National News - Page 72

Federal judge rejects comparisons between Capitol insurrection and racial justice unrest

By Hannah Rabinowitz, A federal judge rejected comparisons between the January 6 Capitol insurrection and civil unrest that at times accompanied racial-equity protests during a sentencing for a Capitol rioter on Monday, just days after a judge in the same court had questioned the difference. “To compare the actions of people around the country protesting, mostly peacefully, for civil rights, to a violent mob seeking to overthrow the lawfully elected government is a false equivalency and downplays the very real danger that the crowd on January 6 posed to our democracy,” DC District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan said. Chutkan added that the rioters

Estate of Henrietta Lacks sues biotechnical company for nonconsensual use of her cells

By Taylor Romine, The family of Henrietta Lacks, the woman whose cells have been used for groundbreaking scientific research for decades, filed a lawsuit Monday against Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. for unjust enrichment from the nonconsensual use and profiting from her tissue sample and cell line. Lacks, a Black woman diagnosed with cervical cancer, had tissue taken from her cervix without her consent during a procedure at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1951. With the sample, a doctor at the hospital was able to create the first human cell line to reproduce outside the body. Lacks died later that year from cancer at the age

Multimillion-dollar beach property taken from Black owners in Jim Crow era is cleared to be returned

By Cheri Mossburg, A stretch of prime Southern California beachfront real estate can now be returned to the descendants of its rightful Black owners, nearly a century after the parcel was taken by the city of Manhattan Beach. Known as Bruce’s Beach, the resort had offered Black families a place to enjoy the California life and was a labor of love for owners Charles and Willa Bruce. But harassment from White neighbors and the Ku Klux Klan tore away at their dreams. The final blow came in 1924 when the city took the property through eminent domain and paid the couple

Hospitalization rates are down across the US, but these 8 states still have fewer than 15% of ICU beds available

By Madeline Holcombe, While much of the US is seeing a decline in hospitalizations for Covid-19, it’s also evident the fight against the pandemic is far from over as eight states are reporting limited numbers of available ICU beds. Texas, Idaho, Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Arkansas and North Carolina have 15% or less of their ICU capacity available to patients, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services. Dwindling capacity from Covid-19 has led to many hospitals strained for resources and staffing, often leaving them unable to provide the standard of care they would like, according to health care

The myths about slavery that still hold America captive

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By John Blake, At first, Clint Smith had trouble making out the objects beside a white picket fence in the distance. Then he drew closer; what he saw made him shudder. Planted in a garden bed in front of the fence were the heads of 55 Black men impaled on metal rods, their eyes shut and jaws clenched in anguish. Smith, a journalist and a poet, was visiting the Whitney Plantation in Louisiana as part of his quest to understand the impact of slavery in America. He had spent four years touring monuments and landmarks commemorating slavery across America and

Texas pardons board votes unanimously to recommend posthumous pardon for George Floyd

By Josh Campbell and Amir Vera, The Texas State Board of Pardons and Paroles voted unanimously Monday to recommend a full posthumous pardon of George Floyd for a 2004 drug conviction, according to hearing minutes provided by the board to CNN. An application for the pardon was filed in April on behalf of Floyd and his surviving family. In the application, Allison Mathis of the Harris County Public Defender’s Office said the request was filed because the arresting officer in Floyd’s case, Gerald Goines, “manufactured the existence of confidential informants to bolster his cases against innocent defendants.” Floyd died in May

Johnson & Johnson asks FDA to authorize Covid-19 vaccine booster shots

By Maggie Fox, Johnson & Johnson said Tuesday it has asked the US Food and Drug Administration to authorize booster shots for its coronavirus vaccine, but has left it up to the FDA and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to decide just who should get their boosters and when. “We’re describing the data to them,” Dr. Mathai Mammen, head of global research and development for J&J’s vaccine arm, Janssen, told CNN. “The process is not that we asked for a very specific interval — we’re providing them data and we’re going to be presenting to the committee.

University of Georgia’s first Black graduate celebrates launch of autobiography

By Iyani Hughes It was a worthwhile moment of celebration for Mary Frances Early, the University of Georgia’s first black graduate. On Monday, she shared virtually the belief that “We are all trailblazers.” with the audience at a book discussion to celebrate the launch of her autobiography, “The Quiet Trailblazer: My Journey as the First Black Graduate of the University of Georgia,” published by the Mary Frances Early College of Education and the UGA Libraries and distributed by the University of Georgia Press. The event continued the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of desegregation at UGA and featured a conversation

Bronze busts honor Floyd, Taylor and Lewis in New York

By Liam Reilly, Three bronze busts depicting the late Congressman John Lewis, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd have been placed in New York’s Union Square as part of Confront Art’s inaugural “SEEINJUSTICE” exhibition. The statues, created by Chris Carnabuci, stand 10 feet tall on platforms and “honor the lives and ongoing messages through art, tying together three iconic people,” Confront Art said in a press release. Confront Art said the “series is inspired by the events of 2020 and has empowered many to take a stand in demanding justice,” echoing the late congressman’s ethos. “We were hoping to ignite the same

White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities Announces 2021 HBCU Scholars

Courtesy of US Department of Education The White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (Initiative) announced its eighth cohort of HBCU Scholars. This program recognizes 86 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students for their accomplishments in academics, leadership, civic engagement and much more. Currently enrolled at 54 of our nation’s HBCUs, the scholars were selected from an applicant pool of over 200 students who submitted completed applications that included a transcript, resume, essay, and letter of recommendation. Applications also required the signature of their university president, adding a level of prestige to this application process. “The HBCU Scholars announced

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