National News - Page 182

Harlem Hellfighters to Receive Congressional Gold Medal

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By Scottie Andrew The “Harlem Hellfighters” helped the US win World War I. The Black infantry unit was one of the most decorated regiments at the time, even as most of its members were met with racism and disregard upon their return home. Now, more than 100 years after the regiment’s surviving members came home to a country that largely ignored their contributions to the war effort, the Hellfighters will receive some national recognition. President Joe Biden earlier this month signed the Harlem Hellfighters Congressional Gold Medal Act, which will posthumously award Congress’ most vaunted symbol of appreciation to the World

Virginia Pardons Martinsville Seven 70 Years After Deaths

By Kristina Sgueglia, A group of young Black men executed after being convicted by all-White juries of allegedly raping a White woman have been pardoned in Virginia 70 years after their deaths. On Tuesday, Gov. Ralph Northam granted posthumous pardons to the”Martinsville Seven.” “While these pardons do not address the guilt of the seven, they serve as recognition from the Commonwealth that these men were tried without adequate due process and received a racially biased death sentence not similarly applied to white defendants,” Northam’s office said Tuesday. “We all deserve a criminal justice system that is fair, equal, and gets

Social Security Benefits Cut Likely by 2034 Without Action

By Katie Lobosco, Social Security will have to cut benefits by 2034 if Congress does nothing to address the program’s long-term funding shortfall, according to an annual report released Tuesday by the Social Security and Medicare trustees. That’s one year earlier than reported last year. By that time, the combined trust funds for Social Security will be depleted and will be able to pay only 78% in promised benefits to retirees and disabled beneficiaries. The Covid-19 pandemic and economic recession are to blame for moving up the depletion rate by a year, driven by the big drop in employment and resulting decline in revenue from payroll

CDC Urges Unvaccinated to Avoid Travel Amid COVID-19 Surge

By Madeline Holcombe, Due to the surge of Covid-19 cases, the director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is asking unvaccinated Americans not to travel during the Labor Day holiday weekend. The US is surpassing an average of 160,000 new Covid-19 cases a day, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. With the spread of the more transmissible Delta variant and many students returning to the classroom for a new academic year, the rise is concerning officials and health experts. “First and foremost, if you are unvaccinated, we would recommend not traveling,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said at

FDA Vaccine Leaders Retire Amid Ongoing COVID-19 Challenges

By Nadia Kounang, Virginia Langmaid and Amanda Sealy, Two senior leaders in the US Food and Drug Administration’s vaccine review office are stepping down, even as the agency works toward high-profile decisions around Covid-19 vaccine approvals, authorizations for younger children and booster shots. The retirements of Dr. Marion Gruber, director of the Office of Vaccines Research and Review at FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, and Dr. Philip Krause, deputy director of the office, were announced in an internal agency email sent on Tuesday and shared with CNN by the FDA. In the email, CBER Director Dr. Peter Marks

Remembering Civil Rights Allies: Unity in the March on Washington

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Opinion by Keith Magee This past weekend was the 58th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. As many Americans reflected on the significance of the day, particularly as voting rights across the country are under attack, they likely thought about the legacy and image of the mighty Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., standing at a lectern in front of the Lincoln Memorial, the huge crowd stretched before him captivated by his vision of a society without racism. If required to list the other leaders of this historic protest, Americans might be able to name one, maybe

Guerrilla Bust Honors Marsha P. Johnson’s LGBTQ Legacy

By Scottie Andrew Visitors to New York’s Christopher Park this week were greeted by the bust of Marsha P. Johnson, stoic yet softly smiling. She’s wearing a tiara on her head, designed to loop live flowers through. It evokes a famous photograph of Johnson, beaming with a crown of brilliant blooms strewn through her hair. The bust was erected on what would have been Jonhson’s 76th birthday — and more than two years after city officials announced they were going to create a monument to Johnson and fellow transgender activist Sylvia Rivera. But this statue of Johnson, a Black transgender woman who devoted much

Honoring Voting Rights: Continuing the Civil Rights Legacy

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Opinion by Martin Luther King, III and Luci B. Johnson In 1845 James Russell Lowell, the well-known Harvard Law School graduate and abolitionist, wrote words that continue to ring in our hearts over 175 years later. They were written to address national debate over slavery and the impending war with Mexico — and they are as relevant today as ever. Once to Every man and nation Comes the moment to Decide In the strife of Truth with Falsehood for the good or evil side. Some great cause, God’s new Messiah, offering the bloom or blight, Parts the goats upon the

US Military Completes Afghanistan Withdrawal, Ending War

By Nicole Gaouette, Jennifer Hansler, Barbara Starr and Oren Liebermann The last US military planes have left Afghanistan, Gen. Frank McKenzie, the commander of US Central Command, announced Monday at the Pentagon. The US departure marks the end of a fraught, chaotic and bloody exit from the United States’ longest war. “I’m here to announce the completion of our withdrawal from Afghanistan, and the end of the military mission to evacuate American citizens, third country nationals, and vulnerable Afghans,” McKenzie told reporters. “The last C-17 lifted off from Hamid Karzai International Airport on August 30th, this afternoon, at 3:29 p.m. East Coast

Hurricane Ida Destroys Historic Louis Armstrong Jazz Site

By Faith Karimi A piece of New Orleans’ jazz history is now a pile of rubble. When Hurricane Ida hit the city Sunday, the storm knocked out power, flattened homes and turned streets into rivers. It also destroyed an old brick building downtown on South Rampart Street, just a few blocks from the French Quarter. The building hadn’t looked like much in recent years. It sat empty, marred by graffiti and surrounded by vacant lots. But it played a key role in the city’s history. In the early 1900s, it became a second home to Louis Armstrong — its tenants even

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