Category: National News

Election Day victories for two Black Republicans raise a rare question in the House of Representatives in the 112th Congress: How will two African-American members of the Grand Old Party interact with the Congressional Black Caucus? Fourteen Black Republicans ran for Congress in the Nov. 2 midterm elections but, after all the votes were counted, […]

Following a Friday night meeting which averted a fearful public Democratic Caucus battle for power, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Nov. 13 asked her party colleagues to support Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., for a newly created “assistant leader” position. The action settles a storm that had been gathering as House Democrats organize themselves as the […]

In an effort to address the epidemic of bedbugs creeping through the nation, federal and local agencies are attacking the menace with effective measures. Bedbugs, biting insects that thrive on the consumption of human and animal blood, have been around for thousands of years. Drawings of bedbugs have been found in ancient caves. By the […]

A woman, who received a handwritten letter from President Obama regarding her financial woes, has reportedly sold the correspondence to pay for her home and medical bills. Jennifer Cline of Monroe, Mich., a wife and mother of two, wrote a three-page letter on notebook paper to Obama in December 2009. “I lost my job, my […]

Amid the debate over its pros, cons, and ramifications, California voters rejected Proposition 19, which would have legalized recreational marijuana use for people over the age of 21 in the state. The measure only received 46 percent of the vote, denying it this time around. But proponents believe that the number of favorable votes is […]

Protesters rioted in Oakland late Nov. 5 and early Nov. 6 in the wake of the two-year minimum prison sentence given to an ex-transit officer who killed an unarmed African-American man. Johannes Mehserle shot and killed Oscar Grant while trying to arrest him on an Oakland train platform two years ago. Since then, the case […]

WASHINGTON (November 4, 2010) – A somber President Obama took the podium on the State Floor of the White House on Nov. 3 to discuss the election nightmare Democrats face in the wake of the Republican takeover of the House of Representatives. The press conference lacked the charm and clever rhetoric the president has displayed […]

A new set of rules that will strengthen federal student aid programs at for-profit, non-profit, and public institutions is being met with approval by student and education advocates, though some question the rules’ necessity. Announced by the White House on Oct. 28, the broad new regulations came after an 18-month negotiation process with the higher […]

A few years ago, the most controversial energy drink in the Black community was Pimp Juice, a product manufactured by rap artist Nelly. Regardless of the contents, the product’s name was too negative for its critics. Black leaders went on the attack and Pimp Juice quickly phased out after the hype. Another questionable energy drink […]

With 14 Black Republicans running for voting seats in the House–and a Black GOP candidate for a non-voting seat representing the U.S. Virgin Islands– the stage is set for the Republican Party’s attempt to place a record number of African-Americans in Congress. Facing little opposition in his home state of South Carolina, Tim Scott appears […]

Promises by House Republicans to overturn health care reform measures passed earlier this year would disproportionately affect the Black community, according to one prominent health care expert. One central proposal of the current Republican agenda, called the “Pledge to America,” would repeal the Obama administration’s Affordable Care Act, the comprehensive health care reform bill passed […]

French perfume designer Jean-Paul Guerlain’s use of the “n-word” during a recent interview on French state TV sparked an outcry from anti-racist groups, capped by the Rev. Al Sharpton’s announcement of plans to travel to Paris to speak to the groups in November. “The fact that Jean-Paul Guerlain felt comfortable enough to use the ‘n-word’ […]