Category: NEWS

The Federal Reserve plans to maintain broad regulations over the banking industry, Chairman Ben Bernanke said during the week of March 15. Bernanke recommended tougher capital requirements for big banks, limits on investments by money-market mutual funds, and the U.S. government possibly running some big financial institutions temporarily. “Any firm whose failure would pose a […]

Thousands of people descended upon the National Mall on the afternoon of March 21 for the March for America, and while jobs and immigration reform were supposed to be the dual themes of the rally, it was clear by the number of Latinos in attendance which topic was more important. Marchers carried signs saying “We’re […]

House lawmakers on March 21 passed a massive health care reform bill in a 219-212 vote, the culmination of months of heated debate in Washington, D.C. and around the country. House Democrats passed the bill after a group of pro-life party members reached a separate agreement with the White House to preserve a ban on […]

African Americans have given President Obama a racial pass – that’s something on which his Black supporters and opponents agree. That uncomfortable truth, however, seems to be creating an increasingly persistent itch within the Black community, especially in light of the disproportionate growth of joblessness that plague their neighborhoods and the president’s unwillingness to consider […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Comprehensive health care reform can significantly reduce disparities in health coverage among African-Americans, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a roundtable discussion with the Black press ahead of a key vote on March 21. Sebulius said diversifying the workforce of insurance providers and reducing health disparities will help cut […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In the spirit of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, in which Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech, tens of thousands of people are expected to swarm the National Mall on March 21 to demand inclusive economic polices and citizenship for all of America’s families. […]

The U.S. Senate on March 17 unanimously passed a bill that would make crucial changes to current cocaine sentencing laws. The Fair Sentencing Act was originally introduced by Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) to correct a current 100-1 disparity between crack and powder cocaine sentencing under federal law. During the bill’s markup last week, a compromise […]

Haitian woman, already suffering severe conditions from the January 12 earthquake, which devastated the county, are increasingly becoming rape victims, according to an Associated Press report. “They grabbed me, put their hands over my mouth and then the three of them took turns,” a 21-year-old Haitian woman said, according to the AP, as she moved […]

Hoping to stimulate progress on the country’s HIV AIDS crisis, the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS led more than 50 influential clergy members to Capital Hill on March 17 to lobby for the commission’s Elimination of HIV/AIDS Act of 2009. The act calls for the federal government to lead the way in providing resources […]

When it comes to ensuring an accurate count of the 2010 census, children play an important role. To that end the U. S. Census Bureau has beefed up its efforts to reach communities with a campaign entitled “Children Count Too.” The initiative began last week and alerts households to their responsibility for counting infants and […]