Here’s how Tim Scott, the top Black Republican in the GOP presidential primary, discusses race
Tim Scott seldom specifically brings up race in Iowa. Nor does the Republican presidential candidate have to.
McConnell tries to reassure colleagues about his health, vows to serve out term as Senate GOP leader
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell declared again Wednesday that he plans to finish his term as leader despite freezing up at two news conferences over the summer, brushing off questions about his health as he sought to reassure colleagues he’s still up to the job.
Jacksonville shootings refocus attention on city’s racist past and the struggle to move on
By some measures, Jacksonville was making strides to emerge from its racist past. But the killing of three Black people by a young, white shooter was a painful and startling reminder that the remnants of racism still fester in the Florida city.
University of North Carolina graduate student left building right after killing adviser, police say
A University of North Carolina graduate student walked into a classroom building, shot his faculty adviser and quickly left, authorities said a day after the attack paralyzed the campus as police searched for the gunman.
Judge holds Giuliani liable in Georgia election workers’ defamation case and orders him to pay fees
A federal judge on Wednesday held Rudy Giuliani liable in a defamation lawsuit brought by two Georgia election workers who say they were falsely accused of fraud, entering a default judgment against the former New York mayor and ordering him to pay tens of thousands of dollars in lawyers’ fees.
Noah Lyles, Sha’Carri Richardson and lots of unknowns as track gets ready for Paris Olympics
In some ways, track and field served up a tantalizing preview of what’s to come next year at the Paris Olympics. In others, the sport left the nine-day world championships with as many questions as answers.
10 drugs targeted for Medicare price negotiations as Biden pitches cost reductions
President Biden touted the potential cost savings of Medicare’s first-ever price negotiations for widely used prescription drugs on Tuesday as he struggles to convince Americans that he’s improved their lives as he runs for reelection.
Ron Cephas Jones, ‘This Is Us’ actor who won 2 Emmys, dies at 66
Ron Cephas Jones, a veteran stage actor who won two Emmy Awards for his role as a long-lost father who finds redemption on the NBC television drama series “This Is Us,” has died at age 66, a representative said Saturday.
At March on Washington’s 60th anniversary, leaders seek energy of original movement for civil rights
Sixty years ago, Andrew Young and his staff had just emerged from an exhausting campaign against racial segregation in Birmingham, Ala. But they didn’t feel no ways tired, as the Black spiritual says. The foot soldiers were on a “freedom high,” Mr. Young recalls.
Recovery and reflection
Hawaii works to identify wildfire’s 107 dead
Hawaii Hawaii officials worked painstakingly to identify the 107 people confirmed killed in wildfires that ravaged Maui and expected to release the first names Tuesday, even as teams intensified the search for more dead in neighborhoods reduced to ash.
A 6-year-old said ‘I did it’ after shooting his teacher at Virginia school, warrants say
In the moments after a 6-year-old shot his teacher in a Virginia classroom last January, the boy made statements, including “I shot that (expletive) dead,” and “I did it. I got my mom’s gun last night,” according to recently unsealed police search warrants.
Pregnant woman sues Detroit, police officer after arrest involving facial recognition
A Detroit woman is suing the city and a police officer, saying she was falsely arrested when she was eight months pregnant and accused of a carjacking based on facial recognition technology that is now the target of lawsuits filed by three Black Michigan residents.
Millions struggle to pay AC bills in heat waves
Federal aid reaches only a fraction
Bobbie Boyd is in a losing battle against near triple-digit temperatures in Northwest Arkansas.
Charles Ogletree, longtime legal and civil rights scholar at Harvard Law School, dies at 70
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. Charles J. Ogletree Jr., a law professor and civil rights scholar with a distinguished career at Harvard Law School, and whose list of clients ranged from Anita Hill to Tupac Shakur, died Friday, Aug. 4, 2023, after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He was 70.
Simone Biles dazzles in her return from a 2-year layoff to dominate the U.S. Classic
Simone Biles spent two years trying to distance herself from those strange days in Tokyo and all the outside noise that came along with it.
Jay-Z’s Made in America fest canceled
Fans spot rapper, producer during wife Beyoncé’s performance at Fedex Field
Jay-Z’s annual Made in America festival, scheduled for next month in Philadelphia, has been canceled.
Trump indicted for efforts to overturn 2020 election and block transfer of power
Donald Trump was indicted on felony charges Tuesday for working to overturn the results of the 2020 election in the run-up to the violent Jan. 6, 2021, riot by his supporters at the U.S. Capitol, with the Justice Department acting to hold him accountable for an unprecedented effort to block the peaceful transfer of presidential power and threaten American democracy.
