National News - Page 10

Joy Reid is leaving MSNBC as the network cancels her evening show

BY  Wyatte Grantham-Philips  Joy Reid is leaving MSNBC, the network’s new president announced in a memo to staff on Monday, marking an end to the prime time show hosted by the progressive political analyst and broadcast news anchor. Reid’s namesake show, “The ReidOut,” has been a fixture of MSNBC’s evening programming since 2020. In the hourlong newscast, held on weeknights at 7 p.m. E.T., Reid conducts interviews with politicians and other newsmakers — diving into an extensive array of political issues and intersections between race, culture and social justice. Reports about MSNBC cancelling “The ReidOut” emerged online over the weekend, sparking outrage from

Judge calls Trump order ‘arbitrary,’ restores $19 million in HBCU scholarships

By Williesha Morris The federal government has reopened a multimillion-dollar scholarship program for historically Black colleges and universities, according to the department’s website. Alabama A&M and Tuskegee University are two of the 19 recipients of the 1890 Scholars program, a U.S. Department of Agriculture program that provides full tuition, room and board for students studying “food, agriculture, natural resource and other related sciences.” The U.S. Department of Agriculture is accepting applications again after the site showed “suspended pending further review” last week. Applications are being accepted through March 15 instead of the original March 1 deadline. On Feb. 21, a federal judge temporarily

Trump’s education policies concern officials at Johnson C. Smith University

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By Gwendolyn Glenn The billions of financial aid dollars disbursed annually by the Department of Education are especially important for students at historically Black colleges and universities, where more than 50% qualify for Pell Grants issued for low-income students. President Trump’s push to shut down the Education Department and his executive order to end federal funds for education institutions that have diversity, equity, and inclusion programs have HBCU students and administrators worried. Patrick Martin, Johnson C. Smith University’s provost, talked to WFAE’s Gwendolyn Glenn about some of those concerns. Patrick Martin: Well, I think the elimination of the Education Department would

Much of the Black middle class was built by federal jobs. That may change.

By Curtis Bunn When Francine Verdine took a job as a clerk at the Internal Revenue Service in Houston in 1983, it was supposed to be a stopgap until something better came along. She didn’t expect that 42 years later, she would look back on it as the start of a rewarding career that provided growth in various management positions, upward mobility and the opportunity to build a comfortable life for her family. “I enjoyed my career,” said Verdine, who retired in 2019. “I had no idea when I started that I could make the money I did by the time

Federal workers left in limbo as clock ticks down to Musk’s email deadline

By Tami Luhby, Rene Marsh, Ella Nilsen and Sunlen Serfaty Federal workers spent Monday trying to figure out how – or even whether – to respond to Elon Musk’s weekend email blast telling them to explain their work last week or risk losing their job. A day of confusing and often contradictory guidance, left many federal workers still unclear ultimately how to handle Musk’s request. Some were told to comply, others were advised not to, and still others were awaiting instructions from their agency’s leaders until late in the day. Speaking from the Oval Office Monday afternoon, President Donald Trump called Musk’s email demand “ingenious” and said

Emergency Food, TB Tests and H.I.V. Drugs: Vital Health Aid Remains Frozen Despite Court Ruling

By Stephanie Nolen Funds for vital health programs around the world remain frozen and their work has not been able to resume, despite a federal judge’s order that temporarily halted the Trump administration’s dismantling of the government’s main foreign aid agency. Interviews with people working on health initiatives in Africa and Asia found that parents in Kenya whose children are believed to have tuberculosis cannot get them tested. There is no clean drinking water in camps in Nigeria or Bangladesh for people who fled civil conflict. A therapeutic food program cannot treat acutely malnourished children in South Sudan. “We have

‘This is a clear attack,’ NC congresswoman says about HBCU scholarship program suspension

By Leah Douglas The U.S. Department of Agriculture has suspended a college scholarship program for students from rural and underserved backgrounds who attend historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), according to the program website. The 1890 scholars program aims to increase the number of agriculture students at the country’s 19 historically Black land-grant universities, which are federally funded and tend to have significant agricultural programs. The website for the program now has a banner saying it is “suspended pending further review.” The USDA did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday. The administration of President Donald Trump has issued sweeping executive orders rescinding

USDA suspends scholarship for students attending TSU and other land grant HBCUs

By Levi Ismail The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s website shows that it has suspended a scholarship program for students who enroll at Tennessee State University and other land-grant historically Black colleges. It’s not clear when the suspension of the 1890 National Scholars Program took effect, but word began to spread this week once people noticed the website said the scholarship “has been suspended pending further review.” The program has provided full-ride scholarships to students accepted into one of the 19 land-grant HBCUs around the country. According to the website, the scholarship has been around since 1992 and benefits students from rural

Trump Wants To Undo Diversity Programs. Some Agencies React By Scrubbing US History and Culture

By Kim Chandler and Gary Fields, The tails of the Alabama Air National Guard’s F-35 Lightnings are painted red, like those of the Guard’s F-16s before them. It’s an homage to the famed Alabama-based unit of the Tuskegee Airmen, who flew red-tailed P-51 Mustangs during World War II. The squadron, which trained in the state, was the nation’s first to be comprised of Black military pilots, shattering racial barriers and racist beliefs about the capabilities of Black pilots. Their success in combat paved the way for the desegregation of the U.S. military, a story that is interwoven in state and U.S. history.

Billions of dollars owed to Mid-South black colleges, UNCF and others leading the charge for better investment

By Kelli Cook Funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities reached new records during the last Presidential administration—$17 billion over a three-year period. Yet, at the same time, federal data shows Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas underfunded those same schools. Thursday, hundreds of students, alumni, and administrators will meet in Memphis to discuss what’s next when it comes to funding. The 3-day United Negro College Fund or UNCF National Alumni and Pre-alumni leadership conference will be taking place at the Renasant Convention Center. UNCF advocates for dozens of private HBCUs including three in Tennessee– Lane College in Jackson, Fisk University in

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