Recent Stories

Federal appeals court deals a blow to Voting Rights Act, ruling that private plaintiffs can’t sue
A divided federal appeals court on Monday ruled that private individuals and groups such as the NAACP do not have the ability to sue under a key section of the federal Voting Rights Act, a decision that contradicts decades of precedent and could further erode protections under the landmark 1965 law.

Former first lady Rosalynn Carter dies at 96
Former first lady Rosalynn Carter, the closest adviser to Jimmy Carter during his one term as U.S. president and their four decades thereafter as global humanitarians, has died at the age of 96. The Carter Center said she died Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023, after living with dementia and suffering many months

Giving thanks not just a holiday tradition; it’s part of how humans evolved
It’s the season of giving thanks — and it turns out humans have been doing it for a long, long time.

The Supreme Court says it is adopting a code of ethics, but it has no means of enforcement
The Supreme Court on Monday adopted its first code of ethics, in the face of sustained criticism over undisclosed trips and gifts from wealthy benefactors to some justices, but the code lacks a means of enforcement.

Newly empowered Virginia Democrats nominate the state’s first Black House speaker, Don Scott
Virginia’s state House will soon have its first Black speaker in its more than 400-year history after the chamber’s incoming Democratic majority on Saturday chose Del. Don Scott to serve in the post.

Exonerated ‘Central Park Five’ member Yusef Salaam wins New York City Council seat
Voters elect Democrat Cherelle Parker as Philadelphia’s 100th mayor — and the 1st woman
Exonerated “Central Park Five” member Yusef Salaam won a seat Tuesday on the New York City Council, completing a stunning reversal of fortune decades after he was wrongly imprisoned in an infamous rape case.

Ohio votes to legalize marijuana for adult recreational use, becoming 24th state to do so
Ohio voters approved a measure legalizing recreational marijuana on Tuesday, defying Republican legislative leaders who failed to pass the proposed law.

Wind farm planned off Va. coast blows away federal agency, gains OK
A power company’s plans for an enormous offshore wind farm off Virginia’s coast gained key federal approval Tuesday after the Biden administration evaluated the project’s potential impact on the environment.

Trailblazing actor Richard Roundtree dies
Richard Roundtree, the trailblazing actor who starred as the ultra- smooth private detective in several “Shaft” films beginning in the early 1970s, has died. He was 81.

More students gain eligibility for free school meals under expanded U.S. program
Millions of additional students in schools serving low-income communities will be eligible to receive breakfast and lunch at no cost under a rule change announced Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.