Bronny James, son of leBron, in stable condition after cardiac arrest at USC basketball practice
Bronny James, the oldest son of NBA superstar LeBron James, was hospitalized after going into cardiac arrest while participating in a practice at the University of Southern California, a family spokesman said Tuesday.
Obamas’ personal chef drowns near family’s home
Former President Obama’s personal chef has drowned near the family’s home on Martha’s Vineyard.
For Emmett Till’s family, national monument proclamation cements his inclusion in the American story
When President Biden signed a proclamation Tuesday establishing a national monument honoring Emmett Till and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, it marked the fulfillment of a promise Till’s relatives made after his death 68 years ago. The Black teenager from Chicago, whose abduction, torture and killing in Mississippi in 1955 helped propel the Civil Rights Movement, is now an American story, not just a civil rights story, said Mr. Till’s cousin the Rev. Wheeler Parker Jr. “It has been quite a journey for me from the darkness to the light,” Mr. Parker said during a proclamation signing ceremony at the White House attended by dozens, including other
Virginia NAACP demands to see governor’s criteria for restoring voting rights to felons
The Virginia NAACP on Tuesday called on Gov. Glenn Youngkin to establish clear and publicly available criteria for restoring the voting rights of convicted felons who have served their time, saying the system now is secretive and could discriminate against people of color.
Jury decides 2014 document found in Aretha Franklin’s couch is a valid will
A document handwritten by singer Aretha Franklin and found in her couch after her 2018 death is a valid Michigan will, a jury said Tuesday, a critical turn in a dispute that has turned her sons against each other.
Olympic champion Caster Semenya wins human rights testosterone case
Champion runner Caster Semenya won a potentially landmark legal decision for sports on Tuesday when the European Court of Human Rights decided she was discriminated against by rules in track and field that force her to medically reduce her natural hormone levels to compete in major competitions.
Judge dismisses lawsuit seeking reparations for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre
An Oklahoma judge has thrown out a lawsuit seeking reparations for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, dashing an effort to obtain some measure of legal justice by survivors of the deadly racist rampage.
Christine King Farris, the last living sibling of Martin Luther King Jr., dies at 95
Christine King Farris, the last living sibling of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., died Thursday, June 29, 2023, at age 95.
Chaos and violence
Mass shootings claim lives at gatherings over July Fourth holiday
Mass shootings broke out at festivals, block parties and other gatherings in a handful of cities this week as the U.S. celebrated the Fourth of July. Gun violence that flared in Washington, D.C, Louisiana, Florida, Philadelphia, Texas and Baltimore left more than a dozen dead and almost 60 wounded — including children as young as 2 years old.
The aftermath of mass shootings infiltrates every corner of survivors’ lives
More than a year after 11-year-old Mayah Zamora was airlifted out of Uvalde, Texas, where she was critically injured in the Robb Elementary school shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers, the family is still reeling.
Angela Bassett to receive honorary Oscar
Angela Bassett may have gone home empty handed at the Oscars in March, but the two-time nominee will be getting a golden statuette this year after all — and in very good company too.
Supreme Court rejects GOP argument in North Carolina case that could have transformed U.S. elections
The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that state courts can curtail the actions of their legislatures when it comes to federal redistricting and elections, rejecting arguments by North Carolina Republicans that could have dramatically altered races for Congress and president in that state and beyond.
Lawsuit claims Virginia’s felony disenfranchisement violates Reconstruction-era federal law
People who have been disqualified from voting in Virginia because of their criminal records filed a lawsuit Monday against Gov. Glenn Youngkin and state elections officials challenging the state’s automatic disenfranchisement of people with felony convictions.
Immigration drove white, Asian population growth in U.S. last year
Harris County, Texas gains largest number of Black residents
Without immigration, the white population in the U.S. would have declined last year. Immigration also propelled the expansion of the Asian population, which was the fastest-growing race or ethnic group last year in the U.S., while births outpacing deaths helped propel growth in Hispanic, Black, tribal and Hawaiian populations. Population estimates released June 22 by the U.S. Census Bureau show what drove changes in different race, ethnic and age groups last year, as well as since the start of COVID-19’s spread in the U.S. in April 2020. The country had grown to 333.2 million people by the middle of last year, a 0.4% increase over the previous year, according to the 2022 population estimates.
Six key points from the scathing report on Minneapolis Police after George Floyd’s killing
The Justice Department on June 16 issued a scathing assessment of Minneapolis Police, alleging that racial discrimination and excessive force went unchecked before George Floyd’s killing because of inadequate oversight and an unwieldy process for investigating complaints.
Trump pleads not guilty to federal charges that he illegally kept classified documents
Trump became the first former president to face a judge on federal charges as he pleaded not guilty in a Miami courtroom Tuesday to dozens of felony counts accusing him of hoarding classified documents and refusing government demands to give them back.
