National News - Page 162

Racism and CRT Panic Collide in U.S. Public Schools Debate

By Evan McMorris-Santoro and Linh Tran, Nearly two weeks after a racist petition to bring back slavery circulated at her daughter’s school, Julie Stutterheim is still angry. She says it was yet another example of a racist incident at Park Hill South High School in the suburbs of Kansas City, Missouri. “She was very upset about it. My daughter’s Ethiopian,” Stutterheim told CNN this week. Her daughter has encountered racism firsthand, Stutterheim says and “the more she talked about this, the more upset she got.” Stutterheim did what any concerned parent would do and reached out to the school to

Fort Hood Soldier Jennifer Sewell Missing Since October 7

By Dakin Andone, Officials at Fort Hood in Texas are searching for Pfc. Jennifer Sewell, a soldier who’s been missing since last Thursday. Sewell was last seen leaving her barracks around 4 p.m. (5 p.m. ET) October 7, according to a statement by the Fort Hood Directorate of Emergency Services (DES), which said she failed to report to work that day. Law enforcement, Sewell’s chain-of-command and her family have been unable to contact her in the time since. “Initial investigation appears that Sewell left for unknown reasons on her own accord,” the statement said, noting she does not own a vehicle. Officials

Gen. Gwen Bingham: Breaking Barriers in U.S. Army Leadership

By Brianna Keilar and Ryan Bergeron, Lieutenant General Gwen Bingham has spent much of her Army career being a frontrunner. She is only the second African American woman ever to become a three-star General in the Army and as she advanced throughout her career, she has been either the first woman, the first African American, or both to hold that position. The general is quick to mention she would not be where she is without others “plowing tough ground” before her, and her warm, friendly approach has a way of putting everyone at ease. If breaking barriers seems to be a

Trailblazing Women Honored on New US Quarters Series

By Scottie Andrew, They were suffragettes, leaders, artists and astronauts who transformed the US — even if you don’t know them by name. Now, they’ll be immortalized on American currency. The US Mint has announced the full list of five pioneering American women who will appear on the first run of the “American Women Quarters Program.” Images of the women, who represent a wide array of professions from which women were previously shut out, will appear on the backs of select quarters beginning in 2022. (George Washington’s facade will remain on the “heads” side.) Two of the women, Sally Ride, an astronaut who

Experts Warn COVID Decline May Not Signal Pandemic’s End

By Jacqueline Howard, More than 100,000 hospital beds were filled with Covid-19 patients across the United States, with patients occupying more than 30% of the beds in intensive care units nationwide. An average of 159,000 coronavirus infections was recorded each day and physical brawls broke out over vaccine requirements and mask mandates. That was America about a month ago — in early September. Now, fewer than 70,000 hospital beds are occupied by Covid-19 patients, accounting for less than 25% of intensive care unit beds nationwide. The current average of new coronavirus infections has dropped to around 106,000 each day and more than half of the US population — 56% — is fully vaccinated

Black Graduates Face Crisis Amid Crushing Student Loan Debt

By Nicquel Terry Ellis, Tony Montgomery has been forced to put off his law school plans and can’t afford to buy a home or pay for health insurance because he’s drowning in $30,000 of student loan debt. Montgomery, a home-school teacher and tutor from Mansfield, Texas, said he’s had to pick up night shifts at a local grocery store to pay his student loan bills. He’s currently living with his mother and helps her out financially. The federal government’s pause on student loan payments and interest accrual during the Covid-19 pandemic gave Montgomery a chance to build a rainy day

COVID Cases Decline, but Experts Urge More U.S. Vaccination

By Aya Elamroussi, The US is making headway in its battle against Covid-19 — with infection and hospitalization rates on the decline after a surge fueled by the relentless Delta variant. But with the number of Americans getting booster shots surpassing those who are initiating vaccination, experts warn more is needed to continue the progress. Coronavirus cases and hospitalizations have both declined by more than 10% from last week, according to data from Johns Hopkins University and the US Department of Health and Human Services, respectively. Just over 56% of the total US population is fully vaccinated, according to the US Centers for Disease

Leaked Footage Shows MPD Officers “Hunting” Protesters

By Omar Jimenez, Body camera footage of Minneapolis police officers’ response to the protests in the days after George Floyd’s death reveals officers talking about “hunting” people as part of a response to quell the unrest. CNN reviewed more than two hours of excerpted videos from multiple police body cameras released Tuesday by an attorney for a man who was recently acquitted on charges of firing a gun at officers after they fired nonlethal bullets at him on May 30. May 30 was perhaps the most forceful response to protests seen by CNN crews on the ground up to that

New PSLF Waiver Offers Relief to 550K Student Loan Borrowers

By Liz Stark, The US Department of Education announced major changes Wednesday to a federal student loan forgiveness program that the agency says could bring relief to more than 550,000 borrowers working in government and nonprofit sectors, including around 22,000 borrowers who will automatically be eligible for student loan forgiveness without needing to take additional steps. Through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, the government forgives remaining federal student loan debt for qualifying public-sector workers after they have made monthly payments for 10 years. But the program has long been criticized for being difficult to navigate, with borrowers receiving little help from their loan servicers,

Judge: Jan 6 Riot Not Equal to Racial Justice Protests

By Hannah Rabinowitz, A federal judge rejected comparisons between the January 6 Capitol insurrection and civil unrest that at times accompanied racial-equity protests during a sentencing for a Capitol rioter on Monday, just days after a judge in the same court had questioned the difference. “To compare the actions of people around the country protesting, mostly peacefully, for civil rights, to a violent mob seeking to overthrow the lawfully elected government is a false equivalency and downplays the very real danger that the crowd on January 6 posed to our democracy,” DC District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan said. Chutkan added that the rioters

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