School board members in New York wanted to embrace diversity, but hecklers had other plans
By Evan Simko-Bednarski Board members in a New York school district attempted to discuss a diverse curriculum and critical thinking — but it erupted into a debate about critical race theory. At a school board meeting in Commack, Long Island, this week, members of the public heckled board members and students alike in a contentious back and forth regarding school curriculum. After a presentation on the district’s curriculum, Board Trustee Susan Hermer tried to preempt disagreement before public comment on Tuesday night’s curriculum presentation. “I know there’s a lot of talk about critical thinking, and then we have people, once
‘Her instinct is to dig in’: Kamala Harris’ struggles to answer border question seen as part of a pattern
By Jeremy Diamond and Jasmine Wright Several allies and former aides to Vice President Kamala Harris had “flashbacks” last week as they watched her fumble a politically sensitive question during her first foreign trip, seeing the misstep as part of a broader pattern of messaging challenges that have dogged her since her presidential campaign. This time, though, the interview came after Harris participated in a wide-ranging media training session to improve her delivery and presentation in interviews and speeches, the latest of several sessions over the last year, according to multiple sources. A senior Harris aide declined to detail the
Virginia governor signs probation overhaul bill with support of rapper and activist Meek Mill
By Hannah Sarisohn and Devan Cole Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam signed a probation overhaul bill into law on Thursday, approving the state’s latest progressive criminal justice proposal alongside rapper and activist Meek Mill, who backed the legislation. Northam, a Democrat, was joined by Mill in Richmond as he signed into law HB 2038, which limits the amount of active incarceration a court can impose as a result of a revocation hearing for a probation violation, according to the bill. Mill has been advocating criminal justice revisions since he was sentenced to prison for violating parole on a previous conviction. The
Here’s what we know about the bipartisan infrastructure deal
By Ryan Nobles A bipartisan group of 10 senators announced Thursday they have reached a deal on a $1.2 trillion infrastructure package, the most significant development yet in negotiations over a key priority of the Biden administration, but it still faces serious obstacles from skeptics in both parties. “Our group — comprised of 10 Senators, 5 from each party — has worked in good faith and reached a bipartisan agreement on a realistic, compromise framework to modernize our nation’s infrastructure and energy technologies. This investment would be fully paid for and not include tax increases,” the senators said in a
Omar seeks to clarify comments after Jewish House Democrats accuse her of comparing US and Israel with Hamas and Taliban
By Veronica Stracqualursi, Matthew Hoye and Kristin Wilson Rep. Ilhan Omar said Thursday that she was “in no way equating terrorist organizations with democratic countries” after a group of Jewish House Democrats accused her of equating the US and Israel with the Taliban and Hamas, the Palestinian militant group designated as a terrorist organization by the US. “On Monday, I asked Secretary of State Antony Blinken about ongoing International Criminal Court investigations,” Omar said in a statement. “To be clear: the conversation was about accountability for specific incidents regarding those ICC cases, not a moral comparison between Hamas and the
Biden joins the world leaders club at G7 with call for wartime effort against Covid-19
By Kevin Liptak The leaders of the world’s advanced economies will gather Friday on the Cornish coast for the first time since the global coronavirus pandemic began, welcoming President Joe Biden as a new member who arrived here intent on restoring traditional American alliances. With a pandemic raging in much of the world, a global economy still in shock and threats rising from Russia and China, the Group of 7 summit that formally begins on Friday is shaping up to potentially be one of the most consequential in recent memory. Biden has ramped up those stakes, framing the moment as
House committee approves $547 billion surface transportation package
By Manu Raju and Veronica Stracqualursi The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved a $547 billion surface transportation package aimed at pouring money into the country’s roads, bridges and transit systems over the next five years. The bill is one piece of President Joe Biden’s larger infrastructure package and marks the beginning of Democrats’ efforts to go it alone on infrastructure, while a bipartisan agreement tries to be reached in the Senate over the larger proposal. The House proposal includes many of the same provisions that Biden proposed in his own initial $2.25 trillion infrastructure plan, known as the American
Ex-officer, Trump impeachment manager and now Senate candidate: Who is Rep. Val Demings
By Veronica Stracqualursi Rep. Val Demings’ Senate run provides Democrats with a prominent, nationally recognized candidate to challenge Republican incumbent Sen. Marco Rubio, a formidable opponent, in next year’s general election. The Florida Democrat sought to highlight her resume, which includes serving as a chief prosecutor of President Donald Trump’s actions in office during his first impeachment trial and experience running a large city’s police force. With a pitch of expanding her “unlikely story of opportunity” to other Floridians, Demings in her campaign video spoke of her humble beginnings, to her rise to the top of the Orlando Police Department
NYC mayoral candidate Eric Adams insists he lives in city amid residency controversy
By Gregory Krieg Does one of the front-runners to be the next mayor of New York City live in New York City — and if so, where exactly? Those were the questions Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams addressed on Wednesday as he spoke to reporters in front of the three-unit building he called “my primary residence.” Adams then allowed the press inside, where he offered tours of his basement apartment on Lafayette Avenue in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood. “This is my block, my neighbors,” Adams said. “I’m proud to be a resident of Bed-Stuy.” The news conference had been called hours
Harris invites all female senators for dinner at Naval Observatory amid infrastructure negotiations
By Jasmine Wright Vice President Kamala Harris has invited every female senator to the Naval Observatory for dinner next Tuesday, according to a Harris aide and Senate aide, in a show of bipartisanship among a deeply divided Congress. If everyone invited attends, the guest list would consist of 24 female senators — 16 Democrats and eight Republicans. It would be the first known time the former California senator hosts lawmakers in the Naval Observatory since moving in April, a process that was delayed due to renovations. The dinner marks a resurgence of what was once regular dinner parties among the