House OKs debt ceiling bill to avoid default, sends Biden-McCarthy deal to Senate
Veering away from a default crisis, the House approved a debt ceiling and budget cuts package late Wednesday, as President Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy assembled a bipartisan coalition of centrist Democrats and Republicans against fierce conservative blowback and progressive dissent.
Nun whose body shows little decay since 2019 death draws hundreds to rural Missouri
Hundreds of people flocked to a small town in Missouri this week and last to see a Black nun whose body has barely decomposed since 2019. Some say it’s a sign of holiness in Catholicism, while others say the lack of decomposition may not be as rare as people think.
Tim Scott launches 2024 presidential bid seeking optimistic contrast with other top rivals
South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott launched his presidential campaign Monday, offering an optimistic and compassionate message he’s hoping can serve as a contrast with the political combativeness that has dominated the early GOP primary field.
Movie review: Disenchantment under the sea in live-action ‘The Little Mermaid’
It’s not Rob Marshall’s fault that Disney’s latest live-action retread doesn’t really sing. “The Little Mermaid,” a somewhat drab undertaking with sparks of bioluminescence, suffers from the same fundamental issues that plagued “The Lion King,” “Aladdin” and “Beauty and the Beast.” Halle Bailey might be a lovely presence and possesses a superb voice that is distinctly different from Jodi Benson’s, but photorealistic fins, animals and environments do not make Disney fairy tales more enchanting on their own.
Howard U. picks African diaspora scholar as next president
Howard University is turning to an experienced scholar of the African diaspora to serve as its new university president.
Tory Lanez denied new trial in Megan Thee Stallion shooting
A Los Angeles judge on Tuesday denied a motion for a new trial from lawyers for rapper Tory Lanez, who was convicted of three felonies in December for shooting hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion in the feet and wounding her.
Olympic gold medalist dies at 32
Tori Bowie, an Olympic and World champion sprinter, died recently at her home in Horizon, Fla. She was 32.
Lemon squeezed out at CNN, Carlson canned
CNN fired longtime host Don Lemon on Monday following his short and disastrous run as a morning show host, a little over two months after he apologized for on-air comments about Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley being “past her prime.”
Rockets hire ex-Celtics coach Udoka as new coach
Ime Udoka has been hired as the new coach of the Houston Rockets, a source familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Monday.
For Heat, the legend of ‘Playoff Jimmy’ continues to grow
Jimmy Butler insists that “Playoff Jimmy” — the moniker that he has now, whether he wants it or not—isn’t a thing. His play shows otherwise. He has scored 45 or more points five times in his NBA career, and three of those games have come in the playoffs — the most recent one coming Monday in a performance for all time. Butler scored 56 points, tying the fourth-highest playoff scoring effort in NBA history, and carried the Miami Heat past the Milwaukee Bucks 119-114 to take a 3-1 lead in that Eastern Conference first-round series.
Harry Belafonte, activist and entertainer, dies at 96
Harry Belafonte, the civil rights and entertainment gi- ant who began as a groundbreaking actor and singer and became an activist, humanitarian and conscience of the world, has died. He was 96.
Second grand jury to probe fatal police shooting in Virginia
A prosecutor has requested a special grand jury to investigate the fatal police shooting of an unarmed shoplifting suspect outside a Northern Virginia shopping mall after an earlier grand jury refused to issue an indictment.
It’s Met Gala time again — here’s what we know so far
Last year, it took 275,000 bright pink roses to adorn the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the Met Gala, the biggest night in fashion and one of the biggest concentrations of star power anywhere.
Lizzo protests anti-drag rule with drag queens
In a concert Friday night in Knoxville, Tenn., pop singer Lizzo filled the stage with drag queens in a glittery protest against the state’s legislation designed to restrict drag performances in public.
Damar Hamlin cleared to play 4 months after cardiac arrest
Having spent the past several months meeting President Biden, raising millions of dollars for his charitable foundation and promoting the benefits of CPR training, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin can focus now on the next big objective in his life: returning to football.
Tyre Nichols’ family sues Memphis Police over beating, death
The family of Tyre Nichols, who died after a brutal beating by five Memphis police officers, sued the officers and the city of Memphis on Wednesday, blaming them for his death and accusing officials of allowing a special unit’s aggressive tactics to go unchecked despite warning signs.
Expelled Black lawmaker Pearson to return to Tennessee House
The second of two Black Democrats expelled from the Republican-led Tennessee House will return to the legislature after a Memphis, Tenn., commission voted to reinstate him Wednesday, nearly a week after his banishment for supporting gun control protesters propelled him into the national spotlight.
