National News - Page 190

Biden Awards Gold Medals to Jan. 6 Responding Officers

By Maegan Vazquez and Donald Judd President Joe Biden signed a bill into law at the White House on Thursday to award congressional gold medals to the police forces that responded to the insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6. The Congressional Gold Medal is the US Congress’ “highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions by individuals or institutions,” according to the US Senate. Biden thanked the officers in a Rose Garden ceremony “for protecting our Capitol, and maybe more importantly, for protecting our Constitution, and saving the lives of duly elected members of the Senate, in

Black Pastors Lead New Push for U.S. Voting Rights Reform

By Nicquel Terry Ellis The Rev. Jesse Jackson marched alongside the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and other Black faith leaders in Selma, Alabama, in 1965 in a push for voting rights that had been largely galvanized by the Black church. Jackson was still a seminarian at the time, but said he understood that religious leaders had a “moral obligation” to fight for justice. “Preachers stand up, people listen to them, they hear them and they respond,” Jackson said. Today, Jackson is still marching and rallying for voting rights, but with a new generation of Black pastors answering to a call similar

Boston Mayor Criticized for Vaccine Mandate Slavery Remark

By Melissa Alonso After New York City announced people will need proof of Covid-19 vaccination to enter some indoor facilities, acting Boston Mayor Kim Janey likened the rule to the slavery-era freedom papers. “There’s a long history in this country of people needing to show their papers,” Janey told CNN affiliate WCVB on Tuesday when asked by reporters about New York City’s announcement. Janey then listed several examples of how people in the United States have been asked for documentation in the past, “during slavery, post-slavery, as recent as…what [the] immigrant population has to go through here. We heard Trump with the

Biden Reviews Federal Science Integrity After Trump Era

By Kristen Holmes Federal employees and some members of the public remain concerned over reports of political interference in science, specifically when it came to reporting scientific findings, a Biden administration report reviewing the topic said. And hundreds of scientists left working for the government during the Trump years, The New York Times reported late Sunday, some as the result of the worry about keeping their jobs separate from politics. Many have yet to be replaced, potentially hindering President Joe Biden’s agenda. Dr. Alondra Nelson, deputy director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, told CNN federal employees appreciate the Biden

Biden Sets 2030 Goal for Half of Cars to Be Electric

By Ella Nilsen President Joe Biden will sign an executive order Thursday that points the US auto market toward electric vehicles, announcing a new target that half of vehicles sold in the country by 2030 will be battery electric, fuel-cell electric or plug-in hybrid. Biden will unveil the executive order at the White House alongside representatives from Ford, GM, and Stellantis, and members of the United Auto Workers Union. The automakers are expected to support Biden’s target, announcing their “shared aspiration” that 40-50% of their cars sold by 2030 to be electric vehicles, according to a joint statement from the three automakers.

HBCUs Cancel Student Debt, Empowering Black Students

By Amir Vera Covid-19 ruined Brécha Byrd’s inaugural season as a basketball player at Saint Augustine’s University, a historically Black school in North Carolina. The 19-year-old had been excited to play since her high school season months earlier was cut short in 2020. She lost her chance to play when the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) canceled the men’s and women’s basketball season between December 2020 and January, putting the once excited freshman’s athletic scholarship at risk. “I didn’t know what was going to happen,” Byrd told CNN. By June, Byrd was back home in Surry County, Virginia, still concerned about her

Black Professors Thrive at HBCUs, Inspiring Future Leaders

by Vanessa Roberson Just as HBCU students have found the value in attending predominantly black institutions over PWIs (Predominantly White Institutions), academics are starting to do the same. Learn what about HBCU culture is bringing academics to our beloved institutions in the NBCarticle by Curtis Bunn below. Nikole Hannah-Jones made waves when she chose Howard University over UNC-Chapel Hill. But she’s one of countless educators who see a bigger purpose in teaching at HBCUs. Not long after she returned to Howard University as a professor in 2013, Jennifer Thomas found herself overcome with emotion. Tears formed in her eyes as

Barack Obama’s 60th Birthday Bash with Covid Safety

By Allie Malloy Former President Barack Obama will celebrate his 60th birthday this weekend with a party in Martha’s Vineyard, with many Covid-19 safety protocols in place amid heightened concerns over the Delta variant, a source familiar with the planning told CNN. The event this weekend, which will be held outside, will follow all US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention public health protocols, the source said. There will be testing for guests and a Covid safety coordinator on site. Martha’s Vineyard, in Dukes County, is currently designated by the CDC as an area of “moderate” Covid-19 community spread. The CDC

Tuskegee Legacy Shapes Black Community’s Vaccine Hesitancy

By Neelam Bohra and Christina Zdanowicz Timothy Moore grew up wary of medical treatments in his hometown of Tuskegee, Alabama. His parents had seen what happened to Black people who participated in the unethical Tuskegee syphilis study, where researchers let syphilis progress in Black men without treating them to justify treatment programs for them between 1932 and 1972. So when Covid-19 vaccines became available, Moore and his family didn’t rush out to get inoculated. His parents, both born in the 1960s, had only recently been open to getting flu vaccines, Moore said Monday on CNN’s “New Day.” But one after another, his family

Springfield Protest Demands Police Commissioner’s Dismissal

By Lexi Oliver, Olivia Hickey Springfield community and faith leaders gathered Saturday to call for the dismissal of Police Commissioner Cheryl Clapprood and to address what they call systemic racism in the city. Hundreds of demonstrators met at Adams Park and marched down to Wesley United Methodist Church on State Street. They said they want to ask the mayor if he believes systemic racism exists in the city. “Things will not get better in the city of Springfield until we have new leadership,” said Charles Stokes, a community organizer. Springfield community leaders gathered on Saturday, to call for Police Commissioner

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