Category: World & Nation

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

Alabama Prison Documentary ‘The Alabama Solution’ Earns Oscar Nomination

A documentary that puts Alabama prisons in the spotlight is now in the running for one of the most well-known, prestigious awards in Hollywood — an Oscar. Nominees for the 98th Academy Awards were announced Thursday. “The Alabama Solution” is one of five films nominated in the documentary feature film category.

African Americans
Stefi Mar

State of the Dream 2026 Finds Black America Facing a Recession Across Jobs, Housing, and Technology

Black unemployment surged to 7.5 percent by December 2025, a level that would signal a recession if it were reflected across the national workforce. But the latest “State of the Dream 2026” report makes clear the damage extends far beyond jobs. From broadband access and housing to artificial intelligence and federal workforce policy, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies finds that 2025 marked a sharp economic breakdown for Black America driven by policy reversals and the removal of long-standing safeguards.

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

Midnight Friday Deadline Nears as Congress Risks Another Shutdown

The federal government is once again facing a shutdown deadline, with funding set to expire at midnight Friday, January 30, just two months after the nation emerged from a prolonged lapse that disrupted lives far beyond Washington.

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

Crump and Obama are the Top Black News Makers of the 21st Century

The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) represents the organized voice, survivor, and power of the Black Press in America. On the eve of Black History Month, we have chronicled the top Black newsmakers of the first quarter of the 21st century to honor Black impact through legacy, liberty, and justice. This list serves as a living record, centering Black leadership, innovation, and influence while ensuring today’s history is documented with clarity and intention for future generations. Our staff researched and reviewed news headlines and news articles for the last 25 years from our catalog of more than 200 member Black-owned newspapers across the United States with a reach of 20 million weekly readers from both our print and digital publications.

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

From Civil Rights to ICE Raids, Trump’s Unchecked Power Puts Every Community at Risk

Donald Trump’s presidency has long carried a familiar weight for Black America. What feels different now is that the force once aimed primarily at Black and brown communities is no longer contained there. With the fatal shooting of Renee Good, a 37-year-old white mother of three, by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, the unchecked power of the federal government has moved into spaces many Americans once believed were insulated.

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

Secret Service Expansion Accelerates as Global Tensions Rise

The U.S. Secret Service is preparing for one of the largest expansions in its history as officials confront what they describe as an unprecedented volume of credible threats, fueled by escalating global tensions and a series of aggressive U.S. actions overseas that have triggered unrest at home and abroad.

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

Five Years Later, Capitol Officer Harry Dunn Says January 6 Was the Worst Day of His Life

On the fifth anniversary of January 6, a date now fixed in the American conscience, Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn returned to the moment that altered his life and the nation’s course. Appearing on “Let It Be Known,” Dunn spoke about the unforgettable day that’s shaped by time, pain, and resolve, revisiting what he has called the worst day of his life.

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

Is Congress Irrelevant? Trump Bombs His Seventh Country in Less Than a Year Without Congressional Authority

Let’s talk about real dollars and real opportunity in the new year. At OIC of America, we like to say, “Skills pay bills.” And in this moment — when employers across the country are scrambling for trained workers — the people who hold the right certifications are the ones writing their own ticket. If you’re trying to increase your income without the cost or time commitment of a four-year degree, skill-based certifications might be the smartest investment you can make.

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

States Set the Rules as New Laws Take Effect Nationwide in 2026

Tom Brady stepped into the broadcast booth and, without saying a word, said everything. One glove. Not a gimmick. Not nostalgia cosplay. Just a quiet, unmistakable signal that even in a football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Buffalo Bills, the most famous silhouette in modern culture still casts a shadow. Seventeen years after his death at 50, Michael Jackson remains unavoidable.

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

From Washington to Bogotá, Protests Grow as Maduro Faces U.S. Judge

Tom Brady stepped into the broadcast booth and, without saying a word, said everything. One glove. Not a gimmick. Not nostalgia cosplay. Just a quiet, unmistakable signal that even in a football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Buffalo Bills, the most famous silhouette in modern culture still casts a shadow. Seventeen years after his death at 50, Michael Jackson remains unavoidable.

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

Bombs Before Dawn: Trump’s Illegal War on Venezuela Sparks National Outrage

Tom Brady stepped into the broadcast booth and, without saying a word, said everything. One glove. Not a gimmick. Not nostalgia cosplay. Just a quiet, unmistakable signal that even in a football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Buffalo Bills, the most famous silhouette in modern culture still casts a shadow. Seventeen years after his death at 50, Michael Jackson remains unavoidable.

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

States Set the Rules as New Laws Take Effect Nationwide in 2026

As 2026 approaches, states across the country are preparing to activate a wide range of new laws that will shape paychecks, housing conditions, health care costs, consumer privacy, and the use of artificial intelligence. The measures differ sharply by state, but together they point to a growing reality: in the absence of sweeping federal action, states are setting the rules that govern everyday life.

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

The Voting Rights Act Is Under Threat. So Are Workers’ Rights.

In our workplaces, in our communities and in our government, the right to vote is how working people make our voices heard. The late Rep. John Lewis (Georgia) proclaimed, “Your vote is precious, almost sacred.” The Supreme Court’s recent decision allowing Texas to use a racially discriminatory congressional map threatens that precious right once again—and with it, the foundation of worker power itself.

African Americans
Stefi Mar

The Truth Is Under Attack; The Black Press Needs You

This is not a reflection. It is a demand. The Black Press of America is being deliberately starved, and unless people act now, it will collapse in full view of the nation it has served for nearly two centuries. This is not about nostalgia. It is about whether truth survives when power decides it should not.

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

Evan Turnage Announces Run for Congress, Targeting Longtime Incumbent Bennie Thompson

Jackson, Mississippi native Evan Turnage, a 33-year-old antitrust lawyer and former top Senate counsel, formally entered the race for Mississippi’s 2nd Congressional District on December 17, setting up a Democratic primary challenge to longtime incumbent Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson in the March 10, 2026, election.

African Americans
Stefi Mar

Kwanzaa: A Cultural Legacy in Motion

What African heritage tradition functions to renew and strengthen the intertwined, cherished, and indivisible values of family, community, and culture in a rich and meaningful way?