A short history of the long conservative assault on Black voting power
Analysis by Brandon Tensley This past March, John Kavanagh, a Republican member of the Arizona House of Representatives, insisted that his antidemocratic position on voting rights was about election security. “Democrats value as many people as possible voting, and they’re willing to risk fraud,” the lawmaker said, rehashing former President Donald Trump’s baseless tub-thumping about mass voter fraud in the November election. “Republicans are more concerned about fraud, so we don’t mind putting security measures in that won’t let everybody vote — but everybody shouldn’t be voting.” Then Kavanagh went even further, suggesting that not all eligible voters are of
Congress faces make-or-break moment to secure bipartisan deals on key Biden priorities
By Manu Raju, Clare Foran and Lauren Fox President Joe Biden‘s bipartisan push faces a crucial moment on Capitol Hill this month where talks over several big-ticket items could lead to major legislative victories hailed by both parties — or they could collapse and prompt a bitter round of recriminations and open partisan warfare. It’s a big week for talks: On Wednesday, Biden is slated to host his first meeting at the White House with Republican and Democratic leadership from the House and Senate since taking office. The following day, he’ll meet with six GOP senators on infrastructure. Republican and
Maryland NAACP leader blasts Gov. Larry Hogan’s posthumous pardons of lynching victims as ‘political posturing’
By Chandelis Duster The head of Maryland’s NAACP on Sunday lambasted Gov. Larry Hogan’s posthumous pardon of lynching victims as “political posturing,” criticizing the Republican governor for issuing a blanket pardon of dozens of the state’s Black victims even though many were never convicted of any crimes, but merely charged or accused of wrongdoing before they were killed. The scathing criticism comes after Hogan on Saturday issued the blanket pardons for Howard Cooper, a 15-year-old Black child who was hanged from a sycamore tree after he was convicted of raping and assaulting a White woman, and 33 other victims of
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms won’t run for reelection
By Keith Allen and Ryan Young Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced late Thursday night that she will not run for reelection this year. “As (husband) Derek and I have given thoughtful prayer and consideration to the season now before us, it is with deep emotions that I hold my head high, and choose not to seek another term as Mayor,” Bottoms wrote in a letter published online. “While I am not yet certain of what the future holds, I trust that my next season will continue to be one full of passion and purpose, guided by the belief that
Alabama Legislature votes to legalize medical marijuana
By Chandelis Duster Alabama’s State Legislature voted to legalize medical marijuana late Thursday, becoming the most recent state to possibly approve its use amid ongoing talks over revamping cannabis laws. The measure would create a medical cannabis commission to regulate, license and oversee distribution of medical marijuana. Doctors could prescribe medical marijuana for several conditions including cancer, a terminal illness, epilepsy and chronic pain. Patients would receive medical cannabis cards, and vaping or smoking of medical marijuana would be prohibited while products including gummies, oils or creams are allowed. The House version of SB 46 passed 68-34 in the chamber
South Carolina and Montana to end all pandemic unemployment benefits for jobless residents
By Tami Luhby South Carolina is joining Montana in ending federal pandemic unemployment benefits for its residents next month. The Republican governors of both states say the enhanced jobless programs are dissuading people from returning to the workforce and are creating labor shortages. They are the first two states to halt participation in the historic federal expansion of jobless benefits, which Congress enacted last spring as the coronavirus pandemic began upending the national economy and costing millions of Americans their jobs. The move, which may be replicated in other states as the economy springs back to life amid declining coronavirus
Blinken’s battle to make State Department more diverse will face steep resistance, diplomats of color say
By Nicole Gaouette The Black diplomat who was handed a set of keys in the State Department parking garage by a White colleague who seemed to assume he worked there, not in the offices above, and could fetch her car. The young Latina in tears after an older White diplomat counseled her on being “too vibrant.” Her boss, another older White man, told her to ignore the reproach and keep shining. The unofficial list of colleagues to avoid because of their perceived hostility to diversity that diplomats quietly share among themselves. Asian American diplomats who say they face a tougher
White House tells governors they will redistribute unordered vaccine doses
By Kaitlan Collins and Maegan Vazquez President Joe Biden’s coronavirus advisers told governors during a call Tuesday that they plan to redistribute vaccine doses should states not order all the vaccines allocated to them each week, the White House confirmed. States will still get allocations based on their population, but the change means if a certain state does not order all of the doses available to them, the White House will redistribute them and likely give them to a state that has higher demand than their allocation. The Washington Post was first to report on the new plan. White House
House Democrat introduces bill to release COINTELPRO files on surveillance of Black Panthers and Fred Hampton
By Caroline Kelly A Democratic lawmaker on Tuesday introduced a bill that would require the government to release its decades-old records from an FBI-run covert surveillance program that monitored the Black Panthers, as well as civil rights and anti-war activists, among others. In addition to requiring the release of files from COINTELPRO, or the Counter-Intelligence Program, within six months of enactment, the bill would remove the name of J. Edgar Hoover — who oversaw the FBI during the program — from the FBI headquarters in Washington. “I want to shine a bright light on this dark chapter of our nation’s
CIA briefing to lawmakers on suspected energy attacks turned contentious
By Kylie Atwood and Jeremy Herb A briefing on suspected energy attacks on US intelligence officers turned contentious last week, two sources told CNN, as senators demanded more information about the mysterious incidents from the CIA and accountability for how the agency has handled them. Senators on the Intelligence Committee were baffled that they were just learning about significant developments for the first-time and they were also frustrated that they were not given more details. The classified briefing was one of the most contentious in the committee’s recent memory, according to the two sources familiar with the briefing. The briefers