-
Introducing Sen. Cory Booker
(The Root) — Cory Booker is officially a U.S. senator. Vice President Joe Biden swore in the former Newark, N.J., mayor, known for his boots-to-the-ground approach to governing, at noon today in the Old Senate Chamber of the U.S. Capitol. While the event was technically open to the public, viewers were not allowed in to…
-
Vitamin D Deficiency Linked to Preterm Births in Black Women
Black women are more likely to deliver premature babies when a vitamin D deficiency is found during pregnancy, a new study, led by the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, has found. According to the research, which included Puerto Rican women, premature birth in nonwhite mothers naturally going into labor before the pregnancy…
-
Forbes: Putin More Powerful Than Obama
Forbes magazine’s “World’s Most Powerful” title was handed to Russian President Vladimir Putin for 2013, moving him one step ahead of President Barack Obama, who previously held the title. According to Forbes, Putin has kept steady control over Russia, while Obama’s “lame duck” period, which the magazine says “has seemingly set in earlier than usual for…
-
Obama Administration to Senate: Vote on Mel Watt
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan and National Economic Council Director Gene Sperling urged the Senate to confirm Rep. Mel Watt (D-N.C.) as director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. “Confirming Mel Watt is a top economic priority for this White House,” Sperling said Wednesday on an on-the-record press call. “Having Mel Watt confirmed…
-
Kerry Washington Pregnant With 1st Child
Beloved Scandal actress Kerry Washington is pregnant with her first child, according to an exclusive issue of Us Weekly. “She’s about four months along,” Washington’s friend told Us, but she has apparently been concealing her baby bump with roomy dresses. The Emmy-nominated actress, who is notoriously discreet about her private life, married San Francisco 49ers cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha…
-
Jesse Jackson Jr. Begins Comfy Prison Stay
Former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) checked into one of the least harsh federal prisons Monday to begin his two-and-a-half-year sentence for campaign theft, according to NBC News. Jackson will be staying at the Butner Federal Correctional Complex near Raleigh, N.C., serving time after stealing $750,000 in campaign funds to pay for expensive items such…
-
W. Kamau Bell Is Now an ACLU Ambassador
Comedians W. Kamau Bell and Lewis Black were named ambassadors for the American Civil Liberties Union on Tuesday, according to a press release. They’re representing the ACLU Ambassador Project, which was also launched on Tuesday. The release describes the project as a “new initiative that joins personalities from the worlds of film, television, music and comedy…
-
Trayvon's Mom Aims to Fix 'Stand Your Ground'
Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin, the unarmed black Florida teenager killed in 2012 by George Zimmerman, is taking her fight in her son’s memory to a Senate panel on Tuesday, demanding that states clarify their “Stand your ground” laws in self-defense cases, according to the Associated Press. The laws are known for excusing…
-
Kanye Sells Confederate Flag Merchandise
Hip-hop star Kanye West has opened a pop-up shop next door to his fiancee Kim Kardashian’s boutique, Dash, in Los Angeles. The “Yeesus tour” store sells T-shirts and bags featuring the Confederate flag, according to the Daily Mail. One shirt depicts a skeletal grim reaper wrapped in the Confederate flag and carrying a scythe. Another…
