Biden administration stands down on policing commission, focuses on legislative route instead
By Betsy Klein The Biden administration is standing down on a campaign promise to create a White House-led commission and instead moving forward with its efforts toward passing police reform through legislative channels. “The Biden-Harris Administration strongly supports the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act and is working with Congress to swiftly enact meaningful police reform that brings profound, urgently needed change,” Domestic Policy Council director Susan Rice said in a statement. Rice continued, “Based on close, respectful consultation with partners in the civil rights community, the administration made the considered judgment that a police commission, at this time, would
Tishaura Jones becomes first Black female mayor of St. Louis
In a contest between two St. Louis Democrats, City Treasurer Tishaura Jones defeated Alderwoman Cara Spencer to become the city’s first Black female mayor. A Hampton University graduate, Mayor Jones faces multiple challenges. “Making history as the first Black woman mayor is not lost on me,” Jones said. “I’m also looking at how little girls will look at this going forward and see that they have a mayor that looks like them.” Like everywhere, St. Louis is enduring tense times. With COVID-19 variants a troublesome X factor, public health is an immediate priority. Yet this doesn’t put rising violent crime-
‘We cannot go back to normal’: Boston’s Mayor Kim Janey sees a mandate for racial equity in post-Covid era
By Abby Phillip and Jeff Simon For 200 years, Boston has been led by an unbroken string of White men — until now. Kim Janey, a Black woman who traces her roots in the city back generations, and even further to ancestors who fled slavery in the South, is now the city’s mayor. Janey’s ascension to the role leading one of America’s oldest cities seems the result of a series of fortuitous events. She was first elected to her city council seat in 2017 but went on to become City Council president. She is now acting Boston mayor because President
Top Black Democrats condemn GOP election bills as grave threat to voting in America
By Chandelis Duster The highest-ranking Black lawmaker in Congress and a top Black state leader took aim Sunday at nation-wide Republican efforts to restrict voting access as a move that will suppress minority voting and imperil democracy in America. House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn blasted bills aimed at restricting ballot access in all but three states as “a new Jim Crow,” while Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist said Republican lawmakers are working in a “coordinated national strategy” to curb easy access to the ballot box. “What Republicans in Michigan are doing to try to limit access to the freedom to
Congress faces jam-packed agenda as Democrats confront divisions over legislative policy and strategy
By Ted Barrett, Daniella Diaz and Manu Raju Congress will return to Washington this week with a host of problems to address — but no clear legislative paths to resolve any of them. On immigration, the two parties are at sharp odds over what to do about the growing crisis at the Southern border. On mass shootings, there are discussions about a possible bipartisan approach to expand background checks and other gun legislation, but whether a deal can be reached that can pass Congress remains doubtful. Advancing a centerpiece of President Joe Biden’s agenda — the $2 trillion-plus infrastructure and
Tishaura Jones elected St. Louis’ first Black female mayor
By Veronica Stracqualursi Tishaura Jones on Tuesday was elected mayor of St. Louis and will become the city’s first Black woman to hold that office after running on a progressive platform and a promise to reform and revitalize the city. Jones, the city’s treasurer, beat Alderwoman Cara Spencer by 2,280 votes, according to the final unofficial election results posted online by the city’s election board. Jones will be sworn into office on April 20. In her victory speech Tuesday, Jones reflected on her historic win. “This campaign can unequivocally say that we’ve begun breaking down the historic racial barriers and
Biden announces limited gun restrictions as pressure rises following mass shootings
By Kevin Liptak Facing pressure to act after a recent spate of high-profile mass shootings, President Joe Biden unveiled a package of moves Thursday that seek to address a scourge of gun violence he deemed a “blemish on the nation.” “Gun violence in this country is an epidemic,” Biden said in the Rose Garden to an audience of lawmakers and Americans touched by gun violence. “And it’s an international embarrassment.” The executive actions — which Biden repeatedly argued did nothing to impinge on the Second Amendment right to bear arms — include efforts to restrict weapons known as “ghost guns”
BIPOC Climate Justice virtual event features Gina McCarthy, Mustafa Ali
The virtual event began with an introduction by U.S. Special Envoy for Climate John Kerry, after which environmental justice leader Mustafa Santiago Ali discussed the Biden-Harris Administration’s approach to climate justice with White House Advisor Gina McCarthy. The virtual event took place on April 8th. Representative Alma Adams, and Sen. Ed Markey also spoke on national climate goals and the historic Justice40 initiative Ali is the vice president of environmental justice, climate and community revitalization for the National Wildlife Federation. He is the founder of Revitalization Strategies and was formerly an official at the Environmental Protection Agency. A leading environmental
Biden to take first limited steps on gun control, including on ‘ghost guns’ and pistol braces
By Kevin Liptak President Joe Biden will take his first, limited actions on gun control Thursday, directing his administration to tighten restrictions on so-called ghost guns and pistol stabilizing braces that allow the weapons to be used more accurately, according to a senior administration official. The steps — which also include nominating a gun control advocate to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives — fulfill a commitment Biden made in the aftermath of two deadly shootings last month to take “common sense” steps right away to address gun violence. But they fall short of the sweeping actions
Only time will tell just how ‘big and bold’ Biden’s infrastructure plan is for Black Americans
Analysis by Brandon Tensley President Joe Biden’s newly unveiled $2 trillion American Jobs Plan, which is designed to revive the US’s infrastructure and tackle the climate crisis over the next eight years, offers some Black Americans hope — balanced with caution. To understand why the plan elicits hope, consider that it does something at once small and very big: It pays explicit attention to the variety of racial disparities bound up with the country’s infrastructure. For instance, Biden would spend $20 billion on “a new program that will reconnect neighborhoods cut off by historic investments and ensure new projects increase