National News - Page 118

FBI agrees to consider upgrading criminal background checks to prevent sale of guns to underage and out-of-state buyers

By Christina Carrega The FBI has agreed to consider modifying its criminal background check system after the Justice Department’s inspector general found the system did not cross check the buyer’s age with legal requirements of their home state, according to a report released on Thursday. Under federal law, customers are not allowed to buy firearms, specifically a rifle or a shotgun, in a jurisdiction that is different from the address listed on their identification unless the customer’s age is legal in both the state of sale and where the person lives, according to the report. The findings stem from an

This all-Black Women’s Army Corps unit from WWII may finally receive a Congressional Gold Medal

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By Neelam Bohra and Radhika Marya Members of the Women’s Army Corps’ all-Black 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion had to fight racial discrimination, gender discrimination and the war itself during World War II. After traveling overseas in 1945, the unit, nicknamed “Six Triple Eight,” survived encounters with Nazi U-boats and a German rocket explosion before spending months sorting through unheated warehouses stacked to the ceiling with mail and packages, according to the US Army Center of Military history. The battalion cleared a six-month backlog of mail in just three months. Quarters were segregated by race and gender, leaving the group

Congressional Black Caucus Chair Joyce Beatty arrested at voting rights protest

By Morgan Rimmer and Shawna Mizelle Rep. Joyce Beatty was arrested by US Capitol Police on Thursday afternoon after participating in a voting rights protest that culminated in a march inside the Senate Hart Office Building atrium. Beatty, the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, participated in a small rally alongside 12 activists outside the Supreme Court building before marching to Hart, singing songs including “We Shall Overcome” and “This Little Light of Mine.” After a warning from police to clear the area, Beatty was the first person arrested. Other members of the group were also arrested. The Ohio Democrat

Black Americans are battling ‘three pandemics,’ new report finds

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By Nicquel Terry Ellis Higher unemployment rates, lower household incomes and lack of access to health care left Black Americans more vulnerable to the Covid-19 pandemic and there is an urgency to address these structural inequities, according to a new report on the state of Black America released Thursday by the National Urban League. The report titled “The New Normal: Diverse, Equitable & Inclusive,” concluded that Black people are facing the burden of “three pandemics,” which include racial inequity in health care, economics and public safety. The authors of the report also point to overpolicing — including frequent targeting of

Critical race theory has become a social and political lightning rod. This is how we got here

By Nicquel Terry Ellis From chaotic school board meetings to political strife along party lines, critical race theory has ignited a controversy across the country in recent months. At least two dozen states have banned critical race theory or introduced legislation to ban it from being taught in the classroom, with many conservatives calling it a divisive concept. Educators, however, argue that critical race theory itself is generally not included in grade school curriculum. And proponents along with critical race theorists insist that the concept is largely misunderstood. Gary Peller, a professor at Georgetown Law and author of “Critical Race

Civil rights attorney Lee Merritt mounts challenge to Texas attorney general Ken Paxton

By Veronica Stracqualursi Civil rights attorney Lee Merritt announced Tuesday that he’s running as Democrat for Texas attorney general, joining a competitive state race to take on Republican incumbent Ken Paxton. Merritt has become nationally known over the past few years for representing several families of Black men and women who have died at the hands of police officers. In his campaign announcement on Twitter, Merritt wrote that he’s “seen the generational impact of the prison-industrial complex and the injustice of mass incarceration up close in my own family.” “I’ve spent my legal career helping families who are unjustly affected

Diversity survey finds 38.3% of Democratic Senate staffers identify as non-Caucasian

By Daniella Diaz and Ali Zaslav More than 38% of Democratic Senate staffers identify as non-Caucasian, an increase from the survey in 2020, where 34.8% of Democratic Senate staffers identified as non-Caucasian, according to a new survey released by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s office Tuesday evening. According to the survey, 38.3% of Democratic Senate staffers identify as non-Caucasian, a 3.5 percentage-point increase from last year. The survey found that Senate offices with the most diversity in their staffers were those of Sens. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii (73%), Ben Ray LujĂĄn of New Mexico (71%) and Raphael Warnock of Georgia (70%).

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.

Civil rights leaders say Biden fell short on outlining action steps to end filibuster

By Nicquel Terry Ellis While Black civil rights leaders lauded President Joe Biden for taking a strong stance against voter suppression in his speech Tuesday, they said the president still fell short of meeting their demand to discuss the need to eliminate or reform the filibuster. During his address, Biden called on Congress to pass both the For the People and John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement act to block the nationwide assault on voting rights. However, Biden did not mention the need to end the filibuster, which has made it impossible for Democrats to move forward with voting rights legislation

‘This Is Bigger Than Freddie Gray’ Coppin State Development Foundation Announces $25K Freddie Gray Scholarship

By Max McGee The Coppin State Development Foundation announced that they have created a $25,000 scholarship in the memory of Freddie Gray. Back in 2015, Baltimore was under an international microscope after the death and uprising of Freddie Gray. “What everyone else watched on television, we watched outside our door,” said a witness. “Every camera in the world was in Baltimore that time.” Six years after his death, his name is now associated with changing the community. It’s an extension of community service. “It is an honor to partner with McDonald’s and the Gray family on this special scholarship we

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