Feds taking first steps toward revising race, ethnic terms
The federal government is taking preliminary steps toward revising racial and ethnic classifications that haven't been changed in a quarter century following calls for better categories for how people identify themselves in federal data gathering.
Kosovar artist creates portrait of Zelensky with seeds
Kosovar artist Alkent Pozhegu, a specialist in mosaics made out of seeds, creates a 7.5 square-metre portrait of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Gjakova. Pozhegu says he did not know Zelensky before the Russian invasion, but that the leader "has inspired the whole world."
news.yahoo.comRashida Tlaib’s State of the Union Response to Biden Is a Gift to the GOP
Working Families PartyOn the night of President Joe Biden’s first State of the Union address, in which the president called for unity against both foreign and domestic threats, why would a fellow Democrat feel compelled to deliver a progressive response?Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib spoke on behalf of not the Democratic Party but the Working Families Party, in her post-SOTU comments. She was careful not to call it a rebuttal, but whatever you call it, it’s a slap at her party’s leader at a time wh
news.yahoo.comSenator Ted Cruz blocks Biden's State Department nominees
Senator Ted Cruz is one of the Republican senators slowing the confirmation of President Biden's State Department nominees. He says he is objecting because Mr. Biden is not sanctioning Moscow over a gas pipeline between Russia and Germany. CBS News correspondent Christina Ruffini joins Tanya Rivero on CBSN to explain.
news.yahoo.comWhite House pushes back at Rashida Tlaib prison stand
The White House distanced itself from a proposal endorsed by Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) that calls for closing federal prisons."The president does not support abolishing prisons," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said at a Tuesday briefing. Why it matters: Psaki's remarks come amid a broader discussion on prison reform and after Tlaib was challenged on her stance by Axios' Jonathan Swan in an "Axios on HBO" interview.Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for fr
news.yahoo.comAOC, Tlaib and Pressley urge Biden to replace Fed chair Jerome Powell
Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) are calling on President Biden to replace Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell with someone more focused on "eliminating climate risk and advancing racial and economic justice," according to a joint statement reported by Politico.Driving the news: Powell's term will end in early 2022, though some economists have said Biden will likely reappoint him.Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic in
news.yahoo.comCongressional leaders urge FCC to perform equity audit
Congressional leaders and a media advocacy organization are urging the Federal Communications Commission to investigate how policy decisions have disparately harmed Black Americans and other communities of color, according to a letter sent Tuesday to the acting FCC chair.
Police union PACs have spent $510,000 targeting The Squad, but may not be aiming to unseat them as much as raise funds for themselves, report says
The Squad, a group of four US representatives that are women of color, are deeply unpopular among conservatives, so the attacks could help raise funds.
news.yahoo.comHow Joe Biden Became the Stay-Out-of-It President
President Joe Biden wanted to feel for himself the jolting torque delivered by the Ford F-150 Lightning electric motor. On May 18, as Biden’s staff back in Washington frantically worked behind the scenes to push Israel and Hamas to nail down a ceasefire, the self-described “car guy” had kept his scheduled trip to Dearborn, Michigan to see Ford’s electric truck plant and highlight the green technologies and manufacturing jobs that are part of his economic recovery effort. Just as Biden was about to jam the accelerator, a reporter on the test track interrupted him.
news.yahoo.comHGTV's Nicole Curtis wins dispute over Detroit home project
The star of HGTV’s “Rehab Addict Rescue” has won a dispute with Detroit over ownership of a blighted home. Nicole Curtis said she has spent at least $60,000 to start fixing up the home after buying it from a couple for $17,000. Wayne County Judge Tim Kenny ruled in Curtis' favor, saying her renovation group had recorded a title to the property before the Land Bank did, The Detroit News reported Friday.
