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Category: World & Nation

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

Congresswoman Yvette Clarke Leads Push for Marcus Garvey’s Exoneration

Congresswoman Yvette Clarke (D-NY) and 20 of her colleagues are urging President Joe Biden to exonerate Marcus Mosiah Garvey, the Pan-Africanist leader whose 1923 conviction for mail fraud has long been viewed as politically motivated. In a letter to the president, the lawmakers described the case as rooted in prosecutorial misconduct designed to discredit Garvey and undermine his work for racial justice and empowerment.

Stefi Mar December 31, 2024
Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

Biden Commutes Sentences of 37 Federal Death Row Inmates

The American Civil Liberties Union celebrated President Joe Biden’s historic action in commuting 37 federal death sentences. The group proclaimed that Biden has taken an “unequivocal stand against one of the most flawed and inhumane mechanisms of the U.S. criminal legal system.”

Stefi Mar December 31, 2024
Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

Traffic Stops, Racial Disparities, and the Call for Systemic Reform

Traffic stops remain the most common reason for police-initiated contact across all racial groups, according to a new report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). The report, part of a series examining police interactions with U.S. residents since 1996, reveals that racial disparities in these encounters persist. The Prison Policy Initiative responded to the report by noting a need to address inequities and rethink public safety strategies.

Stefi Mar December 31, 2024
Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

Lawmakers Urge President Biden to Finalize Equal Rights Amendment Before Transition

As President Joe Biden’s tenure ends, a coalition of more than 100 House Democrats has urged the administration to ratify and publish the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) as the 28th amendment to the United States Constitution. The lawmakers claim that Biden’s actions will advance gender equality and defend constitutional rights, particularly as the country prepares for a new government that is openly hostile to reproductive freedom and LGBTQIA+ rights.

Stefi Mar December 24, 2024
Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

Homeownership Boom Widens the Wealth Gap, Leaving Renters in Financial Instability

A Profile on the Wealth and Financial Well-Being of Renter Households highlights that renters today have a median net worth of just $10,400—a mere fraction of homeowners’ nearly $400,000 median net worth. According to the Aspen Institute Financial Security Program’s report, “From Rent to Riches,” the disparity is not solely due to home equity. While home equity makes up $200,000 of homeowners’ median net worth, the remainder comes from other assets that renters typically do not own, such as stocks, bonds, retirement accounts, and business equity. The report notes that 78% of homeowners own a potentially appreciating asset beyond their primary residence, compared to only 48% of renters.

Stefi Mar December 24, 2024
Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

Black D.C. Residents Troubled by City Vacant Property Law

For years, Howard University students, faculty, and staff, as well as residents of the Parkview and Columbia Heights neighborhoods have stopped by Morgan’s Seafood located on the intersection of Georgia Avenue and Kenyon Streets in Northwest, to grab a fish sandwich, dinner or other treats that the carryout offers.

Stefi Mar December 24, 2024
Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

Daniel Penny Acquitted in Subway Chokehold Death of Jordan Neely, Sparking Fresh Outrage

Daniel Penny, the former Marine who placed Jordan Neely in a fatal chokehold on a New York City subway, was acquitted Monday of criminally negligent homicide. Neely, a 30-year-old homeless man with a documented history of mental illness, died on May 1, 2023, in an incident that drew national attention and ignited weeks of protests over issues of mental health, public safety, and racial justice.

Stefi Mar December 17, 2024
Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

Democratic Women Legislators Forge Historic Resistance as GOP Takes Federal Control

In a historic shift following the 2024 elections, a record-breaking number of Democratic women will serve in state legislatures starting in 2025, solidifying state-level Democratic power amid a looming federal Republican trifecta under the incoming Trump administration. The legislators, many in leadership roles, will spearhead resistance efforts while shaping the Democratic Party’s future leadership pipeline.

