National News - Page 135

Former DA Jackie Johnson Faces Arraignment in Arbery Case

By Bruce C.T. Wright One of the final missing pieces to completing the jigsaw puzzle of justice for the murder of Ahmaud Arbery could finally be realized in 2023, a time span that will likely end up exceeding three years since the shocking racist vigilante shooting in the small, coastal town of Brunswick, Georgia. Jackie Johnson, the former district attorney in Glynn County credibly accused of trying to protect the men convicted of murdering Arbery as the 25-year-old Black man was running in a subdivision, is expected to be arraigned this month, more than a year after she was indicted on one felony

Record Number of Women Elected to 118th U.S. Congress

By Janie Boschma, Simone Pathe, Maeve Reston and Renée Rigdon A record number of women won election to the 118th Congress – but barely. The 149 women who will serve in the US House and Senate will expand the ranks of female representation by just two members above the record set by the 117th Congress. Alaska carried women across that threshold in November when the state determined through its ranked-choice voting system that Rep. Mary Peltola, a Democrat, will represent the state’s at-large House seat for a full term after winning the special election earlier in the year, while Sen. Lisa Murkowski won reelection. Women will

Kamala Harris to Visit Chicago as Biden Touts Key Wins

By Lynn Sweet Vice President Kamala Harris visits Chicago on Wednesday, as President Joe Biden and other top administration officials travel across the nation to tout a series of major White House accomplishments, a White House official said Sunday. The Harris event in Chicago — the details of her stop are not finalized — comes the day after Republicans take control of the U.S. House of Representatives, which will make, in the second half of Biden’s first term, passing legislation very difficult. House Republicans, who will have subpoena power, have already said they would launch investigations into the business dealings

Capitol Riot Response Would Differ for Black Americans: Walker

By Ryan J. Rielly  The House sergeant at arms, who was the head of the D.C. National Guard during the attack on the Capitol, told the Jan. 6 committee that the law enforcement response would have looked much different had the rioters been Black Americans. “I’m African American. Child of the sixties. I think it would have been a vastly different response if those were African Americans trying to breach the Capitol,” William J. Walker told congressional investigators, in an interview transcript released Tuesday. “As a career law enforcement officer, part-time soldier, last five years full but, but a law enforcement officer

Pete Buttigieg Faces Scrutiny After Southwest Cancellations

By Bruce C.T. Wright New light is being shed on Southwest Airlines’ mass cancellations as attention turns to U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Pete Buttigieg and how his actions, or inactions, factored into the ongoing air travel disaster affecting thousands of passengers. That new light just happens to also be old. Nearly five months before Southwest started canceling about 84% of its flights this and last weeks, New York Attorney General Letitia James appeared to be among the first in a succession of states’ legal authorities to warn Buttigieg about the frequency and timing of airlines delaying and canceling flights. In a letter to

Jackson Water Crisis Deepens, $600M Federal Aid Proposed

By Bilal G. Morris The residents of Jackson are still struggling with proper access to water. Over the holiday weekend, Jackson mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba declared a local state of emergency due to the city’s low to no water pressure in certain areas.  The city spent most of the day on Monday identifying leaks to restore pressure, but pressure remains low.  On Christmas Day, Jackson officials issued a boil water notice to residents due to water lines bursting because of below-freezing temperatures.  “Please check your businesses and churches for leaks and broken pipes, as these add up tremendously and only

NPS May Honor Black Panthers in Historic Park Initiative

By John Burnett On a cool spring day, Fredrika Newton — the widow of Black Panther co-founder, Huey P. Newton — stands next to a bronze bust of her late husband. It’s situated in a wide, landscaped median in the west end of Oakland that the Panthers called home. “The Black Panther Party is an American story, and that’s the job of the National Park Service is to tell the American story,” Newton says. Once upon a time, former FBI director J. Edgar Hoover called the Panthers the “greatest threat to internal security.” A half-century later, as perspectives have mellowed, the

NC Supreme Court Strikes Down Voter ID, Redraws Map

By Fernando Stewart The North Carolina Supreme Court on Friday knocked down a 2018 voter-identification law it said discriminated against Black voters and ordered a state Senate map be redrawn due to Republican partisan gerrymandering. Both were 4-3 decisions along party lines, with all the court’s Democratic justices voting in the majority and all Republican justices dissenting. The decisions come just before the court flips to GOP control on Jan. 1, when there will be five Republican justices and two Democrats. The court upheld a lower court’s 2021 ruling that a 2018 law requiring voters to present photo ID was unconstitutional. The

Jackson to Receive $600M Federal Aid for Water Crisis

By Bilal G. Morris The City of Jackson could finally be getting the federal aid they need to fix the massive water crisis that has plagued the Mississippi city for decades. According to Mississippi Free Press, House Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., announced this week that the congressional year-end funding omnibus bill will include $600 million in federal funds to fix Jackson’s water crisis and to help rebuild Jackson’s lackluster drinking water system. If congress approves the bill, $150 million will be allotted for “technical assistance,” and $450 million will go to “capital projects.” Last month,  the Department

Mayor Karen Bass Launches LA Homeless Housing Initiative

By Shannon Dawson Karen Bass is already making powerful moves in her new role as the Mayor of Los Angeles. On Sunday, the 69-year-old politician announced plans to move the city’s homeless from tent encampments into hotels and motels through a new housing program set to launch Tuesday. During an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Bass shared more details about the forthcoming initiative, noting how the program would not “address everybody, but it is going to address, hopefully, a significant number,” according to AP News. Under the plan, none of the city’s homeless community will be forced to move from their current location, Bass clarified. “This

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