Tyre Nichols: Tim Scott blames Dems for failed police reform meant to ensure ‘only the best wearing the badge'
Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., on Monday called out Democrats like Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., for opposing the Justice Act and other federal level police reform over the past eight years.
foxnews.comNorton, Booker Announce Hearing on D.C. Slave Memorial
Eleanor Holmes Norton and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), announced Tuesday that the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources will hold a hearing this week on their Enslaved Voyages Memorial Act. The bill, which passed the House in September, authorizes a memorial on federal land in the city to honor enslaved people. The memorial, if the bill becomes law, will be established by the George-town African American Historic Landmark Project and Tour. “Thank you to Senator Booker for introducing the companion bill in the Senate and to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources for holding this important hearing. I applaud the House for passing my Enslaved Voyages Memorial Act and commend the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources for taking up this important legislation in their next hearing.”
thewestsidegazette.comElizabeth Holmes asks for leniency for her Theranos crimes
Disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes is casting herself as a Silicon Valley scapegoat who overcame an abusive relationship to become a loving mother in an effort to avoid a lengthy prison sentence for duping investors in her failed blood-testing company.
Health, Gun Violence, and A Black Women’s Roundtable Help Kick off CBCF Conference
With the theme, “Advancing Our Purpose, Elevating Our Power,” the conference continues through Sunday. Further, approximately 828,000 Black patients have diabetic retinopathy, which may exceed 1 million by 2030. The panel urged that early detection, timely treatment, and appropriate follow-up care can reduce a person’s risk for severe vision loss from diabetic eye disease by 95%. The first day of the conference also saw Angela Rye and Cora Masters Barry help to lead the 14th Annual Black Women’s Roundtable Policy Forum: Leveraging the Power of Black Women’s Leadership In The Fight For Our Rights, Freedoms, Safety, Justice & Democracy. With the theme, “Advancing Our Purpose, Elevating Our Power,” the conference continues through Sunday.
thewestsidegazette.comBiden mistakenly asks if deceased congresswoman is in audience
President Biden mistakenly asked if a deceased congresswoman was in the audience for a hunger conference that she was instrumental in establishing. The White House, in explaining the slip, said the late Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.) was "top of mind" for her role in combating hunger.
washingtonpost.comJackson confirmed as first Black female high court justice
The Senate has confirmed Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, shattering a historic barrier by securing her place as the first Black female justice and giving President Joe Biden a bipartisan endorsement for his effort to diversify the court.
Booker brings Jackson to tears with impassioned speech: 'You are my star'
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., brought Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson to tears Wednesday with an impassioned speech hearkening on the plight of Black Americans and the efforts of their forebears that led Booker and Jackson to be sitting together in the same Senate hearing room.
news.yahoo.comJackson heading for likely confirmation despite GOP darts
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson faced down a barrage of Republican questioning about her sentencing of criminal defendants on Wednesday, as her history-making bid to join the Supreme Court veered from lofty constitutional questions to attacks on her motivations as a judge.
Senate unanimously passes anti-lynching bill after century of failure
By Felicia SonmezThe Senate on Monday unanimously passed legislation that would make lynching a federal hate crime, in a historic first that comes after more than a century of failed efforts to pass such a measure. The Emmett Till Antilynching Act, which was introduced by Rep. Bobby L. Rush (D-Ill.) in the House and Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.) in the Senate, now goes to President Biden for his signature. The House last month approved the bill on a bipartisan 410-to-3 vote after an often-emotional debate. By Felicia Sonmez Felicia Sonmez is a national political reporter covering breaking news from the White House, Congress and the campaign trail.
thewestsidegazette.comDemocratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley Announces She’s Tested Positive for COVID
Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass. The congresswoman said she’s experiencing mild symptoms. “After experiencing Covid-like symptoms, this morning I received a positive, breakthrough Covid-19 test result,” Congresswoman Pressley said in a statement. “Thankfully, my symptoms are mild, and I am grateful to be fully vaccinated and boosted. “Get vaccinated,” Congresswoman Pressley said.
