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No Journalists of Color Made the Cut When the White House Blocked Outlets From Press Briefing
“CNN and other news outlets were blocked on Friday from attending an off-camera White House press briefing that other reporters were hand-picked to attend, raising alarm among media organizations and First Amendment watchdogs,” Dylan Byers, Sara Murray and Kevin Liptak reported for CNNMoney. The hand-picking included right-wing news outlets but no journalists of color, Lauren…
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Chicago Pol Introduces ‘Laquan McDonald Camera Act’
Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) introduced a bill in Congress this week that would restrict federal funding to agencies that fail to enforce police body camera and dashcam policies. The bill is named for 17-year-old Laquan McDonald, whose 2014 killing by a Chicago police officer stunned the country and toppled Chicago’s district attorney and top police…
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Retrial of Disgraced Los Angeles Sheriff Alleges Conspiracy to Cover Up Abuse
Ex-Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca is being retried on charges that he conspired to prevent the FBI from investigating abusive deputies in his jails, among other charges. Baca’s first trial late last year ended in a mistrial when jurors voted 11-1 for the ex-sheriff’s acquittal. The Los Angeles Times reports that prosecutors are emphasizing…
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1st Amendment Not for Whites Only
Donald Trump’s demonizing of the news media affects African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans and Native Americans, too, although you might not realize it from some of the conversations about the First Amendment taking place in the media and other public spaces. “The American press is stronger than any demagogue but President Trump’s attacks do present…
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Over 5.5 Million South Sudanese at Risk for Starvation: Report
More than 5 million South Sudanese men, women and children are at risk for starvation, according to reports from the country itself and the United Nations. The South Sudanese government has declared famine in two counties of the country, according to an announcement by the South Sudan government and three U.N. agencies. The catastrophe is…
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Jefferson’s Monticello Makes Room for Sally Hemings
As the country slowly, surely comes to grips with its slaveholding past, one of its most iconic buildings is set to do the same. Monticello, the estate where President Thomas Jefferson lived (immortalized on the back of our nickel), will now give the enslaved young woman and alleged “mistress” of Jefferson “a room of her…
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Trump’s Exorbitant Travel Costs Will Far Surpass Obama’s
President Donald Trump had a lot to say about President Barack Obama’s vacations and his costs to American taxpayers. Yet a new report confirms that Trump’s travel costs—made more exorbitant because of his refusal to stay in the White House on weekends—is on track to far surpass those of Obama. The Washington Post estimates that…
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Where Will Your ‘Not My Presidents Day’ Rally Be Held Today?
The protests against President Donald Trump show no signs of slowing. In fact, even on this day off for most, anti-Trump activists are using the federal holiday to participate in actions that give outlet to their frustration with the executive branch. Regular folks-turned-protest leaders around the country have organized marches in cities such as Los…
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O.J. Simpson Might Be Sprung From Prison This Summer
Will “the Juice” be loose in summer 2017? It’s possible, even probable, according to legal experts who have analyzed his case. Orenthal James “O.J.” Simpson, now 70, has been incarcerated at the medium-security Lovelock Correctional Center in Nevada since 2008 after a conviction stemming from an incident at a Las Vegas hotel room. The Hall…
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Ain’t It Funky? James Brown’s Most Sampled Drummer, Clyde Stubblefield, Dies at 73
Now, anyone who knows the genius of James Brown knows that that man kept “the pocket” thumping. Sadly, one of the drivers of Brown’s most iconic grooves—and one of hip-hop’s most sampled drummers—Clyde Stubblefield, has died. He was 73. Stubblefield died of kidney failure at a Madison, Wis., hospital Saturday, according to the Associated Press.…
