Election officials across multiple states say the federal cybersecurity agency CISA has sharply reduced its election-security support due to the current administration’s budget cuts, staffing losses and shifting priorities, leaving them worried about vulnerabilities heading into the 2026 midterms. Many states are now scrambling to fill gaps once covered by CISA—such as threat monitoring, coordination, and preparedness exercises—because they no longer know whether the agency will provide the services they relied on in past election cycles.
Category: National News
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Norton calls for end to ‘disingenuous partisanship’ after House passes two anti-D.C. Home Rule bills
By D. Kevin McNeirSpecial to the AFROkmcneir@afro.com Washington, D.C., officials are decrying federal legislation that, they say, pose as threats to Home Rule – the law which has allowed the District to self-govern since 1975. On Nov. 17, the House Rules Committee considered 13 D.C.-related bills. Ahead of the vote, the District’s delegate to Congress, […]
Posted inVeterans
Delayed but not denied: Honoring Charles Jackson French
By Victoria MejicanosAFRO Staff Writervmejicanos@afro.com Charles Jackson French wasn’t supposed to be remembered. In a segregated United States Navy that intentionally kept him out of combat, French did the impossible. He saved 15 men by tying a rope around his waist and carrying a raft of his injured shipmates, swimming them to safety through shark-infested […]
Posted inCongressional Black Caucus (CBC)
CBC member Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick indicted on charges of stealing $5M in disaster funds
U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida has been indicted on charges that she stole $5 million in federal disaster funds through her family’s health care company. Prosecutors allege she funneled part of the money into her 2021 congressional campaign, accusations she has not publicly responded to.
Posted inNational News
Two viral videos, one national crisis: How hospitals continue to fail Black moms
Millions around the world are rallying behind Black women who say they experienced neglect and mistreatment while trying to give birth in American hospitals. This week, AFRO Managing Editor Alexis Taylor speaks on how the Black maternal health crisis continues at the hands of biased medical professionals.
Posted inNational News
House votes overwhelmingly to pass bill to force release of Epstein files
By Curtis Yee, Michael Warren, Carley Petesch and Bridget Brown The House voted overwhelmingly to pass a bill Nov. 18 to force the Justice Department to publicly release its files on the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a remarkable display of approval for an effort that had struggled for months to overcome opposition from President […]
Posted inObituaries
Remembering Wallace “Jack” Jackman: A life of leadership, laughter and legacy
Wallace “Jack” Jackman, longtime co-publisher of the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, is remembered for his visionary leadership, community-building spirit and the warmth and humor that defined his life. A mentor, connector and modernizer of the MSR, he leaves behind a powerful legacy carried forward by his family and the many lives he touched.
Credit: Photo courtesy of Jackman family
Posted inNational News
Rev. Jesse Jackson in stable condition after hospitalization for rare neurological disorder
Rev. Jesse Jackson is hospitalized in Chicago with progressive supranuclear palsy, a rare neurological disorder he has managed for more than a decade. His family says he remains in stable condition and is not on life support, continuing to communicate with loved ones despite significant health challenges.
Posted inINTERNATIONAL
Aircraft carrier arrives in the Caribbean in major buildup near Venezuela
The USS Gerald R. Ford, the nation’s most advanced aircraft carrier, has entered the Caribbean as part of a massive U.S. military buildup near Venezuela, raising concerns over the White House’s escalating counterdrug campaign. While officials claim the operation targets narcotrafficking, critics warn it signals heightened pressure on President Nicolás Maduro and potentially unlawful military actions in the region.
Posted inNational News
Judge greenlights Purdue-Sackler family’s $7B opioid settlement, opening door to payments for victims
A federal bankruptcy judge said he will approve Purdue Pharma’s revised $7 billion opioid settlement, a deal that would require the Sackler family to give up ownership of the company and contribute billions to governments and victims. The ruling could close a major chapter in nationwide litigation over an opioid crisis tied to more than 900,000 U.S. deaths since 1999.
Posted inNational News
Chicago civil rights leader Jesse Jackson hospitalized for rare neurological disorder
Prayers are pouring in from across the country for civil rights giant Rev. Jesse Jackson, who is currently hospitalized and fighting progressive supranuclear palsy
Posted inU.S. Government
House passes bill to end historic government shutdown, sending measure to Oval Office
The House of Representatives voted 222–209 to end the nation’s longest government shutdown, sending the bill to the Oval Office after 43 days of halted services, unpaid workers, and widespread economic strain. The compromise measure funds several government departments through January but leaves unresolved partisan battles over health care tax credits that Democrats had sought to extend.
