By Paul LeBlanc The massive $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package is poised for a final vote in the Senate this week after clearing the last procedural hurdle following months of furious negotiations. The chamber on Sunday evening voted 68-29 to invoke cloture on the underlying legislation, setting up a final vote after the 30-hour post-cloture time expires
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By Ben Church and Hannah Ritchie Allyson Felix became the most decorated US track and field athlete in Olympics history after helping Team USA win the women’s 400m sprint relay on Saturday. It was Felix’s 11th Olympic medal and her seventh gold, overtaking sprint legend Carl Lewis’ haul of 10 medals. She remains one short
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By Alaa Elassar An FBI agent in Puerto Rico is believed to be the first Black woman to be selected to train for any of the bureau’s SWAT teams. The newly chosen agent, who has only been identified as Tai, will be undergoing New Operator Training School (NOTS), a 10-week course that prepares selectees for
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By Kay Jones, Gregory Lemos and Susannah Cullinane Rising cases of Covid-19 in Louisiana have led to the cancellation of the New Orleans Jazz Fest for the second year running, organizers announced Sunday. Louisiana broke its own record for Covid-19 related hospitalizations on multiple days last week, with 2,421 individuals hospitalized with the virus on Friday. The
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By Jen Christensen Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine is currently only authorized for emergency use in the United States, but its full approval by the US Food and Drug Administration could happen within weeks. The ramifications could alter the course of the pandemic in several ways. First, full approval of a Covid-19 vaccine could persuade more people to
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By Lauren M. Johnson The Washington Football Team has released its new fan protocol ahead of the 2021 season and the organization announced fans will no longer be allowed to wear Native American-inspired headdresses and face paint into the stadium. That attire had been tradition for fans of the team, formerly known as the Washington Redskins, but
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Analysis by Brandon Tensley This week marks the start of Black August. The annual commemoration originated in California’s prisons in the 1970s following the deaths of brothers Jonathan and George Jackson and other incarcerated Black men who protested prison conditions. Black August is a time to revisit the rich history of Black resistance. Historically and ironically,
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By Alta Spells Former Houston Astros pitcher J.R. Richard died at age 71, according to a statement from the team on Thursday. “Today is a sad day for the Houston Astros as we mourn the loss of one of our franchise icons,” the Astros said. A member of the club’s Hall of Fame, Richard’s 10-year career with
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As Tamyra Mensah-Stock celebrated winning her Olympic gold medal, she hoped her victory would encourage Black girls in the United States to consider wrestling. When she defeated Nigeria’s Blessing Oborududu 4-1 in the women’s 68-kilogram freestyle wrestling final on Tuesday, she became the first American Black woman to win Olympic gold in wrestling and the
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By Ryan Nobles, Zachary Cohen and Whitney Wild The newly formed House select committee is taking the lead on investigating January 6 going forward, consolidating the investigation, as other committees looking into the matter begin handing over their work, according to a multiple sources familiar with the matter. That includes interviews with key figures related to that day that
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