news.yahoo.comChina authorities name 105 apps for improper data practices
China’s internet watchdog said Friday it had found Bytedance’s Douyin, Microsoft Bing, LinkedIn and 102 other apps were engaged in improper collection and use of data and ordered them to fix the problem. The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) said that the 105 apps violated laws by excessively collecting and illegally accessing users’ personal information, according to a statement posted on its site Friday. Other companies it named included short video app Kuaishou, search engine Sogou and Baidu.
news.yahoo.comPro-Palestinian commentator causes rows at Fox News
Geraldo Rivera has clashed on-air with the pro-Israel channel’s hosts over US support for airstrikes Geraldo Rivera: ‘American bombs should not be used to kill defenseless civilians in Gaza.’ Photograph: Richard Drew/AP The Fox News correspondent Geraldo Rivera has become a rare and outspoken voice on his conservative television channel in lambasting Israel over its attacks on Gaza and other Palestinian targets in the current conflict. Geraldo has conducted numerous heated and emotional spats with other Fox News personalities, including powerful figures like Sean Hannity, by criticizing Israel’s activities and lauding those defending Palestinians – both rare positions on the reliably pro-Israel channel. In two segments on Wednesday, the 77-year-old correspondent and commentator, who has reported from Israeli-occupied territories, declared that Rashida Tlaib – the only Palestinian American member of Congress and a frequent Fox target – “is right” to say that a $735m sale of US weapons, including guided bombs, to Israel should be halted. Rivera echoed his on-air comments later on Twitter: “American bombs should not be used to kill defenseless civilians in #Gaza. @JoeBiden must stop ignoring carnage & injustice. A dead Palestinian child is as much a crime against humanity as a dead Israeli child. #NotWithOurBombs.” Pressure mounting on #Israel to institute #Ceasefire. American bombs should not be used to kill defenseless civilians in #Gaza. @JoeBiden must stop ignoring carnage & injustice. A dead Palestinian child is as much a crime against humanity as a dead Israeli child. #NotWithOurBombs— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) May 20, 2021 Rivera’s stance is deeply at odds with the overall tenor of Fox’s coverage of the conflict, especially from its high-profile opinion hosts who are widely seen as keen backers of Israel and supporters of its military strikes. Rivera was asked by the Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum if he was “sympathetic” to Tlaib’s position. “I am indeed, Martha,” he replied. “People have to recognize what the Gaza Strip is. It’s one of the most menacing places on Earth that I’ve ever reported from.” He added: “It’s effectively one of the world’s largest prison camps and it is being bombed with bombs supplied by the United States. It’s outrageous that we gave Israel these hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of weapons without insisting on a ceasefire now.” Rivera told viewers that sales of US arms to Israel “makes us complicit in an ongoing crime against humanity”. “I want our audience – the fact that the United States of America is providing Israel many of the weapons Israel is using today to kill Palestinian civilians without demanding a ceasefire, Tlaib is right.” The on-air Fox News confrontations continued with Hannity cutting Rivera off after he said it was “abhorrent” that Palestinian children died in bombings. The exchanges come as a number of prominent entertainment industry voices in the US have come under intense online and professional pressure to curb public expressions of support for Palestinians. “It’s free Palestine til Palestine is free!!!,” the Palestinian American model Bella Hadid posted on Instagram several days ago, and received 4.5m likes – or about 1/10th of her following. Some who voiced support, including the reality star Paris Hilton, who wrote “This is so heartbreaking. This needs to stop. #SavePalestine”, have taken down their posts. Meanwhile others, including the musicians John Legend and Cat Power, have left theirs intact.
news.yahoo.comAnalysis: Joe Biden's tough stance on Israel risks deepening divides within his own party
This first appeared in the Letter from the USA newsletter. Sign up for expert insight and exclusive analysis on American politics, written every Thursday here. Joe Biden may not have envisaged his first major foreign policy challenge would also become a key test of his ability to lead his party. But with the outbreak of violence in the Middle East, the US president has found himself increasingly at odds with many of his fellow Democrats over his support of Israel. For days, Mr Biden has publicly backed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his military response in the Gaza Strip. The US president is acutely aware of the potential political fallout of appearing to weaken America's commitment to Israel. But on Capitol Hill, a prominent group of Democrats has become more vocal than ever in criticising Israeli military actions, linking the issue to America's own racial and social justice debates.