Stefi Mar December 11, 2024
Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

Democratic Senators Urge Biden to Restrict Military Deployment, Citing Concerns Over Trump’s Plans

Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) have called on President Joe Biden and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to issue a directive limiting the use of military personnel for domestic purposes, warning against potential misuse by President-elect Donald Trump after he takes office on Jan. 20. The senators emphasized the significance of establishing clear guidelines to prevent the deployment of the military against American citizens without explicit constitutional or congressional authorization.

Stefi Mar December 11, 2024
Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

Biden Announces $1 Billion in Humanitarian Aid and $600 Million for African Infrastructure Investments

During his visit to Angola, President Joe Biden announced more than $1 billion in humanitarian aid to assist Africans displaced by severe droughts and food insecurity, alongside $600 million in new U.S. investments in infrastructure projects under the Lobito Trans-Africa Corridor initiative. Biden hopes that these measures will serve as a reminder of the U.S. commitment to fostering long-term African partnerships, emphasizing trade, investment, and sustainable development.

Stefi Mar December 11, 2024
Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

South Korea’s Martial Law Crisis Raises Alarms in U.S. as Trump Eyes Similar Powers

Protests have erupted in South Korea’s capital, Seoul, where demonstrators clashed with soldiers and police following President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of martial law. The controversial order, which grants military authorities sweeping powers over governance, has sparked widespread opposition and is drawing concerns in the United States, where President-elect Donald Trump has expressed plans to invoke a similar Insurrection Act if reelected.

Stefi Mar December 10, 2024
Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

Thanksgiving Bomb Threats Against Connecticut Democrats and Trump’s Rhetoric Highlight Deepening Political Division

Thanksgiving morning brought fear and chaos to three Democratic members of Congress from Connecticut, who were targeted by bomb threats as they celebrated the holiday with their families. Reps. Jahana Hayes, Jim Himes, and John Larson reported receiving messages about explosives at their homes, prompting swift action from local and federal law enforcement. Although the threats were ultimately deemed not credible, they underscored an unsettling climate of political violence and division that has gripped the nation.

Stefi Mar December 3, 2024
Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

Biden Pardons Hunter, Sparking Republican Outrage and Questions of Hypocrisy

President Joe Biden’s pardon of his son, Hunter Biden, has thrown the Republican Party into an uproar, exposing what critics have called brazen hypocrisy within the GOP. Biden justified the pardon as a response to politically motivated attacks, while Republicans, many of whom have stood by President-elect Donald Trump despite his extensive legal troubles, unleashed their fury.

Stefi Mar December 3, 2024
Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

Special Prosecutors Drops Charges Against Trump Helping President-elect to Avoid Legal Consequences Ahead of Second Term

President-elect Donald Trump is on course to avoid accountability for his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election and other legal battles, as Special Counsel Jack Smith on Monday, Nov. 25, moved to dismiss the four federal felony charges against him. The charges stemmed from Trump’s attempts to remain in power despite losing the election and his role in the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Stefi Mar November 26, 2024
Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

PRESS ROOM: Clyburn, Pressley, Scanlon, Colleagues Urge Biden to Use Clemency Power to Address Mass Incarceration Before Leaving Office

Today, Congressman James E. Clyburn (SC-06), Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), and Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05) led 60 of their colleagues in sending a letter to President Biden urging him to use his executive clemency power in the final months of his presidency to reunite families, address longstanding injustices in our legal system, and set our nation on the path toward ending mass incarceration.

Stefi Mar November 26, 2024
Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

15 Democrats Join Republicans in Backing Bill Critics Call a Dictator’s Dream

Donald Trump has openly declared he would rule as a dictator from his first day in office. Astonishingly, 15 House Democrats joined Republicans in passing a bill many say could empower Trump to do just that. The Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act (H.R. 9495) grants the Treasury secretary unilateral authority to label nonprofits as “terrorist supporting organizations” and strip them of their tax-exempt status without due process. The measure passed the House on Thursday, Nov. 21, in a 219-184 vote.

Stefi Mar November 26, 2024