National News - Page 79

Malikah Shabazz, the daughter of Malcolm X, has died, officials say

By Joe Sutton, A daughter of slain Black civil rights activist Malcolm X, Malikah Shabazz, died Monday, the New York Police Department told CNN. Shabazz, 56, was found unconscious by her daughter at her home in Brooklyn, according to the NYPD. Police said the death appears to be due to natural causes at this time. Bernice King, a daughter of the late Martin Luther King Jr., offered her condolences. “I’m deeply saddened by the death of #MalikahShabazz. My heart goes out to her family, the descendants of Dr. Betty Shabazz and Malcolm X. Dr. Shabazz was pregnant with Malikah and her

Prosecutors to deliver final rebuttal in the trial of Ahmaud Arbery’s killing before jury deliberates

By Alta Spells, Devon M. Sayers and Travis Caldwell, Prosecutors will begin court proceedings Tuesday in the trial over the killing of Ahmaud Arbery with a rebuttal to closing arguments made by the defense, which some legal experts felt were racially insensitive and led to Arbery’s mother excusing herself from the courtroom. Lead prosecutor Linda Dunikoski will commence with remarks Tuesday morning and is expected to drive the theme that the case against the defendants is about “assumptions and driveway decisions.” All three defendants made decisions to attack Arbery “because he was a Black man running down the street,” Dunikoski said Monday. Travis McMichael,

White House announces 95% of federal workforce in compliance with vaccine mandate

By Arlette Saenz and Kate Sullivan, The White House on Monday announced that 95% of the federal workforce is in compliance with the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate. “Ahead of tonight’s deadline, the federal government has achieved 95% compliance, and 90% of the 3.5 million federal workers are already vaccinated,” White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Jeff Zients said during a press briefing, confirming previous CNN reporting. “We are successfully implementing vaccination requirements for the largest work force in the United States with federal employees in every part of the nation and around the world.” CNN reported earlier Monday that over 90%

GOP Virginia lieutenant governor-elect expresses concern over rural broadband access under infrastructure law

By Chandelis Duster, Winsome Sears, Virginia’s lieutenant governor-elect, expressed the importance of rural broadband access and her concerns over how funds allocated for broadband access in the newly signed infrastructure law would help Virginians, especially in the southwestern part of the state. “Well, it depends on what else comes with it. … Do we know what’s really in it and do we have to pass it before we can know what’s in it?,” Sears told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union” when asked if the infrastructure package is good for Virginians. “Now broadband is very important to me, because our

Black Santas are appearing in US Disney parks this season for the first time

By Natasha Chen, Without an official announcement or fanfare, US Disney parks are including a Black Santa Claus in Christmas celebrations this year for the first time in the company’s 66-year theme park history. At both Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, and Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, a Black Santa has been spotted at certain meet-and-greets and at after-hours Christmas parties. A Disney spokesperson told CNN that Santa Claus is represented in various ways in local and regional communities and around the world — and in that spirit, Santa Claus will reflect the diversity of surrounding

Rittenhouse is latest symbol of a nation divided on guns, crime and protest

By Stephen Collinson, Three days after his acquittal in a polarizing case in Wisconsin, Kyle Rittenhouse is now a teenaged avatar for a nation divided over the nature of justice, the societal role of guns and violence in political discourse. The sight of Rittenhouse, 18, walking free on Friday after shooting dead two men and wounding another last year in unrest sparked by the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, also opened a fresh debate over state laws on self-defense and the concept of vigilantism. The case’s political reverberations are already rocking a tense political environment ahead of 2022 elections and even the 2024 presidential

For Black residents of Ahmaud Arbery’s hometown, trust in the justice system is on trial right alongside his accused killers

By Dakin Andone, Carrying signs that read “Justice for Ahmaud,” the demonstrators marched past majestic live oaks draped with Spanish moss. They chanted Ahmaud Arbery’s name as they wound through the streets, past a hardware store, several homes, a convenience store. They rounded the corner by the floral shop, calling for those watching from the sidewalk to join them. They soon stopped on a lawn of the Brunswick African American Cultural Center, 10 miles from the residential block where Arbery was shot to death. It was the fifth day of testimony in the trial of the White men accused of killing the Black jogger,

CDC recommends Covid-19 boosters for all adults

By Jamie Gumbrecht, Jacqueline Howard, Maggie Fox and John Bonifield, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky endorsed the use of Covid-19 vaccine boosters Friday for all adults. Walensky made her recommendation just hours after CDC vaccine advisers voted unanimously to recommend booster doses of Pfizer/BioNTech’s and Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccines for all US adults six months after they finish their first two doses. The recommendations simplify previous, complicated guidance for boosters. Earlier Friday, the US Food and Drug Administration authorized boosters of the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines for everyone 18 and older. “CDC continues to encourage the 47 million

FBI gauges threats against educators and school board members

By Christina Carrega and Evan Perez, The FBI is working to assess the number of threats made against school board members and teachers, using a tracking tool that it says will help implement a directive from Attorney General Merrick Garland that has come under criticism from Republicans. An internal memo to the FBI’s counterterrorism and criminal investigators says the bureau is using a “threat tag” system that will help gauge how much of a problem the threats pose around the country. The FBI memo, released by Republican critics, was a follow up to Garland’s October memo that directed federal officials to team up

Biden touts electric vehicle provisions of infrastructure law as way to compete with China

By Arlette Saenz and Maegan Vazquez, President Joe Biden traveled to Detroit on Wednesday to tout the electric vehicle provisions of the recently signed bipartisan infrastructure law, making the case that his plan is a way to compete with China’s stronghold in the electric vehicle market and boost domestic supply chains. “For most of the 21st century we led the world by a significant margin because we invested in our people. We invested in ourselves. But something went wrong along the way. China and the rest of the world are catching up. Well, we’re about to turn that around in a

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