news.yahoo.comBiden got to test-drive Ford's electric F-150 Lightning, and the Israel-Gaza flight wasn't going to spoil his ride
His predecessor may have liked big rigs, but President Biden is a car guy. "My name is Joe Biden, and I'm a car guy," he said at Ford's electric vehicle production facility in Dearborn, Michigan, on Tuesday. Biden was in Michigan to mark Wednesday's unveiling of the Ford F-150 Lightning, the all-electric version of America's best-selling vehicle, and to promote electric vehicles as a way of tackling the climate crisis. "We're at a great inflection point in American history," Biden said. "How we handle the next four to 10 years is going to determine where we are going to be 30, 40, 50 years from now." He said "the future of the auto industry is electric" and China's currently winning. The evident highlight of the day for Biden was test-driving the Ford Lightning. "This sucker's quick," he told reporters. "I think we're going zero to 60 in four-point-three. Four-point-four?" Biden is facing multiple crises, but on Tuesday he "wanted, if only for a moment, to leave that all behind for what he could pretend was an open road but really was an open lot of concrete," Matt Viser reports at The Washington Post. When a reporter asked if he'd answer a question about Israel's bloody fight with Gaza, he said no, "not unless you get in front of the car as I step on it. I'm only teasing," he added, smiling. The Israel-Gaza conflict intruded, anyway. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), who has family in Palestine, met Biden and the airport to urge stronger pressure on Israel to agreed to a ceasefire. He name-checked her during his Dearborn speech, calling her "a fighter, and God thank you for being a fighter." Embed from Getty Images But overall, "the day revealed Biden not so much in rare form but in his truest form," Viser writes. "The affection for automobiles is as much a part of Biden as his Irishness and his love of ice cream," dating back at least to his father's work at a car dealership. When asked in 2011 about a 2009 Onion article showing a shirtless Biden, then vice president, washing a Trans Am in the White House driveway, Biden laughed and told Car and Driver: "You think I'd drive a Trans Am? I have been in my bathing suit in my driveway and not only washed my Goodwood-green 1967 Corvette but also Simonized it." More stories from theweek.comThe threat of civil war didn't end with the Trump presidency7 scathingly funny cartoons about Liz Cheney's ousterNew study finds more consumers than ever are looking for sustainable products
news.yahoo.comAuthorities: 3 arrested in taxi driver's slaying in Georgia
Three people wanted on murder charges in the death of a Georgia taxi driver last month have been arrested in Mexico and brought back to the U.S., authorities said Monday. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said 30-year-old Megan Alyssa Colone of Stone Mountain; 26-year-old Oscar Manuel Garcia of Austell and 25-year-old Juan Antonio Vega were arrested in Mexico on Saturday and are now being held at detention facilities in Texas.
news.yahoo.comOcasio-Cortez leads lawmakers recalling Capitol siege
FILE - In this Monday, Aug. 24, 2020, file photo, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., questions Postmaster General Louis DeJoy during a House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing on the Postal Service on Capitol Hill, in Washington. On Monday, Feb. 1, 2021, a teary-eyed Ocasio-Cortez recounted hiding in her office bathroom as a man repeatedly yelled Where is she?" during the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, and also revealed a sexual assault in her past as she talked about trauma. Phillips said that, as he heard the screams, he realized a pencil was about all he had for defense. Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., said that, as representatives in Congress, the attack against the Capitol was an attack on their constituents.
