National News - Page 210

Tulsa Race Massacre: 100 Years Since Black Wall Street

By Jazmin Goodwin One hundred years ago, one of America’s greatest success stories came to a crushing end. At the turn of the 20th century, the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma, was more than 35 city blocks of thriving shops, hotels, theaters and more. And all of them were Black-owned. The district was founded by Black men and women — many of whom were descendants of slaves — and it became known as Black Wall Street. Greenwood was home to doctors, lawyers and entrepreneurs. For years, it was a beacon for African-Americans looking to escape the discrimination and violence of

CDC Lifts Mask Rules for Vaccinated Americans, Raising Debate

Analysis by Stephen Collinson Vaccinated Americans spent the most normal weekend for more than a year exploring restored freedoms to gather without masks but also dilemmas over personal and collective responsibility sparked by new government health guidance. After many months of being told to mask up and keep their distance, millions of citizens are now grappling with when, whether and where to ditch or wear face coverings as a more hopeful stage dawns in a still dangerous crisis. While there is a sense of national liberation at last, there’s also a risk the new advice will cause mask and vaccine

CDC Eases Mask Rules for Vaccinated: Relief and Confusion

Analysis by Maeve Reston and Stephen Collinson Americans stripped off their masks Thursday as the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made the sudden announcement that vaccinated people no longer need to wear them indoors or outdoors. It was a great moment of liberation after a year of intense stress and fear, but also one of trepidation for many as the policy created a whole new set of complex questions for parents, employers, business owners and the millions of Americans who are still hesitant to get shots. Biden administration officials greeted the news with euphoria in Washington. In the

Defense Seeks Ahmaud Arbery’s Past in Murder Trial

By Martin Savidge, Angela Barajas and Madeline Holcombe Attorneys representing the three White men accused of chasing and killing Ahmaud Arbery want to be allowed to tell a jury about Arbery’s past run-ins with the law during the upcoming trial. Ahmaud Arbery, a Black man, was fatally shot while on a jog in February 2020. Father and son Gregory and Travis McMichael and William Bryan have been charged with murder in a state trial as well as federal hate crimes charges. In a pre-trial hearing Wednesday, attorneys argued to introduce evidence Arbery’s criminal convictions as well as confrontations he had

Elk River Equity Talk Sparks Parent Debate Over Looting

By David Schuman   What was said in Tina Demary’s son’s Elk River High School classroom made him uncomfortable enough to bring it up to her when he got home. “He felt like they were inappropriate or made him feel like bad for being a white person,” Tina Demary said. The comments came from Troy Johnson, an Elk River school equity specialist, who is a Black man. His role is one the district says promotes culturally-competent learning environments, and helps students understand social issues. Answering a question about looting as a response to police violence, Johnson gave this answer: In

CDC Faces Criticism Over Confusing Mask Guidance Updates

By Elizabeth Cohen The day after the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention came out with its much-awaited updated mask guidance in late April, email inboxes at the federal agency were buzzing with a link to a Trevor Noah monologue. In his self-described “viral rant,” the comedian ripped apart the new guidance as “too complicated” and “unreadable.” “I know science is difficult and this is a novel virus and all of that, but who’s running messaging at the CDC?” Noah asked. As CDC staff passed around a link to the April 27 monologue, a federal official told CNN, the

Biden Signs Executive Order to Strengthen US Cybersecurity

By Kevin Liptak President Joe Biden signed an executive order Wednesday meant to better protect the nation from cyberattacks, but even as he signed it, the White House acknowledged more will need to be done to prevent the type of hack that affected the Colonial Pipeline. That attack, which temporarily shut down the pipeline supplying fuel to the eastern United States this week, caused gas stations to run dry and gas prices to spike as Americans flocked to the pumps in a spurt of panic buying. Instead, officials described the order — months in the making — as an initial

Unemployment Benefits, Jobs and America’s Recovery Puzzle

Analysis by Anneken Tappe America’s job market is in a weird spot: it’s still millions of jobs short of where it was before the pandemic, but businesses complain they can’t find staff. Opponents of enhanced unemployment benefits during Covid say the government aid is so cushy, the jobless don’t want to return to work. On the surface, that argument has some merit. The jobless benefits Congress bolstered at the start of the pandemic have been extended until September. Now, though, people are getting vaccinated and employers want their laid-off employees to come back. That should be a recipe for success.

US Ends Farmers to Families Pandemic Food Box Program

By Katie Lobosco As the country slowly climbs out of the pandemic, the Biden administration is ending a program that delivered nearly 167 million boxes of fresh food to families in need and helped farmers sell their produce at a time when supply chain disruptions forced them to dump milk and destroy their crops. It’s one of many emergency federal aid programs that the government must decide how to wind down in a way that doesn’t create more problems for those still in need — and some, including New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, the new chairman of the Senate nutrition

Family Demands Full Release of Andrew Brown Jr. Shooting Video

By Madeline Holcombe Following the family’s viewing of body and dash camera footage of Andrew Brown Jr.’s death, attorneys for the family recommitted to pursuing the full release of all videos of the shooting. “We will move fairly quickly on that matter to go before the court to make our arguments to get the videos released,” attorney Harry Daniels said. Brown was fatally shot April 21 when Pasquotank County deputies in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, were trying to execute a warrant. The community and family have called for the release of the footage since, especially as their attorneys and prosecutors

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