#Keith Harward

[mitchipedia]

In 1982, Keith Harward was convicted of a brutal murder and rape in Newport News, Va., based solely on dental evidence—a bite mark on the rape victim's shoulder supposedly matched the defendant's dental records. There was no other evidence, but the dental evidence was considered enough.

After 33 years in prison, Harward was exonerated. Dental evidence, formerly considered indisputable, is now being criticized as junk science.

#forensic evidence #crime #police #Newport News #Keith Allen Harward #Keith Harward

[follow-up-news]

Four separate governmental scientific bodies have concluded that bite mark analysis has no basis in science. That includes the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, which said in 2016 that “available scientific evidence strongly suggests that examiners not only cannot identify the source of bitemark with reasonable accuracy, they cannot even consistently agree on whether an injury is a human bitemark.” The National Institute of Standards and Technology, the gold standard of measurement science, said in 2022 that bite mark forensics “lacks a sufficient scientific foundation” because “human dental patterns have not been shown to be unique at the individual level.” One 2016 study found that self-described experts couldn’t distinguish between human and animal bite marks. Others have documented how marks in human skin change over time through healing or decomposition. “People that were board certified did not agree about what a bite mark was,” said Adam Freeman, a forensic dentist who once “drank the Kool-Aid” of bite mark analysis but has since become one of its biggest critics within the profession. “If a science is not a science, and it’s not reproducible, and it’s not reliable, courts of law should not allow it in, period.” Yet bite mark analysis has been used in thousands of cases. And while it has increasingly been successfully challenged by defense lawyers, no court has ruled it inadmissible.

#forensic science #bite marks

[mongowheelie]

Bite mark analysis has no basis in science, experts now say. Why is it still being used in court?

[janamonji]

Netflix 'The Innocence Files': Bite Marks, Bad Memories and Bad Cops ☆☆☆☆

Netflix ‘The Innocence Files’: Bite Marks, Bad Memories and Bad Cops ☆☆☆☆

If you don’t like the way I do it, get up off your dead ass, go to the morgue every weekend, spend it with 15 or 20 dead babies, and try coming out of there without being a fruitcake.–Dr. Michael West, forensics dentist and bite mark expert

  Are we really innocent until proven guilty in the US judicial system?  “The Innocence Files” shows that justice for the poor and minorities hasn’t been a…

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#Alfred Dewayne Brown #Barry Scheck #Cardozo School of Law #Chester Hollman #Christine Jackson #District Attorney Forrest Allgood #Dr. Adam Freeman #Dr. Michael West #Dr. Steven Hayne #Forensic odontologist #Gary Cifizzari #Keith Harward #Kennedy Brewer #Levon Brooks #Peter Neufeld #The Innocence Files #The Innocence Project #Thomas Haynesworth

[lrmartinjr]

A bill aimed at helping innocent people wrongfully convicted by flawed forensic science advanced in the General Assembly Wednesday with the help of a man who knows all about the problem.

Keith Allen Harward, 62, was convicted of the 1982 rape of a Newport News woman and the murder of her husband largely because two experts testified that Harward's teeth matched bite marks left by the assailant on the rape victim's legs.

Though such bite-mark evidence was once seen as a valuable forensic tool, more than two dozen people across the country have now been shown to have either been wrongfully convicted or charged as a result of matching suspects' teeth with bite marks left in human flesh.

After 33 years in prison Harward was cleared by DNA and exonerated by the Virginia Supreme Court in 2016. The testing that cleared Harward also implicated the real killer, a career criminal who died a decade earlier in a Ohio prison.

Most cases, however, do not have DNA to come to the rescue. That's where Senate Bill 1066, introduced by Sen. Bill Stanley, R-Franklin County, would come in.

Click on the headline to continue reading.

[justsomeantifas]

Here’s your dose of “What the Fuck Is Going On” news (2/18/2017 - 2/19/2017 edition)

Trump and the GOP put out a survey called the "Mainstream Media Accountability Survey," which contains a number of problems. It contains extremely leading and biased questions, it contains information that is outright false, some questions are badly written or filled with errors, and it was sent out to a selection of people on Trump's email list ensuring biased responses. It's also been revealed that nothing seems to actually be submitted or processed when one hits the submit button, it's just a link to Trump's donations page asking people to give him money "to help us fight back against the media’s attacks and deceptions.” (source) (source)

After Michael Flynn was fired as national security advisor and retired Vice Adm. Robert Harward declined the offer, Trump is having some difficulties filling in the spot. Retired general and former CIA Director David Petraeus has reportedly pulled his name from consideration but there is still a short list of people being considered: Keith Kellogg, John Bolton, and Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster. (source)

Seema Verma is Trump's pick to be administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and she quietly went through her confirmation hearings this past week. There's been some concern over Verma's history as well as her beliefs regarding what health insurance programs should cover, for example she doesn't believe that they should be required to have maternity and newborn coverage. And if her past track record shows how she’ll handle this position, then lower-income people are likely going to be paying more for their healthcare. (source) (source)

