Posted inPolitics

Annual governors’ gathering with White House unraveling after president excludes Democrats

The National Governors Association’s traditionally bipartisan Washington gathering is fracturing after the White House moved to invite only Republican governors to key events, prompting 18 Democratic governors to boycott the customary dinner. NGA leaders said the organization will no longer facilitate a formal meeting with the 47th president, calling the decision a break from long-standing precedent and warning that partisanship is undermining one of the few remaining forums for cross-party collaboration.

Posted inNational News

Police chief calls for calm after a man is shot and killed during Minneapolis immigration crackdown

Federal immigration officers shot and killed a 37-year-old man during an enforcement operation in Minneapolis, sparking renewed protests in a city already tense after a similar fatal ICE shooting earlier this month. Police and state leaders urged calm as demonstrators clashed with federal agents and criticized the White House’s intensified immigration crackdown.

Posted inNational News

Minnesota activist releases video of arrest after manipulated White House version

Minnesota civil rights attorney and activist Nekima Levy Armstrong released video of her Jan. 22 arrest following an anti-ICE protest at a church, disputing images posted by the White House that she says were manipulated to misrepresent the encounter. The video shows Levy Armstrong calmly speaking with federal agents and contradicts claims that she was crying during the arrest.

Posted inNational News

Anti-ICE protest at Minnesota church leads to arrests of Black attorney, journalist

Federal authorities arrested prominent civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong and at least two others following an anti-ICE protest that disrupted a worship service at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, though no charges were allowed to proceed against journalist Don Lemon. The arrests came amid a rapid Justice Department investigation and strong condemnation from White House officials, while a judge ruled Lemon’s presence at the protest was protected journalistic activity under the First Amendment.

Posted inMaryland Government

Baltimore County delegate elected chair of Maryland Legislative Black Caucus

Delegate N. Scott Phillips (D–District 10) has been unanimously elected chair of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland following leadership shifts in the General Assembly. Phillips, the first chair from Baltimore County, pledged to center policies that advance Black Marylanders, while Sen. Shaneka Henson was elected first vice chair after Delegate Melissa Wells’ appointment to a new House committee. Founded in 1970, the caucus now counts 67 members statewide.

Posted inNational News

Nobel Institute says Venezuelan leader Machado can’t give Peace Prize to US president

The Norwegian Nobel Institute said Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado cannot transfer or share her Nobel Peace Prize with the 47th U.S. president, emphasizing that Nobel decisions are final and permanent. The clarification followed Machado’s public gesture of presenting her medal to the U.S. leader as thanks for his role in the capture of Nicolás Maduro, a move the institute said has no legal standing under Nobel rules.

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