thewestsidegazette.comFormer GOP Rep. Doug Ose enters California recall election
FILE - In this Oct. 8, 2014, file photo Republican Doug Ose speaks during a debate in Sacramento, Calif. Ose says he's entering the recall election aimed at ousting Democratic Gov. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)LOS ANGELES – Former Republican congressman Doug Ose announced Tuesday he’s entering the recall election aimed at ousting California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a day after the Democratic governor began raising money to defend his seat in a likely election this year. There were 135 on the ballot in the state's 2003 recall election that removed former Democratic Gov. So far, no prominent Democrat has entered the recall election.
California governor launches campaign against likely recall
Newsom and his Democratic allies launched a political committee Monday, March 15 to stop a proposed recall election that could oust him from office. Orrin Heatlie, a retired county sheriff's sergeant who filed the recall petition, said Newsom is engaging in a “smear campaign" about the recall organizers because he can't defend his record. Defeating the recall “will be one of the most important priorities for Democrats this year,” Booker said in a statement. Newsom for months sidestepped questions about the recall but has more recently started to ramp up his political operation and strategy. AdResponding to Newsom’s campaign, the California Republican Party pointed to a slew of issues beyond the coronavirus.
Epstein warden now running new prison despite ongoing probe
FILE - This March 28, 2017, file photo, provided by the New York State Sex Offender Registry, shows Jeffrey Epstein. The Epstein Victims Compensation Program said Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021, it has temporarily run out of funds. AdThe Justice Department’s inspector general has not completed an investigation into lapses that allowed Epstein to end his life. AdHis suicide cast a spotlight on the federal prison agency, which has been plagued for years by a staffing shortage and violence, and on safety lapses inside one of the most secure jails in America. N’Diaye is being placed at a prison where more than 61% of the inmates have tested positive for the virus.
Gov. Newsom challenged to address Senate's lack of diversity
Gavin Newsom speaks at a COVID-19 testing facility in Valencia, Calif. As California Gov. Gavin Newsom's shoulders as he considers his pick to serve out the rest of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris' Senate term through 2022. The South saw its highest number of Black Senate candidates ever this year, but none won races outright. Labor icon Dolores Huerta and California Latinas for Reproductive Justice want Newsom to appoint a Black woman. De Leon won the endorsement of the California Democratic Party and prominent labor unions, in part because of his support for immigrant rights and aggressive policies to curb climate change.
Mahomes piles up big numbers at Arrowhead - on Election Day
Patrick Mahomes piled up some very big numbers at Arrowhead Stadium last week. Five days before throwing for four touchdowns and nearly 400 yards in the Kansas City Chiefs’ 33-31 victory over the Carolina Panthers, Mahomes helped turn his home stadium into a giant polling place on Election Day. Chiefs president Mark Donovan and head coach Andy Reid were among the first to vote at Arrowhead on Tuesday. “Don’t be mad at paying customers when the product stinks and they are upset about what they’re watching. Not just one half.”___Follow Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton___More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
How to build a government: Transition challenges await Biden
“The Biden team is the most experienced, most prepared, most focused transition team ever, commensurate with the challenges that Biden will face” Jan. 20, said David Marchick, director of the Center for Presidential Transition at the nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service. Ted Kaufman, who briefly was appointed senator after Biden became vice president in 2008, is directing the transition. Also heavily involved in transition are the top architects of Biden’s presidential campaign, including senior advisor Anita Dunn. That could open the door for some former Republican officeholders who endorsed Biden’s campaign to be tapped for key slots. Before Biden can get that far, though, there are bigger questions about the overall tone of the transition.
Be prepared: Biden transition team at work amid limbo
– Joe Biden's transition team isn't waiting for a verdict in the presidential race before getting to work. He also worked on Barack Obama’s transition team in 2008, and helped write legislation formalizing the presidential transition process. Clay Johnson, who headed Bush's transition team, said Biden’s advisers “can’t wait to be sure that the president-elect really is the president-elect. “And they should have started doing that last Tuesday night.”Biden's campaign has refused to comment on the transition process. The transition process formally starts once the General Service Administration determines the winner based on all available facts.
