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The White House plans to end COVID emergency declarations in May

By Dana Farrington The White House is planning to end the COVID-19 national emergency and public health emergency on May 11. The declarations have been extended multiple times since enacted by the Trump administration in 2020. Ending the emergency declaration could have implications for funding for tests and vaccines as well as impact other pandemic-related policies. Congress has already begun pushing back on efforts to extend programs that had been tied to the pandemic. The plan from the White House came in a statement opposing two House bills that would end the emergency declarations sooner. “An abrupt end to the

Vice President Harris to attend Tyre Nichols funeral in Memphis

By Zoe Richards Vice President Kamala Harris will attend Tyre Nichols’ funeral in Memphis on Wednesday, her office said Tuesday. Ben Crump, a lawyer for Nichols’ family, said Nichols’ mother, RowVaughn Wells, and stepfather, Rodney Wells, invited Harris during a phone call Tuesday morning. Crump said he joined the parents in speaking with Harris for more than 30 minutes. “Vice President Harris and Ms. Wells spoke exclusively, and during this emotional time, the Vice President was able to console Ms. Wells and even help her smile,” Crump said in a statement. Nichols’ family also confirmed that Tamika Taylor, the mother of Breonna Taylor, who was

Jury awards $1M to Oregon woman who was told ‘I don’t serve Black people’ after trying to get gas

A jury has awarded an Oregon woman $1 million in damages after finding she was discriminated against by a gas station employee who told her, “I don’t serve Black people.” The Multnomah County jury’s award this week to Portland resident Rose Wakefield, 63, included punitive damages of $550,000. Wakefield’s lawyer, Gregory Kafoury, said she stopped for gas at Jacksons Food Store in Beaverton on March 12, 2020, and saw the attendant, Nigel Powers, ignore her and instead pump gas for other drivers. When she tried to ask for assistance, he said, “I’ll get to you when I feel like it,”

Memphis deactivates the unit that fatally beat Tyre Nichols, as officials urge reform

By Joe Hernandez The official efforts to respond to the vicious beating of Tyre Nichols by Memphis police are already underway, just two days after footage of the incident was released to the public. Five Memphis police officers have been fired and charged with Nichols’ murder, but lawmakers and law enforcement authorities in Tennessee say more has to be done in the wake of Nichols’ death. Meanwhile, protesters continue to take to the streets of Memphis and elsewhere around the nation to express outrage over the incident and again rally against the treatment of Black people by police. Here’s the latest: Memphis police disband

Did Biden Just Make it Easier for Black Americans To Pay Off Old Student Debt?

By Jessica Washington Black Americans are drowning in student debt, and many of us struggle to keep up with the demands of paying off loans and saving for retirement. If you’re tired of choosing between dodging debt collectors forever and working until you croak, you might want to learn about this new retirement law. Biden recently signed the Secure 2.0 bill, which makes some pretty important changes to how Americans can save for retirement. The most notable change is that employers can now match what someone spends on their student loan payments with retirement payments. The law goes into effect in

AP African American Studies course rejected by Florida to be revised, College Board says

By  Zoe Richards The College Board said Tuesday it would release a new framework for the Advanced Placement course in African American Studies that the administration of Gov. Ron DeSantis blocked from being offered in Florida high schools. The nonprofit organization, which oversees the nationwide Advanced Placement program, announced that on Feb. 1 it would “release the official framework” for an AP African American Studies course, which it said has been under development since March. The DeSantis administration sent a letter to the College Board rejecting the course this month, saying, “As presented, the content of this course is inexplicably contrary to Florida law

Amazon ends its charity donation program AmazonSmile after other cost-cutting efforts

By Kaitlyn Radde Amazon is ending its charity donation program by Feb. 20, the company announced Wednesday. The move to shutter AmazonSmile comes after a series of other cost-cutting measures. Through the program, which has been in operation since 2013, Amazon donates 0.5% of eligible purchases to a charity of the shopper’s choice. The program has donated over $400 million to U.S. charities and more than $449 million globally, according to Amazon. “With so many eligible organizations — more than one million globally — our ability to have an impact was often spread too thin,” Amazon said in a letter to customers.

Tyre Nichols traffic stop in Memphis is reminiscent of Rodney King beating, lawyer says after seeing video

By Doha Madani Tyre Nichols was the victim of an “unadulterated, unabashed, nonstop beating” reminiscent to the brutality Rodney King suffered at the hands of police officers, attorneys representing the man’s family said Monday after having seen video of the police encounter that happened days before Nichols died. Nichols, 29, was hospitalized and died three days after Memphis, Tennessee, police officers stopped him on Jan. 7. Five officers involved in the traffic stop were fired Friday after an administrative investigation found they violated department policies, Police Chief C.J. Davis said in a statement. Attorneys Benjamin Crump and Antonio Romanucci, who are representing Nichols’

Google is cutting 12,000 jobs, adding to a series of Big Tech layoffs in January

By Mary Yang Google is the latest tech giant to announce a massive layoff: the company announced on Friday that it is slashing about 12,000 jobs. The company already has notified affected employees in the United States, CEO Sundar Pichai wrote in an email to all Google employees. Layoffs will take longer in other countries due to local laws, Pichai said. The job cuts represent about 6% of Google’s global workforce. It is not clear how many of those jobs are in the U.S. January has been a brutal month for Big Tech workers. Microsoft announced sweeping layoffs Thursday and is cutting 10,000

On King’s holiday, daughter calls for bold action over words

America has honored Martin Luther King Jr. with a federal holiday for nearly four decades yet still hasn’t fully embraced and acted on the lessons from the slain civil rights leader, his youngest daughter said Monday. The Rev. Bernice King, who leads The King Center in Atlanta, said leaders — especially politicians — too often cheapen her father’s legacy into a “comfortable and convenient King” offering easy platitudes. “We love to quote King in and around the holiday. … But then we refuse to live King 365 days of the year,” she declared at the commemorative service at Ebenezer Baptist

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