BREAKING NEWS
Houston’s former mayor is the Democrats’ nominee to succeed the late US Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee
Read full article: Houston’s former mayor is the Democrats’ nominee to succeed the late US Rep. Sheila Jackson LeeHouston’s former mayor is the Democrats’ pick to succeed the late Texas congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee on the November ballot.
Kamala Harris celebrates the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee as a 'force of nature' and a mentor
Read full article: Kamala Harris celebrates the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee as a 'force of nature' and a mentorVice President Kamala Harris has eulogized U_S_ Rep_ Sheila Jackson Lee as a “force of nature."
US Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas fondly remembered as she lies in state at Houston City Hall
Read full article: US Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas fondly remembered as she lies in state at Houston City HallHouston area residents are remembering longtime U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas as an advocate for human rights and for her community.
Democrat John Whitmire elected Houston mayor, defeating congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee
Read full article: Democrat John Whitmire elected Houston mayor, defeating congresswoman Sheila Jackson LeeA longtime Democratic Texas lawmaker who has represented Houston in the Legislature for more than 50 years will lead the nation’s fourth-largest city after winning a mayoral runoff election.
Houston has a population that's young. Its next mayor, set to be elected in a runoff, won't be
Read full article: Houston has a population that's young. Its next mayor, set to be elected in a runoff, won't beVoters in Houston will elect the oldest big-city mayor in the U.S. this weekend when they choose between U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and state Sen. John Whitmire, two Democrats in their 70s.
Houston mayor's race heads to runoff between US Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and state Sen. John Whitmire
Read full article: Houston mayor's race heads to runoff between US Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and state Sen. John WhitmireTwo Democrats with decadeslong political careers are heading to a runoff election to be Houston’s next mayor.
Houston's next mayor has big city problems to fix. Familiar faces want the job
Read full article: Houston's next mayor has big city problems to fix. Familiar faces want the jobHouston’s next mayor will tackle many challenges similar to ones faced by other large U.S. cities: crime, crumbling infrastructure, budget shortfalls and a lack of affordable housing.
Texas woman accused of threatening to kill judge overseeing Trump election case and a congresswoman
Read full article: Texas woman accused of threatening to kill judge overseeing Trump election case and a congresswomanA Texas woman has been charged with threatening to kill the federal judge overseeing the criminal case against former President Donald Trump in Washington and a congresswoman.
Black lawmakers press Justice and Education Departments to investigate Florida's race curriculum
Read full article: Black lawmakers press Justice and Education Departments to investigate Florida's race curriculumThe Congressional Black Caucus is pushing the White House, Justice Department and the Department of Education to look into whether Florida school districts are violating federal discrimination law following changes to the state's Black history curriculum.
New caucus in Congress condemns poisoning of Iranian girls
Read full article: New caucus in Congress condemns poisoning of Iranian girlsA new bipartisan caucus in Congress is condemning the Iranian government over the recent poisoning of school girls in the country, amplifying the growing criticism in Washington against the Islamic Republic and its disregard for human rights.
Afghan soldier seeking US asylum hopes for 'American dream'
Read full article: Afghan soldier seeking US asylum hopes for 'American dream'After being held in detention in Texas for months during his legal fight to remain in the U.S., Afghan soldier Abdul Wasi Safi is now a free man as he works to secure asylum in America.
Black educator Mary McLeod Bethune honored in Statuary Hall
Read full article: Black educator Mary McLeod Bethune honored in Statuary HallCivil rights leader and trailblazing educator Mary McLeod Bethune has became the first Black person elevated by a state for recognition in the Capitol’s Statuary Hall.
Crowd, cheers, history as Senate confirms Supreme Court pick
Read full article: Crowd, cheers, history as Senate confirms Supreme Court pickMoments before the Senate began Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation vote to become the first Black woman on the Supreme Court, the chamber filled with the swell of history.
California reparations plan advances movement, advocates say
Read full article: California reparations plan advances movement, advocates sayCalifornia took a big step this week toward becoming the first U.S. state to make some form of restitution a reality by tackling the divisive issue of which Black residents should be eligible to receive reparations for the atrocity and injustices of slavery and racism.
House Dems demand prison rape audit at Calif. federal lockup
Read full article: House Dems demand prison rape audit at Calif. federal lockupEight House Democrats are demanding the Bureau of Prisons make public an audit of sexual assault reports at a federal women's prison in California where inmates say they were subjected to rampant abuse.
GOP McCarthy's 'angry' rant stalls, does not stop Biden bill
Read full article: GOP McCarthy's 'angry' rant stalls, does not stop Biden billRepublican leader Kevin McCarthy seized control of the House floor for more than eight hours overnight, preempting passage of President Joe Biden’s big domestic policy bill with a rambling speech full of vitriol.
Texas lawmakers pass new congressional maps bolstering GOP
Read full article: Texas lawmakers pass new congressional maps bolstering GOPTexas Republicans have approved redrawn U.S. House maps that favor incumbents and could decrease political representation for growing minority communities in the nation’s largest red state.
