More than five years after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack, some pardoned participants are seeking compensation from a newly created $1.776 billion federal fund established through a settlement tied to the 47th president’s lawsuit over the release of his tax returns. Critics, including former prosecutors, police officers and some former rioters, argue the fund could reward people convicted of crimes related to the attack, while legal challenges and bipartisan opposition have temporarily halted its implementation.
Category: National News
Posted inNational News
Former head of Iowa school district sentenced to 2 years for falsely claiming to be a US citizen
Former Des Moines school superintendent Ian Roberts was sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to falsely claiming U.S. citizenship and illegally possessing firearms. Prosecutors said Roberts used counterfeit documents throughout much of his two-decade education career, and his attorneys said he will likely be deported to his native Guyana after serving his sentence.
Posted inPolitics
Louisiana’s Legislature has passed a new congressional map, eliminating majority-Black district
Louisiana lawmakers approved a new congressional map designed to strengthen Republican control by creating a 5-1 GOP advantage in the state’s six U.S. House districts. The plan eliminates one of Louisiana’s two majority-Black congressional districts, prompting Democrats and voting rights advocates to accuse Republicans of racial gerrymandering following a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that weakened protections under the Voting Rights Act.
Posted inNational News
Automatic draft registration raises questions among young Americans
As the federal government moves toward automatically registering men ages 18 to 25 for the Selective Service System, a long-standing requirement tied to a potential military draft, confusion and concern are growing among young Americans.
Posted inNational News
Facing 17 years in prison and pregnant, NJ Congresswoman LaMonica McIver fights federal charges tied to ICE oversight visitÂ
U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) is scheduled to appear before a federal appeals court on June 23, 2026, to challenge criminal charges stemming from a 2025 immigration detention center oversight visit. The high-stakes legal battle, which could cost the congresswoman over $1 million in legal fees and up to 17 years in prison, coincides with the announcement that she is 17 weeks pregnant with her second child.
Posted inNational News
Malcolm X’s global vision revisited on what would be his 101st birthdayÂ
By Megan Sayles AFRO Staff Writer msayles@afro.com More than six decades after his 1965 assassination, El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz—better known by the name Malcolm X– reremains one of the most influential and debated figures in Black political history. Still, scholars say the final years of his life are often misunderstood and simplified into a narrative that […]
Posted inNational News
Southern Poverty Law Center pleads not guilty to charges alleging misuse of donor funds for informantsÂ
The Southern Poverty Law Center has pleaded not guilty to federal charges alleging it misused donor funds to pay informants linked to extremist groups. The case has sparked competing claims between prosecutors and civil rights advocates over the organization’s long-running investigative practices.
Posted inPolitics
FBI searches Virginia Senate leader’s office as part of corruption probe
FBI searches Virginia state Senate leader’s office and cannabis shop in corruption investigation. Sen. Lucas calls it politically motivated.
Posted inNational News
Ex-deputy found guilty of reckless homicide in shooting of Black man entering grandmother’s home
A former Ohio sheriff’s deputy was convicted of reckless homicide in the 2020 shooting death of Casey Goodson Jr., a 23-year-old Black man who was entering his grandmother’s home with sandwiches when he was killed. Jurors deadlocked on a murder charge against ex-deputy Jason Meade, whose second trial renewed scrutiny of police shootings of Black Americans and demands for accountability in Ohio.
Posted inHBCU
HBCU presidents announce collaboration to expand research and innovation
By Dr. Deborah BaileyAFRO Contributing Editordbailey@afro.com Leaders at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) across the nation have declared an initiative to invest in the future of research and discovery. Fifteen of America’s HBCUs high-capacity research institutions have announced the Association of HBCU Research Institutions. The umbrella organization has a mission to expand world-class research, […]
Posted inNational News
Black leaders demand corporate accountability for $175 billion in tariff refunds
Following the Supreme Court’s Feb. 20 ruling to strike down the current administration’s tariffs, Rep. Steven Horsford is leading an effort to demand corporate accountability regarding the distribution of $175 billion in refunds.
Posted inNational News
Inside Sierra Club’s pattern of Black leadership departures
By Dr. Angelo A. WilliamsThe Observer EDITOR’S NOTE: Between 2023 and 2025, a cluster of departures across the Sierra Club and the Sierra Club Foundation — including routine board turnover, resignations, a discrimination lawsuit and the firing of former Executive Director Ben Jealous — fueled a debate over who holds power inside one of the […]
