National News - Page 94

‘Horrific’ graffiti on Martin Luther King Jr. statue in Southern California is being investigated as a hate crime, police say

By Brisa Colon A statue of Martin Luther King Jr. in Southern California was vandalized with a swastika and other “horrific” graffiti that police are investigating as a hate crime, officials said. Officers from the Long Beach Police Department were called to King Park on Friday around 3:20 p.m. following reports the statue was vandalized with “hate/bias-motivated graffiti,” police said. Officers discovered the graffiti covering the front of the statue, Long Beach police spokesman Richard Mejia said in a statement. Police did not share a photo of the graffiti but an image posted on Twitter showed a black swastika spray-painted

At least 150 people fatally shot in more than 400 shootings over the Fourth of July weekend

By Emma Tucker, Omar Jimenez and Kristina Sgueglia At least 150 people were killed by gun violence in more than 400 shootings across the country during the Fourth of July weekend as major cities nationwide confront a surge in violent crime, according to data compiled by the Gun Violence Archive. The data, which includes the number of shooting incidents and gun violence victims nationally over a 72-hour period from Friday through Sunday, is still evolving and will be updated. In New York, where gun violence has been rising to levels not seen in years, there were 26 victims from 21 shootings

Freddie Gray case fallout has put Baltimore ‘ahead of the game’ with police reform. There’s much work still to be done

By Emma Tucker Nearly five years ago, the prosecution of six Baltimore police officers in the case of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old Black man whose death in police custody sparked historic unrest in the city, ended with no convictions. After three officers in the case were each tried and acquitted, Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby went to West Baltimore — where Gray was raised and arrested — to announce that she would be dropping charges against the remaining officers. Mosby said she “must consider the dismal likelihood” of conviction, describing the decision as “agonizing.” Despite the failed prosecution, the criminal case

The US economy added 850,000 jobs in June

By Anneken Tappe The US economy added 850,000 jobs in June, when adjusted for seasonal changes. It was far more than economists had expected and a signal that American job growth is accelerating. It was the biggest monthly jobs gain since August 2020, when the economy added 1.6 million jobs. The hospitality and leisure sector grew the strongest, having the most ground to cover after the pandemic devastated the travel and service industries. That sector added 343,000 jobs. More than half of them were at restaurants and bars. The number of education jobs also surged in June. Local government hiring jumped

Biden unveils unprecedented government-wide strategy to encourage US citizenship

By Priscilla Alvarez The Biden administration is introducing an unprecedented effort to encourage eligible immigrants to apply for US citizenship, according to a US Citizenship and Immigration Services official. The effort stems from one of President Joe Biden’s early executive orders that called on federal agencies to develop “welcoming strategies that promote integration, inclusion, and citizenship.” Citizenship and Immigration Services — an agency within the Department of Homeland Security — will release its strategy, a copy of which was shared with CNN, on Friday. “The idea is to find a whole-of-government way to reach out to people who are able to naturalize,”

Biden touts US coronavirus progress at July 4 White House event: ‘America is coming back together’

By Kate Sullivan, Kate Bennett and Paul LeBlanc President Joe Biden touted the nation’s progress against the coronavirus pandemic Sunday evening as he and first lady Jill Biden hosted their biggest party yet at the White House marking the July Fourth holiday. “Today, all across this nation we can say with confidence America is coming back together,” the President said in remarks outside the White House. “245 years ago, we declared our independence from a distant king. Today, we are closer than ever to declaring our independence from a deadly virus.” The US, Biden said, is seeing “the results of

States are so flush with funds, many are cutting taxes

By Tami Luhby While states feared the coronavirus pandemic would wreak havoc on their budgets and force them to slash services, it turns out that many are doing far better than they predicted. So instead of cutting spending in the wake of the pandemic, many states are cutting taxes. Nine states have passed legislation to reduce individual or corporate income tax rates that is awaiting governors’ signatures or has been enacted, according to Katherine Loughead, senior policy analyst at the right-leaning Tax Foundation. In some, the reductions are retroactive to January 1, but in others, the cuts don’t take effect until next

White House says more than half of its staffers are women

By Kate Sullivan and Phil Mattingly Women make up approximately 60% of the staff at the White House and 56% of senior staff, the White House said Thursday ahead of releasing its annual report to Congress on personnel. The White House touted the diversity of its administration and said the staff makeup shows President Joe Biden has kept his promise of building an administration that looks like America. Approximately 36% of White House senior staff and about 44% of Biden appointees at the White House are part of racially and/or ethnically diverse communities, the White House said. The White House’s annual report

26th amendment, granting 18-year-olds the right to vote, marks its 50th anniversary

By Rachel Janfaza Nicolette Carrion did a little dance when she cast her first ballot ever in last year’s election. “Now that I’m 18, I’m able to invest in my future in being able to vote, in a way I wasn’t able to before,” she said. Carrion’s right to vote at age 18 comes because of the 26th amendment, which marks its 50th anniversary on Thursday. “The 26th amendment is part of our country’s journey to expand and actually make our democracy more inclusive,” said Mike Burns, national director of the Campus Vote Project, an organization that works to remove

Takeaways from the Trump Organization and Allen Weisselberg indictment

By Erica Orden On Thursday, New York prosecutors charged the Trump Organization and its chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, with running a 15-year alleged tax scheme designed “to compensate Weisselberg and other Trump Organization executives in a manner that was ‘off the books.” It is the first criminal case against former President Donald Trump’s company, one he has derided as a political prosecution. Here’s what you need to know from the indictment:   The charges   The crux of the alleged scheme is that the company gave fringe benefits, or perks, to executives including Weisselberg as part of their income, but didn’t

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