on her aptly named "Hurricane Tour." I've experienced Grace Jones' live performances up to a half dozen times live in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and London and could never tire of her artistry.

More images and watch the videos—including the NSFW live version of "Slave to the Rhythm" as well as "Feel Up", "Private Life", "La Vie en Rose" and "Pull Up to the Bumper"—AFTER THE JUMP ...

REPORT: Scientists Develop More Accurate and Cheaper HIV Test

British scientists have developed an HIV screening test using nanotechnology that is much more sensitive and a fraction of the cost of existing tests, reports Reuters.

The test [results] can be seen with the naked eye by turning a sample red or blue, according to research from scientists at Imperial College in London published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology. "Our approach affords for improved sensitivity, does not require sophisticated instrumentation and it is ten times cheaper," Molly Stevens, who led the research, told Reuters. [...]

The new sensor works by testing serum, a clear watery fluid derived from blood samples, in a disposable container for the presence of an HIV biomarker called p24. If p24 is present, even in minute concentrations, it causes the tiny gold nanoparticles to clump together in an irregular pattern that turns the solution blue. A negative result separates them into ball shapes that generate a red colour.

The new test has the potential to dramatically improve HIV/AIDS testing and treatment in the developing world—and lower infection rates, too. The need is greatest in Sub-Saharan Africa, the epicenter of the global HIV/AIDS epidemic.

According to 2010 data from the World Health Organisation, about 23 million people living with HIV are in Sub-Saharan Africa out of a worldwide total of 34 million.The virus is also spreading faster and killing more people in this part of the world. Sub-Saharan Arica accounted for 1.9 million new cases out of a global total of 2.7 million in the same year, and 1.2 million out of the 1.8 million deaths.

[The scientists] said they plan to approach not-for-profit global health organisations to help them manufacture and distribute the new sensor in low income countries.

The news comes only weeks after the inroduction of OraQuick, the nation's first over-the-counter, rapid in-home HIV test. That could have dramatic potential in the Black community and particularly among Black men who have sex with men (MSM). Blacks make up some 56 percent of all so-called late testers—people who are diagnosed with AIDS within one year of their HIV diagnosis. Late testers have less chance to benefit from lifesaving medications and are considered "extremely infectious."

The number of new HIV infections in the United States has remained “relatively stable” at approximately 50,000  per year between 2006 and 2009, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that was published in August 2011.

But there have been a soaring number of seroconversions among Black men who have sex with men.  The trend has been particularly “alarming” among Black MSM aged 13 to 19, according to the CDC. New infections have increased by 48 percent between 2006 and 2009. New infections rates are much higher in some cities—such as Milwaukee, where an estimated 42 percent of Black gay/bi men could be infected.

See our report for EBONY "New Data Show Black Gay Men Face "World's Highest" Risk of HIV" and our series "Reversing the Alarming HIV Increase Among Black Gay Men Part 1" and "Part 2".

Some Background:
Black Gay Men Face "World's Highest" HIV Risk [EBONY]
FDA Approves Truvada for PrEP
SF First City to Offer PrEP to Gay Men
Leading HIV Groups Call on FDA to Approve PrEP
Preparing for PrEP
"Alarming Increase" in HIV Young Black Gay Men
Daily Drug Reduces HIV Transmission
HIV a Rite of Passage for Young Black Gay Men?
1 in 3 Black Gay Men HIV Positive; 60% Unaware
"Alarming" HIV Rates Young Blk Gay Men in Miss.
CDC: 42% Black Gay Men in Milwaukee are HIV+
HIV "Epidemic" Among Black Gay Chicago Men

VIDEO: Madonna Booed in New Orleans After Endorsing Obama

Madonna was loudly booed after endorsing President Obama's re-election at a Saturday concert in New Orleans.

"Who's registered to vote," the MDNA singer asked. Much of the crowd applauded Madonna's remark but there were many audible and loud boos."I don't care who you vote for as long as you vote for Obama. Seriously, I don't care who you vote for," she added. "Do not take this privilege for granted. Go vote."

Who knew that Republicans were Madonna fans? The N'awlins homocons must be overjoyed with the fantastic job that Bush did during Hurricane Katrina. Or maybe it's ... something else.

The boos are heard after 2:30. Watch AFTER THE JUMP ...

Romney: Privatize FEMA, Federal Disaster Relief Spending "Immoral"

This is particularly relevant as the massive Hurricane Sandy prepares to make landfall ...

Gov. Mitt Romney was asked in a June 2011 debate about federal disaster relief funding. Romney suggested eliminating the Federal Emergency Management Agency, privatizing disaster relief and said it would be "'immoral" for the federal government to fund disaster relief efforts without cutting the budget elsewhere," notes Think Progress.

CNN: Governor Romney? You’ve been a chief executive of a state. I was just in Joplin, Missouri. I’ve been in Mississippi and Louisiana and Tennessee and other communities dealing with whether it’s the tornadoes, the flooding, and worse. FEMA is about to run out of money, and there are some people who say do it on a case-by-case basis and some people who say, you know, maybe we’re learning a lesson here that the states should take on more of this role. How do you deal with something like that?

ROMNEY: Absolutely. Every time you have an occasion to take something from the federal government and send it back to the states, that’s the right direction. And if you can go even further and send it back to the private sector, that’s even better.

Instead of thinking in the federal budget, what we should cut — we should ask ourselves the opposite question. What should we keep? We should take all of what we’re doing at the federal level and say, what are the things we’re doing that we don’t have to do?

Apparently this was the "severely conservative" Mitt Romney speaking. Not sure what today's Romney Version 8.0 would say. Watch AFTER THE JUMP ...

PHOTO: Satellite Photos Show Hurricane Sandy's Colossal Size

PHOTOS: NASA/NOAA

A view of the frightening size of Hurricane Sandy as it appeared on the entire disk of Earth. The image was captured by NOAA and NASA's GOES-13 satellite Sunday morning at 0902 ET.

Another image shows the monstrous Hurricane captured from the International Space Station. Hurricane Sandy was positioned off the North Carolina coast and continues on a northwest track as of Monday 0900 ET. The storm is expected to bring a "life-threatening storm surge, coastal hurricane winds and heavy Appalachian snows."

More photos at NASA.

NYT Endorses Obama, Applauds His Record on Civil and LGBT Rights

The editorial board of The New York Times has endorsed President Barack Obama's re-election campaign.

The Times applauded the President's "many impressive achievements" around the economy, foreign policy, health care and civil rights. The editors called attention to the President's record on LGBT equality and Mitt Romney's opposition to that platform

The military’s odious “don’t ask, don’t tell” rule was finally legislated out of existence, under the Obama administration’s leadership. There are still big hurdles to equality to be brought down, including the Defense of Marriage Act, the outrageous federal law that undermines the rights of gay men and lesbians, even in states that recognize those rights.

Though it took Mr. Obama some time to do it, he overcame his hesitation about same-sex marriage and declared his support. That support has helped spur marriage-equality movements around the country. His Justice Department has also stopped defending the Defense of Marriage Act against constitutional challenges.

Mr. Romney opposes same-sex marriage and supports the federal act, which not only denies federal benefits and recognition to same-sex couples but allows states to ignore marriages made in other states. His campaign declared that Mr. Romney would not object if states also banned adoption by same-sex couples and restricted their rights to hospital visitation and other privileges.

The President's re-election was endorsed by the Washington Post and Chicago Tribune in recent days.