National News - Page 138

Illinois Becomes First State to Ban Book Bans in Libraries

By Aila Slice Illinois has become the first state in the nation to legally prohibit libraries from banning books. During a ceremony in Chicago on Monday, Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker signed a bill that “protects the freedom of libraries to acquire materials without external limitations” and threatens to pull funding from libraries unless they agree that books cannot be “proscribed, removed, or restricted because of partisan or personal disproval.” The new law, which takes effect in January, comes amid a largely conservative movement to ban books from school libraries to counter any left-leaning narratives about race, gender, sexuality and other issues that Republicans

Supreme Court Rules Alabama Map Violates Voting Rights Act

By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday struck down Republican-drawn congressional districts in Alabama that civil rights activists say discriminated against Black voters in a surprise reaffirmation of the landmark Voting Rights Act. The court in a 5-4 vote ruled against Alabama, meaning the map of the seven congressional districts, which heavily favors Republicans, will now be redrawn. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh, both conservatives, joined the court’s three liberals in the majority. In doing so, the court — which has a 6-3 conservative majority — turned away the state’s effort to make it harder to remedy concerns raised by

Jamie Foxx Rep Denies Stroke, COVID Vaccine Rumors

By Shanelle Genai As Academy Award-winner Jamie Foxx continues to recover in rehab following an unspecified “medical complication,” a rep is finally speaking out to clear the air on the unsubstantiated claim that the Ray star suffered a stroke that left him partially blind and paralyzed as a result of the COVID-19 vaccine. In an exclusive statement to NBC News, his rep said that the allegation is “completely inaccurate,” although he declined to offer any more specifications or clarifications on the cause of the actor’s condition. This marks the first time that another party outside of Foxx’s immediate family has spoken on the actor’s behalf

Black Families Fight to Reclaim Stolen California Land

By Curtis Bunn It had been nine months since Yolanda Tylu Owens unearthed her ancestors’ history by researching her family tree. But one evening, quietly sitting at the foot of her bed in her home in Sacramento, California, an idea flashed in her mind. “It was like my ancestors spoke to me,” Owens said. “It was so out of the blue. But it was clear: I should search to see if my great-great-great-grandfather had any land.” She scrambled for her laptop. Within minutes, she had to sit back in her chair to process what she had learned. “It was there, plain

Cornel West Enters 2024 Race for President with People’s Party

By Char Adams Philosophy professor, historian and political activist Cornel West entered the 2024 presidential race on Monday. West, 70, announced his candidacy for the People’s Party nomination on social media, calling the presidency a vehicle for pursuing truth and justice. “I come from a tradition where I care about you,” West said in the video. “I care about the quality of your life. I care about whether you have access to a job with a living wage, decent housing, women having control over their bodies, health care for all, de-escalating the destruction of the planet.” He said his campaign would

DOJ Targets MS Desegregation, Jail & Police Violations

There are 32 school districts in Mississippi still under federal desegregation orders, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division’s assistant attorney general said Thursday. Enforcing the open desegregation orders fit into a broader body of civil rights work launched in Mississippi that is examining jails, police departments and hate crimes in the state, according to Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. Referring to the U.S. Supreme Court decision that outlawed segregation of public schools across the country, she said the Justice Department is ensuring school districts provide Black students in Mississippi

Jazz Legend Bill Lee, Father of Spike Lee, Dies at 94

By Keenan Higgins Losing a parent is never an easy thing to deal with, and unfortunately famed director Spike Lee is currently understanding that feeling immensely following the death of his dad, Bill Lee. In addition to helping give birth to a superstar or two, the late 94-year-old was also a respected jazz composer in his own right that worked with the likes of Bob Dylan, Harry Belafonte and even on Spike’s hit films Jungle Fever and Do The Right Thing. Born William James Edwards Lee in Snow Hill, Alabama, the late musician found a niche for jazz by way of many prominent

Amanda Gorman Poem Banned, Students Show Support

By Angela Johnson Amanda Gorman made news and history as the youngest inaugural poet when she wrote “The Hill We Climb” for President Joe Biden’s 2021 inauguration. Two years later, her poem is back in the news as Daily Salinas, a parent of two children, had it removed from a Miami-area elementary school for including what she believed to be “indirect hate messages” and “references to critical race theory.” But while Gorman’s work is caught in the crosshairs of a conservative temper tantrum, students at Gorman’s former school are showing their support for one of their own. A group of 11 elementary school students

Louisiana Bill Targets Black Youth With Public Records

By Jessica Washington There isn’t a lot we can agree on in this country. But generally, the idea that the mistakes you make as a child shouldn’t necessarily haunt you for the rest of your life is one of them. Unless, of course, you’re a Republican lawmaker in Louisiana, and that child happens to live in a Black community. In that case, all bets are off. Louisiana’s Republican-led House just passed a law requiring certain parishes in the state to create an online portal where the criminal records of juveniles convicted of certain crimes can be viewed. But the catch

FBI Misused Surveillance in High-Profile Protest Inquiries

By Charlie Savage F.B.I. analysts improperly used a warrantless surveillance program to search for information about hundreds of Americans who came under scrutiny in connection with two politically charged episodes of civil unrest: the protests after the 2020 police killing of George Floyd and the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, a newly declassified court ruling shows. While the F.B.I. has tightened restrictions since then, the disclosure of the misuses is likely to provide fodder to critics of the program as the Biden administration seeks to persuade Congress to renew it. The surveillance program, known as Section 702, empowers the

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