National News - Page 81

4 ways to support Black mental health amid images of racial violence

By Ashley Vaughan, For many African Americans, the trial of Ahmaud Arbery’s accused killers churns up a chronic trauma: replayed footage of Black men killed by law enforcement (or those claiming to act on law enforcement’s behalf). While evidence and testimony from recent trials is distressing for most people, it is overwhelming for African Americans — and especially excruciating for Black men who see their very humanity reflected in each case. “Sometimes you are visualizing you,” said Paul Bashea Williams, lead clinician and owner of Hearts in Mind Counseling in Maryland’s Prince George and Montgomery counties. Ninety percent of his clients identify

Massachusetts high school students hold walkout to protest racist video by a White classmate

By Sahar Akbarzai, CNN Students at a Massachusetts high school held a walkout on Friday morning to protest a racist video made by a White student and to demand a change to the “culture of racism” in the school district, a top school official said. “We heard them today,” said Kevin W. Mulvey, who serves as the superintendent of Quincy Public Schools. Speaking to CNN, he described the walkout as a protest against “racism, hate speech, and injustice.” He acknowledged that beyond the recent video, students have made complaints in the past about racism within the school district, saying the

A WWII veteran’s Purple Heart was returned to his sons 35 years after his death

By David Williams, Jerry and Mal Deener had always wondered what their dad Harry did in the Army during World War II. The New Jersey brothers, now in their 70s, knew he drove a Jeep in Europe and was badly wounded in combat, but that’s about it. “We knew very little because he wouldn’t talk about it,” Jerry Deener told CNN. “He has a very big scar on his right side where he was hit.” Cpl. Harry Deener was awarded a Purple Heart but his sons didn’t know what happened to it after he died in 1986. On Wednesday, the Purple Heart

White House goes into damage control mode after reports of dysfunction in Kamala Harris’ office

By Jasmine Wright, Jeremy Diamond and Arlette Saenz, The White House dove into damage control this week after reports of dysfunction and infighting in Vice President Kamala Harris’ office, with the administration trying to stop a drama-filled narrative from taking hold, according to five people who spoke to CNN about the dynamics within Harris’ office. Two people close to Harris’ team said some individuals inside the vice president’s office are frustrated with what they see as a dysfunctional operation that has been at times waylaid by internal conflict. Some of that ire is directed squarely at Harris’ chief of staff, Tina Flournoy, those people said. Another

Minnesota police investigating video of racist rant encouraging a Black student to take her own life

By Elizabeth Joseph and Artemis Moshtaghian, Police in Savage, Minnesota, are investigating a racist video shared widely on social media where a young girl is seen spewing hateful, racist slurs toward a Black high school student, encouraging her to take her own life. Nya Sigin, a Black student at Prior Lake High School, told CNN that she was “shocked” by the video, which she believes targets her. “I really couldn’t comprehend what I was listening to, it was really just a wave of different emotions. I was angry, I was disgusted, I was sad, I was confused,” the 14-year-old said,

Florida special session begins as DeSantis continues battle against vaccine mandates

By Steve Contorno, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has made fighting vaccine mandates a focal point of his Covid strategy. Turning that into law is now in the hands of Florida lawmakers, who return to the state capitol Monday for a special legislative session specifically targeted at the issue. If successful, Florida would become the first state to pass a law fining businesses and hospitals that comply with President Joe Biden’s push to get the country’s workforce inoculated. Florida is already one of 26 states taking the Biden administration to court over its private employer vaccine mandate. DeSantis has become one of the

Exasperation and dysfunction: Inside Kamala Harris’ frustrating start as vice president

By Edward-Isaac Dovere and Jasmine Wright, Worn out by what they see as entrenched dysfunction and lack of focus, key West Wing aides have largely thrown up their hands at Vice President Kamala Harris and her staff — deciding there simply isn’t time to deal with them right now, especially at a moment when President Joe Biden faces quickly multiplying legislative and political concerns. The exasperation runs both ways. Interviews with nearly three dozen former and current Harris aides, administration officials, Democratic operatives, donors and outside advisers — who spoke extensively to CNN — reveal a complex reality inside the White House. Many in the vice

Rev. Jesse Jackson expected to attend Ahmaud Arbery killing trial as testimony from state investigator continues Monday

By Devon M. Sayers, Alta Spells and Joe Sutton, As the defense cross-examines a Georgia state investigator who interviewed one of the defendants in the trial for the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, noted civil rights leader the Rev. Jesse Jackson plans to attend Monday’s court proceedings in a show of support for the Arbery family. “We will have a prayer vigil in the courthouse tomorrow morning … going to court tomorrow morning,” Jackson said at a news conference Sunday. Jackson’s expected arrival follows comments made by a defense attorney Thursday in court, who said “we don’t want any more Black pastors coming in

New bill would give descendants of Black World War II vets access to GI Bill benefits

By Shawna Mizelle In honor of Veterans Day, congressional Democrats reintroduced legislation Thursday that would provide GI Bill benefits to descendants of Black World War II veterans. The GI Bill Restoration Act was introduced in the House by Majority Whip Jim Clyburn of South Carolina and Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts. Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia is set to introduce the legislation in the Senate, according to a news release on Clyburn’s website. “While the original GI Bill ushered in decades of prosperity for post-war America, access to this prosperity was limited for Black World War II veterans who were

A closer look at the ongoing reparations movement in California and beyond

Analysis by Brandon Tensley, Legislation in Washington may have lost the little momentum that it had, but state and local governments across the US are forging ahead with their plans to design and implement reparations proposals for Black residents. Take, for instance, Evanston, Illinois. As of last Friday, the city had received more than 500 applications for its restorative housing initiative, which will disperse $25,000 for home down payments, mortgage payments or home repairs to chosen applicants, as part of the city’s reparations program. That same week, voters in Detroit OK’d a ballot measure to create a commission to mull over reparations. The

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