National News - Page 106

Civil rights leaders announce another March on Washington after voting rights bill fails in Senate

By Nicquel Terry Ellis A group of civil rights organizations will host another March on Washington in August to demand that Congress pass sweeping voting rights legislation and that state lawmakers halt efforts to enact bills that restrict voting access. The announcement of the march comes one day after Senate Republicans blocked the For the People Act — a signature voting and election bill that Democrats had pitched to counter state-level efforts. Republicans denounced the bill as a partisan power grab and a federal overreach into state voting and election systems. The march, set for Aug. 28 with the theme “March On

153 Houston Methodist employees resign or are fired after refusing to get Covid-19 vaccine, official says

By Keith Allen More than 150 Houston Methodist Hospital employees were officially out of a job Tuesday, 10 days after a judge dismissed a lawsuit against the hospital by employees who opposed a Covid-19 vaccine mandate as a condition of employment, a hospital spokesperson said. The 153 employees either resigned in the two-week suspension period that began June 8 or were terminated Tuesday, according to Gale Smith. Employees who complied with the mandatory vaccination policy during the suspension period returned to work the day after they became compliant, Smith told CNN in an email Tuesday night. Houston Methodist on March 31

Chicago is throwing its ‘whole government’ at summer violence

By Omar Jimenez “I’m not saying I’m God or I can prevent anything from happening, but I know in my heart I did what I can at 1 or 2 in the morning to help put this guy in a safer environment.” That’s how Jervon Hicks describes his mission as an outreach worker and life coach on Chicago’s South Side. Growing up in the city, Hicks, 44, found himself behind bars multiple times for what he says was “guns and shooting.” Now, he’s trying to prevent his history from becoming someone else’s future. Hicks works with the anti-gun violence group Chicago

Defense secretary to recommend prosecution of sexual assaults in the military be taken out of commanders’ hands

By Oren Liebermann Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Tuesday announced he will recommend to President Joe Biden a change in the military justice system to take the prosecution of sexual assaults out of the hands of commanders. “We will work with Congress to amend the Uniform Code of Military Justice, removing the prosecution of sexual assaults and related crimes from the military chain of command,” Austin said in a statement. A Pentagon review panel submitted recommendations to Austin in the spring, including a recommendation that independent authorities decide whether to prosecute service members in sexual assault cases. If adopted, the change would

IRS adds tools to help parents claim expanded child tax credit payments

By Tami Luhby Parents can now check their eligibility for the expanded child tax credit and manage their payments, which begin next month, using two online tools the Internal Revenue Service debuted on Tuesday. An eligibility assistant allows families to determine whether they qualify for the advance credit by answering a series of questions. Eligible parents will get $300 a month for each child under age 6 and $250 for each one ages 6 to 17 in monthly payments starting July 15 and running through the end of the year. Another tool lets parents verify their eligibility for the credit and opt out of monthly payments,

Gun sales rise among Black people as they look for firearm training and education

By Ryan Young, Dakin Andone and Pamela Kirkland Deborah Roberts grew up in a family of gun owners. But it wasn’t until March this year that the 68-year-old finally pulled the trigger and purchased her own firearm. “I think the rhetoric and how things are stirred up in the country just made me feel like, if not now, then when,” Roberts told CNN Sunday morning at the South River Gun Club in Convington, Georgia, with gun shots ringing nearby. It was Ladies Day at the range, an event put on by the National African American Gun Association’s Atlanta (NAAGA) chapter.

All-Black flight crew commemorates Juneteenth

By Neelam Bohra and Justin Lear Water cannons blasted over United Airlines flight 1258 as it left its gate, celebrating that every person on the flight crew, from pilots to gate agents and ramp staff, was Black. The all-Black crew flew from Houston to Chicago on Saturday morning, commemorating Juneteenth, now a federal holiday celebrating the end of slavery. Before takeoff, a celebration of the crew included a speech from Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, a saxophone performance from one of the pilots, Sal Crocker, and water cannons on the tarmac. Turner said the flight crew was a symbol for how far

Most major metropolitan areas have become more racially segregated, study shows

By Nicquel Terry Ellis Some of the nation’s largest metropolitan regions have become increasingly segregated in the last 30 years, underscoring racial inequalities that have led to poorer life outcomes in Black and brown neighborhoods, according to a study released Monday by the University of California Berkeley’s Othering & Belonging Institute. The study found that 81% of regions with more than 200,000 residents were more segregated in 2019 than they were in 1990, despite fair housing laws and policies created to promote integration. Some of the most segregated areas included Chicago, Milwaukee and Detroit in the Midwest and New York, northern

Here’s why it will be harder for many Black families to recover from the pandemic downturn

By Tami Luhby Although Kashirah Jackson is back at work, she’s still far from recovering from the economic upheaval the coronavirus pandemic wreaked on her finances. Early last year, the independent hair stylist’s business in Charlotte, North Carolina, was doing well and socking away her earnings for a down payment on a home. But the state lockdown left her unable to see her clients and forced her to deplete her savings so she and her 1-year-old daughter could survive. Now, only about 60% of her customers have returned. And though Jackson is still collecting some unemployment benefits, her income remains down from pre-pandemic times.

3.5 million Black American households have a negative net worth, new study finds

By Chauncey Alcorn An estimated 19% of Black American families, roughly 3.5 million households, have a negative net worth because of a history of discriminatory policies from the government and private industry that has hindered their accumulation of wealth over time, according to a new McKinsey & Company study released Thursday. Just 8% of White households have a negative net worth today by comparison, according to the global management consulting firm’s comprehensive report on the economic state of Black America. An additional 4.3 million Black households have a net worth of less than $10,000, the study’s authors said. The analysis conducted earlier this

1 … 104 105 106 107 108 … 126