In South, most Black Senate candidates since Reconstruction
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jaime Harrison speaks at a campaign rally on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020, in North Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)COLUMBIA, S.C. – In the battle for control of the U.S. Senate this year, the Deep South is fielding more Black candidates than it has since Reconstruction. Mike Espy and Adrian Perkins, meanwhile, are launching spirited bids for the Senate in Mississippi and Louisiana, respectively. The Senate currently has three Black members: Republican Tim Scott of South Carolina and Democrats Cory Booker of New Jersey and Kamala Harris of California. “The more competitive races are, and Black candidates win those competitive races, it diminishes this worry that Black candidates can’t win,” Abrams recently told The Associated Press. In Mississippi, Espy is trying for a second time to become the state’s first Black senator since Reconstruction with his challenge to Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith.
Cunningham inches back into public as Army confirms probe
RALEIGH, N.C. – North Carolina U.S. Senate candidate Cal Cunningham inched back into the public sphere on Wednesday, a day after The Associated Press reported the Democratic contender had an intimate encounter this summer with a public relations consultant. “The Army Reserve is investigating the matters involving (Lt. Col.) James Cunningham,” Lt. Col. Simon Flake said in an emailed statement Wednesday morning that cited Cunningham by his official first name. “He owes North Carolinians a full explanation,” Tillis’ campaign account tweeted Wednesday. “The truth still matters in North Carolina, Cal.”Cunningham also made his first quasi-public appearance Wednesday night — speaking briefly at an environmental awards ceremony. The Tillis-Cunningham race is closely contested and the most expensive Senate race in the country in terms of campaign spending.
New Jersey law seeks to stem pollution in minority areas
Phil Murphy signed into law Friday a measure giving state regulators power to deny development permits to businesses whose operations pollute predominantly Black and other minority communities. He signed the bill alongside state lawmakers and U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, who has introduced similar legislation in Washington. They’re defined as census tracts where 35% of the population has low income, or where 40% of households are minority or have limited English proficiency. The law gives regulators the authority to deny permits in such instances for the first time. Current law applies broadly and makes it difficult to deny permits, according to state officials.
Senators seek highest civilian honor for Till and his mother
WASHINGTON – Congress should give the nation’s highest civilian honor posthumously to Emmett Till and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, a Republican and a Democratic senator said Wednesday. She remained a Civil Rights activist in honor of her slain son for the rest of her life. Till-Mobley created the Emmett Till Players, where teenagers traveled throughout the country presenting the speeches of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. She also was one of the founders of the Emmett Till Justice Campaign, which pushed for the re-investigation of Till's murder. President George W. Bush signed the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crimes Act, which allows cold civil rights cases to be reopened, into law in 2008.
The Latest: Democrats slam Pompeo for GOP speech from Israel
WASHINGTON The Latest on the Republican National Convention (all times local):11:15 a.m.Democrats are unloading on Secretary of State Mike Pompeo ahead of his planned address to the Republican National Convention from Jerusalem. An aide to Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden who has worked for the State Department calls Pompeos Tuesday speech flat out disgraceful. Aide Bill Russo says it's an abuse of taxpayer money.Another top Biden deputy, Kate Bedingfield, blasts Pompeo as President Donald Trumps errand boy and says he has a record of repeated and blatant use of his office for overtly political purposes.Secretaries of state regularly travel abroad on behalf of a U.S. administrations agenda, but Pompeos speech to a party convention from foreign soil is an outlier. Russo mocks Pompeos explanation that he will address the GOP convention on personal time. Russo notes that the speech is still part of official travel and that taxpayer money got him there and is paying for his protection and for the the staff on the ground with him. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and says Pompeos move violates his own policy. Booker referred to Pompeos memos and instructions sent recently to his departments employees.