Category: World & Nation

With just one week until the pulse of the nation beats at the ballot box and over 51 million votes already cast, Kamala Harris stood before an audience Tuesday night that outgrew its bounds. What was once imagined as an intimate gathering of 8,000 souls evolved into an ocean of hope, a swelling tide of support that illuminated the final stretch of her journey, with over 75,000 people gathering at the Ellipse in our nation’s capital.

Colonial Williamsburg is nearing completion on the restoration of the Williamsburg Bray School, the oldest surviving schoolhouse for Black children in America. Founded in 1760 by the Associates of Dr. Bray, a British Anglican charity, the school was established to teach enslaved and free Black children to read, albeit through a curriculum that promoted religious submission to slavery. Yet, for the hundreds of students who passed through its doors, literacy opened possibilities far beyond their assigned roles.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace opens its 2025 enrollment season, offering millions the opportunity to secure or adjust health insurance plans. This year’s opening enrollment is vital, particularly if Donald Trump is re-elected. The twice-impeached former president and MAGA Republicans have vowed to repeal the healthcare law, which would deprive an estimated 40 million Americans of coverage. Under Trump’s plan, millions of individuals with pre-existing conditions would also lose health insurance.

 Monday marked the first anniversary of the Hamas-led attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people and the abduction of over 200 hostages, according to Israeli authorities. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, the surprise attack started a protracted conflict in which Israel’s military response resulted in at least 41,900 Palestinian deaths and more than 97,300 injuries. Over the past year, the war has escalated across the region, with Hezbollah launching rockets from Lebanon and Israeli airstrikes continuing into Lebanon, killing more than 2,000 people.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Milton’s devastating impact on Florida, the Biden-Harris Administration has mounted a robust federal response to assist recovery efforts. Officials said the administration ensured there were pre-staging personnel and resources before the storm hit, and teams were swiftly deployed to support state and local officials. The administration said the focus spotlighted search and rescue, power restoration, and debris cleanup as immediate priorities.

This week marks 45 months since the devastating January 6 attack, where over 140 police officers were assaulted as rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol, delaying the certification of the 2020 presidential election results. Officials said the attack caused over $2.8 million in damages to the Capitol in a report by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia while outlining the nearly four-year aftermath of the insurrection. Since then, the Department of Justice said it has launched one of the most extensive investigations in US history. Approximately 1,532 individuals have been charged in federal court for their roles in the attack.