Trump seems to be changing his opinion of whistleblowers/leakers and wants to have them caught and prosecuted. During Trump's campaign he seemed to be a fan of leaks, as long as it wasn't targeting him and now his administration. Trump now wants investigations into what he sees as an effort to undermine his presidency, especially after the Michael Flynn fiasco. (source)

Scott Pruitt has been officially confirmed (52 to 46) and sworn in to the the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  Pruitt is considered one of the most controversial picks in EPA history, and nearly 800 former EPA staffers, scientists, engineers and attorneys wrote letters against his appointment. As Oklahoma’s attorney general, Pruitt sued the EPA more than a dozen times. He is a climate change denier whose own LinkedIn page refers to himself as “a leading advocate against the EPA’s activist agenda. ”There's also fears that with Pruitt in place, Trump can now quickly and easily overturn the Clean Power Plan and "Waters of the US" rule. (source)

After Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) cancelled their meeting with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, they went ahead and had another meeting. However, ICE set the invite list and completely excluded the Congressional Hispanic Caucus in what was supposed to be a discussion about the recent raids taking place. (source)

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee held hearings to discuss legislation that would weaken the Endangered Species Act. The Endangered Species Act currently has more than 1,600 plants and animals under its protection however Senate republicans argue that the bill violates states’ rights and property rights, as well as limits economic growth in drilling, mining, and agriculture. (source) (source)

Trump signed legislation that ends the Office of Surface Mining's Stream Protection Rule, a regulation to protect waterways from coal mining waste. At the signing, Trump called the regulation "another terrible job killing rule" and said ending it would save "many thousands American jobs, especially in the mines, which, I have been promising you — the mines are a big deal. This is a major threat to your jobs and we’re going to get rid of this threat. We’re going to fight for you." (source)

Trump son-in-law, Jared Kushner met with top executives at Time Warner to express his concern over their “unfair coverage slanted against the president.” Reports state that Kushner was specifically complaining about two Trump critics, Van Jones and republican strategist Ana Navarro. (source)

After Trump gave a press conference where he ranted and raved for over an hour, he took to Twitter to address those who were criticizing him. He quoted Rush Limbaugh's review of the event where he said it was "One of the most effective press conferences I've ever seen." Trump said that many agree with that opinion and the outlets saying there are those who believe otherwise is nothing but "fake news." He then went on to say that these outlets, and news media in general is "the enemy of the American People!" (source) (source)

The Associated Press reported on a leak that the Trump administration was planning on using up to 100,000 National Guard troops to "round up" undocumented immigrants. The leak was an 11 page draft memo, and Trump quickly said that the reporting was "100 percent false," and cited his popular fake news argument. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer and a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security said the claim was false. Less than an hour later they admitted that the story was based on a real document but they didn't really consider taking that action. (source) (memo)

The U.S. Supreme Court is set to decide three cases in the upcoming months that could help or hinder Trump's effort to ramp up border security and accelerate deportations. One case involves whether immigrants in custody for deportation proceedings have the right to a hearing to request their release when their cases are not promptly adjudicated. The other two case are whether the U.S. government officials can be sued over mistreatment of non-citizens. (source)

The FBI will most likely not press charges against former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn. Flynn gave an interview in January where he told the agency that he did not discuss sanctions with Russia. Lying to the FBI is a felony, however the FBI is not going to pursue charges unless more information emerges. (source)

With Tom Price giving up his seat to become Trump's Health and Human Services Secretary, there are now several candidates running to replace his seat in Congress. One woman, Karen Handel, is echoing Trump by stating in her fundraising email “If elected to Congress, she will work to build a wall on the border and end Muslim immigration." (source)

This weekend marks the third straight weekend that Trump will be going to Florida at his Mar-a-Lago Club. This, topped with his family’s trips and security is costing the taxpayers an enormous amount of money. The cost is far beyond past presidents security and travel costs and will likely balloon to hundreds of millions of dollars by the end of his four-year term. Trump’s three Mar-a-Lago trips since the inauguration have cost the federal treasury an estimated $10 million alone and New York is paying $500,000 a day to guard Trump Tower. According to police officials’ estimates, an amount that could reach $183 million a year. Another issue here is that some of the money is going directly into the pocket of the Trump Organization. Not only are his trips to his signature properties doubling as marketing opportunities for his brand, but The Defense Department and Secret Service are seeking to rent space in Trump Tower, where leasing a floor can cost $1.5 million a year. (source)

This year's Conservative Political Action Conference will feature Breitbart News editor, Milo Yiannopoulos, as their keynote speaker. The event will be hosting Ted Cruz, Mike Pence, Scott Walker, and Carly Fiorina. (source)

