National News - Page 109

FBI faces its own racial reckoning while leading probes into police shooting deaths

By Jessica Schneider The Federal Bureau of Investigation just unveiled a newly created position to tackle its decades-old diversity problem: chief diversity officer. Scott McMillion is a 23-year veteran of the FBI who is stepping into the role at a time when racial tensions have boiled over nationwide, with the FBI taking the lead in a growing number of civil rights investigations. Its Charlotte office launched a probe into the police shooting death of Andrew Brown Jr.; its Louisville office is investigating Breonna Taylor’s death in the wake of a botched police raid; and the FBI has partnered with the

Employees protest against Houston hospital’s policy that all staff must be vaccinated against Covid-19

By Carma Hassan, CNN A group of Houston Methodist Hospital workers protested on Monday the health care system’s requirement that staffers be vaccinated against Covid-19, according to CNN affiliate KTRK. Employees had to get the Covid-19 vaccine by June 7, according to Houston Methodist. More than 100 staffers at Houston Methodist filed a lawsuit on May 28 against the health care system over its vaccine policy, saying the vaccines are “unapproved” and “experimental.” The plaintiffs are asking for a temporary injunction against the policy. Jennifer Bridges, one of the plaintiffs, told KTRK that employees who did not comply with the

A Florida high school paused distribution of its yearbook over coverage of the Black Lives Matter movement

By Christina Maxouris Florida teacher David Fleischer says his students on the yearbook committee spent the past year carefully planning the topics and events they wanted to include in their high school’s yearbook — and they were proud of the finished product. But on Friday, the students at West Broward High School in Pembroke Pines were told that the book’s distribution had been suspended by the school district because of two pages that focused on the Black Lives Matter movement, Fleischer told CNN. “I found out that it was because there were some complaints from teachers and from parents about

US reports lowest average of daily Covid-19 infections and deaths since March 2020. But experts warn millions are still vulnerable

By Aya Elamroussi The US is making significant strides in curbing the coronavirus pandemic just in time for the summer, with reported infections reaching a new low over the last year. The country averaged less than 14,400 daily reported infections and 427 deaths over the past seven days, according to Johns Hopkins University data. It’s the lowest the US has seen since late March 2020, just weeks after the pandemic was first declared. The good news comes as about 42% of Americans are fully vaccinated, while nearly 52% have received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to the

Obama’s question for the media: How do we start telling a ‘common story?’

Analysis by Brian Stelter “All of us as citizens have to recognize that the path towards an undemocratic America is not gonna happen in just one bang,” Barack Obama said in an arresting interview with Anderson Cooper on Monday night. It happens “in a series of steps,” Obama said, citing the devolution of places like Hungary and Poland. So how can it be avoided? That was one of the major themes of Cooper’s hour-long interview. Obama cited “structural barriers to our democracy working better” like the filibuster and partisan gerrymandering. But he repeatedly brought up the media, as well. He

County makes Juneteenth paid holiday for staff

By Zoe Brown On Monday, Jackson County designated Juneteenth as an official paid holiday for county staff. This comes after the county legislature approved Ordinance 5513 during a meeting at the county courthouse. A release states: “Per the ordinance, the County will observe Juneteenth as a paid holiday for staff and close county offices on the third Friday in June. This year, that day will be Friday, June 18.” Once signed by County Executive Frank White Jr., the ordinance will immediately take effect. This is the second year that Jackson County will be recognizing Juneteeth as a holiday. White signed

Boston mayor fires city police commissioner after investigation into domestic violence allegations

By Amir Vera Boston Mayor Kim Janey announced Monday that she has fired Dennis White as commissioner of the Boston Police Department, effective immediately. The termination stems from White’s ex-wife accusing him of domestic violence 20 years ago, according to his attorney. White has denied those claims and the allegations were resolved in court in 1999, White’s attorney said. Janey said she reached her decision after considering the results of an independent investigation into multiple allegations, along with testimony and information that he provided during a hearing on June 1. “Dennis White has repeatedly asserted that the domestic violence allegations

Biden task force prepares to reunite 29 migrant families separated at border under Trump

By Priscilla Alvarez The Biden administration is preparing to reunite 29 migrant families who were separated at the US-Mexico border under then-President Donald Trump’s controversial “zero tolerance” immigration policy, according to a newly released report. The highly anticipated report contains few new details on the Trump-era separations known to have occurred between July 2017 and January 2021, many of which have been subject to ongoing litigation. It is the months-long product of a task force of federal agencies set up by President Joe Biden to identify and reunite children torn from their parents at the US southern border under Trump.

First, they marched. Now, they run: Activists seek political power months after the murder of George Floyd

By Leyla Santiago and Sara Weisfeldt Dontaye Carter pauses to think what he would want George Floyd to know. He takes a long breath before growing emotional as he lists what he wishes he could apologize for: that Floyd’s life wasn’t valued, that an officer didn’t think enough to “take that knee off your neck.” And then there is the deep pain as Carter speaks of Floyd’s daughter, and his three-year-old daughter Kyleigh. “He’s not going to be here for his little girl,” Carter says, with tears rolling down his face. “That’s the part that hit me the hardest.” Carter

In rural Georgia, a door-to-door push to get neighbors vaccinated against Covid-19

By Jen Christensen If it were the fall, this group of volunteers — folders in hand, walking shoes on their feet — would be knocking on doors to get out the vote in rural Cuthbert, Georgia. As they walked in the hot spring sun this April and May, these four have another mission. They are using their powers of persuasion to get more neighbors to take the Covid-19 vaccine. “Excuse me,” Joyce Barlow says to Sherod Shingles, a young man who comes out his front door in shorts and a Utah Jazz shirt, a white medical mask on his face.

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