National News - Page 18

Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove Elected as Whip of the Congressional Black Caucus

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By Ashley Brown In a significant development for the 119th Congress, Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), a proud member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated, has been elected to serve as the Whip of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC). This prestigious position places her at the forefront of the CBS. Expressing her gratitude for the appointment, Kamlager-Dove remarked, “I am deeply honored to be chosen to serve as Whip of the Congressional Black Caucus for the 119th Congress. Known as the ‘conscience of the Congress,’ the CBC is grounded in our pursuit of justice, equity, and opportunity for Black Americans. With unprecedented

US adds 227,000 jobs in November, rebounds from October slump

By Sylvan Lane The U.S. job market rebounded in November after a major slowdown, according to data released Friday by the Labor Department. The U.S. added 227,000 jobs last month and the jobless rate ticked slightly higher to 4.2 percent, marking a significant improvement from a weak October jobs report. The U.S. added just 24,000 jobs in October, according to revised figures released Friday. Economists expected the U.S. to add roughly 200,000 jobs in November and for the jobless rate to hold at 4.1 percent, according to consensus estimates. The November jobs report comes a week before the Federal Reserve

Biden isn’t the first president to pardon a relative. Here’s how the power works

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By Rachel Treisman The topic of presidential pardons is back in the spotlight this week after President Biden announced he signed a “full and unconditional” one for his son. Hunter Biden was convicted earlier this year of federal gun charges for lying about his addiction to crack cocaine when he purchased a gun, and separately pleaded guilty to tax offenses for failing to pay at least $1.4 million in federal taxes. Sentences in both cases were scheduled to be handed down later this month. The president has said publicly that he would not pardon his son — but reversed that promise in an announcement on

A Year After the First Antisemitism Hearing, What’s Become of the Presidents Who Testified?

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By Josh Moody Last Dec. 5, the presidents of three leading universities stepped before Congress for a hearing on campus antisemitism that was widely criticized when they failed to offer forthright responses on whether hypothetical calls for the genocide of Jews would violate their institutions’ policies. Those three presidents—representing Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology—were followed by four others in two separate hearings in April and May as pro-Palestinian student protests swept campuses across the nation last spring. Of the seven campus leaders who testified, only two remain on the job (though one was

Audit Exonerates Chair of HBCU Board Amid Accusations

By Ashley Brown A recent audit’s findings indicate no wrongdoing by Brian Boulware, the chair of the Board of Trustees at Saint Augustine’s University. This new report contradicts a previous audit from 2023 that revealed a board member allegedly received a finder’s fee related to a loan to the university, which was characterized as a gift from the lender. The university, facing challenges maintaining its accreditation, commissioned an independent audit to investigate claims surrounding Boulware and the alleged finder’s fees. This investigation follows reports that the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office is probing accusations regarding a $7 million loan linked to

National Action Network announces 2025 Inauguration Day rally

By Aria Brent Members of the National Action Network (NAN) will gather civil rights and community leaders from across the nation in protest next year. On Jan. 20, 2025, which will also be Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Sharpton will hold a rally to speak out against the second presidential inauguration of Donald Trump. On Nov. 19, the organization released a statement with all the details of the event explaining that this rally is in honor of King’s legacy and in opposition to the incoming administration. “On Martin Luther King Day 2025, as Donald Trump is sworn in, we won’t

Their homes were destroyed with little notice. Decades later, a settlement attempts to make amends.

By Curtis Bunn An image from Gloria Holland’s childhood remains clear in her mind: a man dressed only in his underwear, standing outside his front door pleading that his house in the Section 14 area of Palm Springs, California, not be demolished. The man ranted for several minutes until a bulldozer leveled the structure and he scampered to safety. “I was 8 or 9 years old,” Holland, now 70, said from her home outside Atlanta. “It was the first time I saw a grown man cry. It was traumatizing.” The man and Holland were among 195 Black and Latino families whose

How Howard is Boosting Data Analytics Training Coast to Coast

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By Sholnn Z. Freeman In today’s tech-driven world, data science is a crucial skill for success, and it’s vital that underserved communities have the opportunity to thrive in these fields, says Howard University President Ben Vinson III. Vincent spoke in November during an event hosted by the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the National Education Equity Lab (Ed Equity Lab), where he joined philanthropic and education leaders. “This is an increasingly technical world, where data is the new currency in a fast-paced, AI-driven environment,” Vinson said. “Data science is a key skill for future success, and we want underserved and minority

Protecting Black Students During the Second Trump Presidency

By Shaun Harper One day after Donald Trump was re-elected president of the United States, Black students across the country received racist text messages. This same thing happened within 10 days following the 2016 presidential election: Black freshmen at the University of Pennsylvania received messages via GroupMe with threats of being lynched; I was a professor there at the time. That it happened again—this time on a larger national scale—is one indicator of what is likely to ensue on college and university campuses over the next four years. As I insisted at Penn eight years ago, I maintain now that Black students

3 Reasons Why Trump Ditching the Department of Education Will Especially Hurt Black Students

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By Phenix S. Halley President-elect Donald Trump has outlined plans for his second term in scary detail: using military force to execute mass deportations, clearing out DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) policies, and, shockingly, even eliminating the Department of Education (DOE). In preparation for four more MAGA years, Trump announced Linda McMahon, the former wrestling executive, will head the DOE he vows to abolish, yes. With Americans everywhere still reeling from the Nov. 5 results, it’s time we truly understand what’s at stake if the 44-year-old DOE is abolished — especially for Black students. Billions of Dollars Won’t Be Federally Regulated It’s important

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