Texas GOP advances new maps that would tighten slipping grip
Read full article: Texas GOP advances new maps that would tighten slipping gripTexas lawmakers are on the brink of finishing redrawn U.S. House maps that would shore up their eroding dominance as voters peel away from the GOP in the state’s booming suburbs.
Voting rights advocates rally for stronger elections laws
Read full article: Voting rights advocates rally for stronger elections lawsThousands of voting rights advocates are rallying across the country Saturday to call for sweeping protections against a further erosion of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
U.S. voting rights events reflect multiracial reform agenda
Read full article: U.S. voting rights events reflect multiracial reform agendaIn the nation’s capital on Saturday, multiracial coalitions of civil, human and labor rights leaders are convening rallies and marches to urge passage of federal voter protections that have been eroded since the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Biden signs bill making Juneteenth a federal holiday
Read full article: Biden signs bill making Juneteenth a federal holidayPresident Joe Biden has signed legislation Thursday establishing a new federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery, saying he believes it will go down as one of the greatest honors he has as president.
House panel votes to advance bill on slavery reparations
Read full article: House panel votes to advance bill on slavery reparationsA House panel has advanced a decades-long effort to pay reparations to the descendants of slaves, approving legislation Wednesday night that would create a commission to study the issue.
House passes domestic violence bill, pushes issue to Senate
Read full article: House passes domestic violence bill, pushes issue to SenateThe reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act passed 244-172 with 29 Republicans joining Democrats in supporting the legislation. The White House announced its support earlier Wednesday for reauthorizing VAWA, which aims to reduce domestic and sexual violence and improve the response to it through a variety of grant programs. AdPresident Joe Biden introduced the original Violence Against Women Act in June 1990 when serving as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. A subsequent version was eventually included in a sweeping crime bill that President Bill Clinton would sign into law four years later. Congress has reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act three times since.
Movement for Black Lives opposes George Floyd Justice Act
Read full article: Movement for Black Lives opposes George Floyd Justice ActA coalition of 150 organizations nationwide is opposing the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. The Movement for Black Lives argues the bill is entrenched in strategies that have historically failed to address police violence across the country and fails to meet the moment." The bill, designed by the Movement for Black Lives’ Electoral Justice Project, would also redirect funding toward communities to address the nation’s systemic racial injustices. “It’s not just about after the fact accountability,” said Gina Clayton-Johnson, the lead BREATHE Act architect and leadership team member of the Movement for Black Lives’ Policy Table. AdBut the movement faces a significant uphill battle in securing needed political support from lawmakers who will be key in pushing forward the BREATHE Act or revamping the Justice in Policing Act.
Congreso renueva iniciativas para control de armas
Read full article: Congreso renueva iniciativas para control de armasSpeaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., holds a news conference on passage of gun violence prevention legislation, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, March 11, 2021, as Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, left, and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., look on. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)(Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
Some electricity restored in Texas, but water woes grow
Read full article: Some electricity restored in Texas, but water woes growHouston and several surrounding cities are under a boil water notice as many residents are still without running water in their homes. But the crisis was far from over in parts of the South, where many people still lacked safe drinking water. The next phase of the state’s disaster response will be to test drinking water from systems knocked offline by the cold. Power was cut to a New Orleans facility that pumps drinking water from the Mississippi River and generators were used until electricity was restored. Drinking water was made available at fire stations throughout Jackson and officials also planned to set up bottled water pickup sites.
Biden backs studying reparations as Congress considers bill
Read full article: Biden backs studying reparations as Congress considers billPresident Joe Biden speaks during a meeting with labor leaders in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021, in Washington. Biden backs the idea of studying the issue, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Wednesday, though she stopped short of saying he would sign the bill if it clears Congress. Even with Democrats controlling both chambers of Congress and the White House, passing a reparations bill could prove difficult. Most Black Americans favored reparations, 74%, compared with 15% of white Americans. AdRep. Burgess Owens, a first-term Republican from Utah, argued against a reparations commission.
More U.S. workers getting Juneteenth off as awareness grows
Read full article: More U.S. workers getting Juneteenth off as awareness growsThe date - June 19th - is not a federal holiday, and many non-black Americans have only recently become of aware of the day. Several of her employees are spending the day volunteering for the Juneteenth Freedom Phonebank, an initiative encouraging Census participation. Declaring the date a federal holiday would add considerable momentum, and there is growing support for the idea. Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, introduced legislation Thursday to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. In contrast, 93% of employers close on Independence day, with similar rates for Labor Day, Christmas Day and Thanksgiving.
‘Get your knee off our necks!’: George Floyd mourned in Minneapolis
Read full article: ‘Get your knee off our necks!’: George Floyd mourned in MinneapolisMINNEAPOLIS, Minn. –MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A mural honoring George Floyd was projected above his golden coffin, where mourners knelt and cried, paused and prayed Thursday at his memorial service. Al Sharpton, who eulogized Floyd in Minneapolis on Thursday. Having left Houston for Minneapolis in 2014 in search of a job and a new life, Floyd will retrace that path in death. Sharpton said George Floyd was calling for his mother because, as he neared death, she had her hands outstretched to him calling him back home. “Come on, George,” Sharpton said.