By Jessica A. Botelho Despite rumors and misinformation, President Donald Trump recognized February 2025 as National Black History Month. As White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt promised, Trump signed a proclamation on Friday to honor the annual observance. “Every year, National Black History Month is an
MoreInside Trump’s Hastily Written Proposal to ‘Own’ Gaza
By Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman When President Trump announced his proposal for the United States to take ownership of Gaza on Tuesday, he shocked even senior members of his own White House and government. While his announcement looked formal and thought-out — he read the plan from a sheet of paper — his administration had not done even the most basic planning to examine the feasibility of the idea, according to four people with knowledge of the discussions, who were not authorized to speak publicly. It wasn’t only the Americans who were scrambling; the announcement came as just as
Trump signs Black History Month proclamation despite rumors he planned to ‘cancel’ it
By Jessica A. Botelho Despite rumors and misinformation, President Donald Trump recognized February 2025 as National Black History Month. As White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt promised, Trump signed a proclamation on Friday to honor the annual observance. “Every year, National Black History Month is an occasion to celebrate the contributions of so many black American patriots who have indelibly shaped our Nation’s history,” the president noted in a news release. Throughout our history, black Americans have been among our country’s most consequential leaders, shaping the cultural and political destiny of our Nation in profound ways,” he added. “American heroes such as Frederick Douglass,
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker blocks Jan. 6 rioters from state jobs after Trump pardons
By Natasha Korecki Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is blocking those who took part in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol from working in state jobs, ignoring President Donald Trump’s attempt to offer them a clean slate last week in a sweeping set of pardons and commutations. Late Thursday, Pritzker directed the state’s Department of Central Management Services, the state’s primary hiring authority, to restrict hiring of those who took part in the attack on the Capitol by declaring they had taken part in “infamous and disgraceful conduct that is antithetical to the mission of the State.” “These rioters attacked
Massive protests against Trump’s cruel immigration policies cause ‘major gridlock’ in LA
By Michele Theil The ICE protests began on Olvera Street in downtown LA and grew in size as the day went on, with thousands of demonstrators marching to City Hall. The protestors also walked onto the southbound lanes of the 101 freeway, at the Alameda Street exit, later blocking both sides of the 101. The LAPD tweeted a traffic advisory about the protest, warning commuters that the area was “under major gridlock.” The traffic jams continued on-and-off throughout the day until 4pm, when the LAPD announced that “demonstrators have exited the 101 freeway” and were instead gathering at the steps of City Hall. Although
Trump’s Cabinet nominees face sharpest bipartisan grilling to date and other takeaways from Thursday’s confirmation hearings
By Jeremy Herb, Katie Bo Lillis, Annie Grayer and Lauren Fox, CNN Three of President Donald Trump’s most controversial nominees faced sharp questions in the Senate during hearings Thursday from Democrats as well as several Republican senators in what amounted to the most direct skepticism from GOP senators over Trump’s nominees to date. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s pick to be Health and Human Services secretary, was pressed on his views on vaccines by GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who said he had “reservations” about Kennedy’s past positions on vaccine safety. And Tulsi Gabbard, who has been tapped to be the director of national
Trump Administration Rescinds Federal Funding Freeze After Court Ruling and Backlash
By Stacy M. Brown President Donald Trump’s administration on Wednesday rescinded a Project 2025-inspired order that had abruptly frozen most federal grants and loans, a sweeping directive that threw social service programs like Head Start, student loans, and Medicaid into disarray. The initial order, issued earlier in the week, sparked widespread confusion and disruption, prompting a swift legal challenge. On Tuesday evening, a federal judge temporarily blocked the freeze, and by Wednesday, the White House pulled back the directive altogether. The order’s reversal came after mounting pressure from lawmakers, advocacy groups, and affected organizations. The White House insisted the move
WSSU students to benefit from expanded resources through Allegacy Federal Credit Union partnership
Courtesy Winston-Salem State University Winston-Salem State University students will have access to more food and clothing resources thanks to the generosity of Allegacy Federal Credit Union. Allegacy donated $120,000 to WSSU in 2023 to repurpose a former game room on the campus into the Allegacy Federal Credit Union Student Resource Center and has committed an additional $5,000 annually for the next five years to ensure its sustainability. A grand opening reception of the Student Resource Center will take place at 12 p.m. on Jan. 23 in Room 207 of the Cleon F. Thompson Student Services Center, followed by tours of
Trump administration uses King’s ‘Dream’ speech to introduce executive orders cutting DEI
By Char Adams When an incoming White House official announced Donald Trump’s executive order dismantling federal diversity, equity and inclusion programs, the official invoked a familiar line: “This order is meant to return to the promise and the hope that was captured by civil rights champions, that one day all Americans can be treated on the basis of their character, not by the color of their skin.” The statement echoed a well-known quote from Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech, in which King declared, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live
Biden Posthumously Pardons Marcus Garvey; Howard Law Professors And Students Had A Part In It
By Tomas Kassahun In one of his final moves as President, Joe Biden posthumously pardoned Marcus Garvey, was convicted of mail fraud in the 1920s. Garvey’s supporters have long argued that the conviction effort to silence the social justice champion as he fought for racial equality for Black Americans, the Associated Press reported. Garvey, who was deported to his home country Jamaica after being convicted, died in 1940. In a statement on Sunday, the Howard University School praised Garvey as “the first national hero of Jamaica and leader of the U.S. Back to Africa political movement of the 1920s.” “Garvey founded the United Negro Improvement Association and
Delta Sigma Theta’s Farwest Region Rallies for Wildfire Relief in Los Angeles
The Farwest Region of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. answered the call for community action. On Jan. 11, 2025, the chapter hosted a support event to aid individuals and families devastated by the recent wildfires in Southern California. The gathering took place at Zion Hill Baptist Church from noon to 4 p.m. Alongside Delta Sigma Theta sorority members, local volunteers, Divine Nine fraternities and sororities, and concerned community members came together to help those in need. The event served as a lifeline for wildfire survivors, offering free meals, essential supplies, including clothing and hygiene products, and access to relief funds to