The White House budget office has created a list of programs for Trump to consider eliminating in order to cut down on domestic spending. Some of the programs on the list include Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Legal Services Corporation, AmeriCorps and the National Endowments for the Arts and the Humanities. (source)

U.S. Secretary for Homeland Security John Kelly said that Trump's new travel ban will happen, but it will likely not target green card residency holders this time. Kelly also stated that people in planes already inbound will be allowed to enter the country. (source)

The U.S. Energy Information Administration's educational website for children has been reworked by the Trump administration. The website is designed to teach children about energy and the environment in a fun and engaging way. Now the site has been changed, the description of the environmental impacts of energy sources has been reworked, and two pie charts concerning the link between coal and greenhouse gas emissions have been removed altogether. (source as well as the detailed changes made to the site)

#Donald Trump #politics #Healthcare #environmental issues #xenophobia #political corruption #deportations #immigration #immigration and customs enforcement #ICE #racism #What the Fuck is Going On News #sorry about missing yesterday i'm sick #Mod H

[pumabydesign001]

Ret. Vice Adm. Robert Harward Declines Position as Trump's NSC Advisor

Ret. Vice Adm. Robert Harward Declines Position as Trump’s NSC Advisor

In follow up to my earlier post a few days ago entitled, Progressives, NeverTrumpers Thrilled over Appointment of Ret. Vice Adm. Robert Harward as NSC Advisor, Harward has turned down the offer as President Donald Trump’s National Security Advisor.

Washington Times

A senior administration official confirmed that Adm. Harwarddeclined the job, saying his decision was due to “family considerations”…

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#Donald Trump #General Keith Alexander #John Bolton #National Security Advisor #Rand Paul #Robert Harward #Trump administration

[newscultofficial]

Trump Tweets His Choice for National Security Adviser Vacancy Like He's Still Running 'The Apprentice'

REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

Trump publicly endorsed General Keith Kellogg  as National Security Adviser today, but also said that three others were in the running. MSNBC and Fox News have both reported that the other three front-runners are Keith Alexander, David Petraeus and Jim Jones.

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/832579442790772736

Trump’s first choice for the NSA role, Ret. Navy Vice…

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#david petraeus #Jim Jones #Keith Alexander #Michael Flynn #national security adviser #robert harward #trump

[lrmartinjr]

Hailed decades ago as a cutting edge forensic tool, bite-mark evidence has since led to the wrongful convictions and indictments of more than two dozen people across the country, including an innocent Portsmouth sailor sent to prison for 33 years.

Keith Harward, convicted of a savage 1982 rape and murder, was granted a writ of actual innocence and freed by the Virginia Supreme Court in 2016 when DNA proved that the forensic dentists who testified against him were wrong. Most cases, however, do not involve biological evidence that can prove innocence.

A bill pending in the Virginia General Assembly could change that for others who may be innocent but who have DNA proof they were sent to prison by what is now discredited forensic science.

Introduced by state Sen. Bill Stanley, R-Franklin County, the legislation would allow people who claim innocence to argue in the Virginia Court of Appeals that developments in forensic science now clear them, or that they were convicted by a forensic science technique that has since been discredited.

Recent scientific studies and DNA exonerations have not only faulted key assumptions underlying bite-mark analyses, but also discredited the frequent overstated testimony of hair examiners and raised questions about other forensic disciplines such as bloodstain-pattern analysis.

[yahoonewsdigest-us-extra]

The Latest: Vice admiral turns down national security job

Science

The Latest: Vice admiral turns down national security job

The Latest on President Donald Trump (all times EST):7:25 p.m.Vice Admiral Robert Harward has turned down an offer to be President Donald Trump's new national security adviser.A senior White House official says Harward turned the offer down due to financial and family commitments.The official spoke anonymously because Harward's decision has not been publicly announced.Harward would have replaced retired Gen. Michael Flynn, who resigned at Trump's request Monday after revelations that he misled Vice President Mike Pence about discussions he held with a Russian diplomat.Officials said this week that there were two other contenders: acting national security adviser Keith Kellogg, and retired Gen. David Petraeus.

said, 'You know I wasn't a real believer until I talked to some of the job creators who use it.

Congressman Kevin Cramer of North Dakota

Trump asked for the resignation of Michael Flynn after the national security adviser misled the vice president about his conversations with a Russian official.Flynn admitted that he discussed sanctions with the Russian ambassador to the U.S. Trump said Thursday that he did not order that conversation, but he would have directed him to have that conversation had he known. p.m.President Donald Trump says that "with heart" he'll deal with the policy to allow undocumented minors to stay temporarily in the U.S.The president made his comments Thursday at a White House press conference.DACA, which stands for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, allows young adults to get work permits and Social Security numbers and protects them from deportation.Ending DACA is part of the president's broader plan to crack down on illegal immigration, which was a cornerstone of his campaign.

would have wasted a lot of time, and maybe a lot of lives.

Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly

#yahoo news digest #Science