National News - Page 176

Biden’s Civilian Climate Corps Aims to Tackle Crisis

By Rachel Ramirez and Ella Nilsen, When he met with governors this summer from Western states wracked by wildfires and drought, President Joe Biden highlighted one way to tackle the climate crisis that goes beyond more funding for aerial firefighting and better forest management: a Civilian Climate Corps. The corps is now one of several key climate provisions that are planned for Democrats’ $3.5 trillion budget bill, alongside a clean electricity program and tax credits for renewable energy. Inspired by the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930s, the Climate Corps would put people to work in short-term jobs or training programs that would focus on renewable technology and building

Delta Variant Spurs Vaccinations Amid COVID Booster Debate

By Virginia Langmaid, A new Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) poll found that the highly transmissible Delta variant, overburdened hospitals and knowing someone who has died or become seriously ill from Covid-19 drove recent increases in vaccination. Among those vaccinated since June 1, 39% said they were motivated by transmission of the Delta variant, 38% by the growing burden of Covid-19 on hospitals and 36% by knowing someone who became seriously ill or died. Thirty-five percent said a major reason was to participate in activities where vaccinations are required, such as traveling. Nineteen percent said it was because it was mandated by their

R. Kelly Found Guilty of Racketeering and Sex Trafficking

By Sonia Moghe, Jurors have found R&B singer R. Kelly guilty of racketeering, including acts of bribery and sexual exploitation of a child, along with separate charges of sex trafficking. In this federal case in the Eastern District of New York, Kelly faced a total of nine counts — one count of racketeering, with 14 underlying acts that included sexual exploitation of a child, kidnapping, bribery and sex trafficking charges, and also eight additional counts of violations of the Mann Act, a sex trafficking law. Kelly was found guilty of nine counts — one count of racketeering and eight counts of violating

CDC Approves Pfizer Booster Shots for High-Risk Adults

By Jamie Gumbrecht, Following days of lengthy debate among vaccine experts, booster shots of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine can now be officially administered to some adults in the United States. Early Friday morning, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky diverged from the agency’s independent vaccine advisers to recommend boosters for a broader group of people — those ages 18 to 64 who are at increased risk of Covid-19 because of their workplaces or institutional settings — in addition to older adults, long-term care facility residents and some people with underlying health conditions. The CDC recommendation

Racial Disparities in Missing Persons Cases Spotlighted

By Nicquel Terry Ellis, David Robinson has been in Arizona for the last three months searching for his 24-year-old son, Daniel Robinson, who went missing after leaving a work site in the desert in his Jeep Renegade on June 23. Robinson, who lives in South Carolina, hired an independent investigator and assembled a volunteer search team when he says he felt the police weren’t making progress in the investigation. He also says he failed to get the amount of media coverage he believed the case needed. The case was reported by the local media as early as July 9. Robinson

Washington Cathedral Replaces Confederate Windows in 2023

By Veronica Stracqualursi, The Washington National Cathedral announced Thursday it has commissioned renowned Black artist Kerry James Marshall to create “racial-justice themed windows” that will replace two stained-glass windows the church removed in 2017 that memorialized Confederate Gens. Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson. The church has also tapped celebrated poet Elizabeth Alexander, who was the inaugural poet for President Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration, to write a poem that will be inscribed on stone tablets alongside Marshall’s new windows. The tablets with Alexander’s poem will overlay the previous ones that revered the lives of Confederate soldiers. Both projects are expected

Central York Reverses Ban on Anti-Racism Books

By Mirna Alsharif and Liam Reilly A southern Pennsylvania school board has reversed its decision to ban anti-racism books and resources. The Central York school board unanimously approved the reinstatement of a list of anti-racism books and resources, effective immediately, spokeswoman Julie Randall Romig confirmed to CNN. The reversal comes a week after a student protest and a heated virtual school board meeting about the “diversity resource list” that was banned from the curriculum by the board last year. Last year, the all-White school board unanimously banned a list of educational resources that included a children’s book about Rosa Parks, Malala Yousafzai’s autobiography, and CNN’s Sesame Street

Tennessee COVID Cases Drop, TSU Leads in Prevention

By Emmanuel Freeman, A recent report shows that Tennessee is ranked 7th in the nation with the number of COVID-19 cases, which is a drop from number 1 and a 21 percent decrease compared to a week ago. According to the weekly State Profile Report for Tennessee released Sept. 14, the state also fell to 18th in COVID deaths, dropping from 11th the previous week. While this decline shows improvement, a Tennessee State University public health expert says, “We need to do better.” “Twenty-one percent is excellent. That means our cases have fallen, but we still have a high transmittable number,” says

Jesse Jackson Discharged After Covid-19 Recovery

By Carma Hassan and Devon M. Sayers, The Rev. Jesse Jackson was discharged from a rehabilitation facility Wednesday following an earlier diagnosis of Covid-19. Jackson was being treated at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago after he and wife Jacqueline Jackson were hospitalized for Covid-19 in August. The couple were released from Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago early in September, with Jacqueline Jackson going home and the civil rights leader heading to the facility for physical therapy due to his Parkinson’s disease, according to a statement from Rainbow PUSH Coalition, Jackson’s organization. “Both my parents are ever so thankful for all of

Black Women Officers Sue DC Police for Discrimination

By Emma Tucker and Christina Carrega, A group of former and current Black women officers filed a class action lawsuit against the Washington, DC police on Wednesday claiming racial and sexual discrimination, a hostile workplace and a culture of intimidation. The 10 women say that while on the job at the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) they were treated with contempt and subjected to a male-dominated “culture of race and sex discrimination” and “intense pervasive retaliation” when they complained about it, according to the lawsuit. Nine of the women are current and former members of the force with at least 15 years of

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