New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been criminally indicted, becoming the first sitting mayor in the city’s history to face such charges. Federal prosecutors announced the indictment late Wednesday, September 26. NBC News reported that the charges mark a pivotal moment in Adams’s tumultuous tenure, which high-level resignations and a series of federal investigations have plagued.
In a damning display of justice gone wrong, Marcellus Williams, a Missouri death row inmate, was executed, despite overwhelming evidence suggesting his innocence. His death by lethal injection has sparked outrage, with the blame falling squarely on the shoulders of former President Donald Trump, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Missouri Governor Mike Parson, and the conservative U.S. Supreme Court justices who refused to halt the execution.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris announced sweeping new measures to combat gun violence in America today, marking a significant escalation in the administration’s ongoing efforts to reduce firearm-related deaths. Central to this initiative is a new Executive Order that directs federal agencies to address the rising threats posed by machinegun conversion devices and 3D-printed firearms and to improve the effectiveness of school-based active shooter drills.
The latest FBI data on Monday, September 23, 2024, revealed a significant drop in national crime rates from 2022 to 2023, contradicting widespread public perception of a crime wave. According to the FBI’s annual “Summary of Crime in the Nation,” violent crime fell by 3%, while property crime decreased by 2.4%.
More than $1 million in scholarships and prizes awarded to foster HBCU student entrepreneurship, empowerment
The fight to lower prescription drug prices is hitting African Americans especially hard. A recent report by Patients for Affordable Drugs reveals that pharmaceutical companies have increased prices on more than 1,000 prescription drugs this year, nearly half of those price hikes exceeding the inflation rate. For many Black and Latino patients, especially those aged 65 and over, the rising costs are becoming unbearable.
Despite advancements in early detection and innovative treatments, Black women in the United States face higher mortality rates from breast cancer compared to white women. A systematic review and meta-analysis led by Mass General Brigham Integrated Health Care System sheds light on the extent of these disparities across different breast cancer subtypes.
The NAACP has issued an emergency call to Missouri’s Republican Gov. Mike Parson to stop the execution of Marcellus Williams, a Black man on death row who has consistently maintained his innocence. In an open letter, NAACP President Derrick Johnson and Missouri State Conference President Nimrod Chapel Jr. warned that executing Williams would be a “horrible miscarriage of justice” and a reflection of Missouri’s troubled racial history.
Since 1964, the Head Start program has been a lifeline for generations of women and families, providing free, high-quality educational, health, social-emotional, and nutritional services and opening doors to opportunity and economic justice that had long been kept shut. Now, as Head Start approaches its 60th anniversary, it’s a great time to look back on all that the program has achieved — and look forward to what our country could look like if Head Start was strengthened.
Millions of Americans can now renew their passports online instead of mailing the State Department paper documents with a check. The department announced Wednesday that its online system is now open after months of limited testing and years of pilots.
The U.S. Department of Justice launched a civil rights investigation into Rankin County, Mississippi, and the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD). The probe will determine whether the RCSD engages in unconstitutional practices, including excessive force, unlawful stops, and racially discriminatory policing. Rankin County, which has a population of about 160,000, is located 30 minutes east of Jackson, the state capital.
Jury selection began Monday, Sept. 9, in the federal trial of three former Memphis police officers charged with violating the civil rights of Tyre Nichols, the 29-year-old Black man who died following a brutal beating by police in January 2023. The incident, captured on police cameras, ignited protests and calls for police reform nationwide.
On Friday, September 13, the White House South Lawn transformed into a historic celebration of Black excellence, bringing together actors, authors, television personalities, journalists, writers, activists, and artists. The event marked the first time such a celebration exclusively dedicated to honoring the achievements of Black Americans took place on the White House grounds, outside the context of Black History Month, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, or Juneteenth.
Vice President Kamala Harris decisively took control of the first presidential debate against former President Donald Trump in Philadelphia on Tuesday night, delivering a performance that put Trump on the defensive for much of the evening. Moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis of ABC News kept a tight handle on the debate, significantly improving from CNN’s June handling of Trump and President Joe Biden.
According to the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics data, the U.S. economy added 142,000 nonfarm payroll jobs in August, less than the 165,000 economists had predicted. While the job growth missed forecasts, the unemployment rate dropped to 4.2% from July’s 4.3%, suggesting continued strength in the labor market under the Biden-Harris administration.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded $31.7 million in grants to 75 fair housing organizations across the country as part of its FY 2024 budget, providing crucial support to initiatives aimed at eliminating housing discrimination. Among the recipients are two Washington, D.C.-based organizations, the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) and the Equal Rights Center, each receiving over $400,000.
The Biden-Harris administration is continuing its relentless pursuit to transform America’s public education system, despite repeated attempts by conservative Republicans and controversial rulings from the U.S. Supreme Court to block key initiatives like student debt cancellation. On Wednesday, Sept. 4, the White House released a comprehensive fact sheet outlining the administration’s bold actions to ensure that every student in the country has access to the resources they need to succeed.
Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services’ (SFBFS) campus, located on Bell Avenue in the state capital, is set to get a $131,583 security facelift.
The opening words on a fundraiser page started four years ago remains harrowing: “Hello, I am the mother of, Chrystul Kizer, who was a minor at the time of her incarceration and is currently facing charges in Kenosha, WI, because she defended herself from a known sex trafficker,” Devore Taylor wrote. The page, which has raised more than $67,000 to date, a Facebook page urging authorities to “Free Chrystul,” and a Wisconsin law that seemed to side with Kizer wasn’t enough to stop a judge from sentencing the now 24-year-old to more than a decade in prison for killing the man who allegedly sex trafficked her.
In a visit to PBS-TV’s The Chavis Chronicles in Washington, D.C., Gloria James and family members of NBA superstar LeBron James highlighted the extraordinary impact of the LeBron James Family Foundation (LJFF) and its ongoing mission to uplift and empower communities. The foundation’s efforts, which began in Akron, Ohio, where LeBron was raised, have become a national model for athletes, entertainers, and politicians alike.