A glance at Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's incendiary words
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., goes back to her office after speaking on the floor of the House Chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021. Afterward, Greene suggested that the shooting might have been staged. Connecting a series of scattershot points, Greene suggested a bank controlled by the Rothschild family, who are Jewish, a utility company responsible for the fire and then-Gov. Greene “liked” the comment and replied, “Most people honestly don’t know so much. 9/11 ATTACKSIn November 2018, Greene shot a video in which she talked about the 9/11 terrorist attacks, referring to a “so-called” plane that crashed into the Pentagon.
Biden, Democrats hit gas on push for $15 minimum wage
“With the economic divide, I mean, I want to see a $15 minimum wage. Leading the charge is Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who unveiled $15 wage legislation this week with the backing of 37 Senate Democrats. The latest sign that a $15 minimum wage is popular with voters came in November, when more than 60% of voters in conservative-leaning Florida approved an amendment to the state’s Constitution that will raise the minimum wage there from $8.56 an hour to $15 an hour by 2026. “The real way to appreciate this work is to raise the minimum wage to $15,” she said. Currently, 29 states and Washington, D.C., have minimum wages above the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.
US charities raise millions in wake of Beirut port blast
(AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)DEARBORN, Mich. – When Manal Saab heard that a massive explosion had struck Beirut, she grabbed her phone, frantically trying to reach loved ones there. “Otherwise, they wouldn’t have survived it,” said Saab, an American citizen who lives in Fenton, Michigan, near Flint, but was born in Lebanon. Knowing that her family and friends were safe, a feeling of relief washed over Saab. More than half of that amount was delivered via a FedEx-donated airlift that also included relief supplies from the American Task Force on Lebanon and the Lebanon Relief Project. They just wanted something to immediately give to, they wanted all that pain to basically get out and give something positive,” Saab said.
Sports venues across country in play on Election Day
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said "I'm grateful for our sports partners in Detroit," Benson said Tuesday night at the home of the Detroit Lions. "They really led the way for sports teams across the country to play a critical role in providing the resources we needed to run the election successfully this year. “I'm grateful for our sports partners in Detroit," Benson said Tuesday night at the home of the Lions. “They really led the way for sports teams across the country to play a critical role in providing the resources we needed to run the election successfully this year. Meanwhile, many Major League Baseball and NHL teams also put their stadiums and arenas in play on Election Day.
Arenas, stadiums find new life as safer options for voting
Jen Cox poses for a photo on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020, after voting early at State Farm Arena in downtown Atlanta. “This was an amazing, fantastic experience,” Jen Cox said after voting at State Farm Arena, home of the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks were the first NBA team to commit their arena for early voting. There are 30 early voting locations scattered around Fulton County, which stretches 70 miles (112 kilometers) north to south. Florida has early voting at venues used by the NBA’s Orlando Magic, the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning and the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Black voters in Detroit key for Biden, but are they engaged?
Black voters across Michigan will be pivotal in deciding who will win the battleground state in November. Biden visited Detroit earlier this month, and his running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris, was spending time in Flint and Detroit on Tuesday. In an interview this month with longtime Detroit radio host Mildred Gaddis, Biden noted that Michigan, and its Black voters in Detroit, are “critically important." Democratic state leaders said they learned hard lessons and that the party has worked to connect with Black voters. But challenges remain in connecting with apathetic voters and with younger Black voters who might have more progressive leanings — key demographics that Branden Snyder, the executive director of Detroit Action, said his organization is trying to reach.
Georgia candidate's post removed for inciting violence
ATLANTA Facebook removed a photo illustration showing a Republican congressional candidate in Georgia posing with a rifle next to three Democratic House members, saying Friday that it violated the social media platform's policy against inciting violence. Greene's post featured four separate photos that had been combined to show her posing with a rifle next to Democratic U.S. Reps. Rashida Tlaib, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar. After her Aug. 11 runoff victory, she inveighed against spineless Republicans" and promised to kick Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi out of Congress. But she denied in a statement Friday that she was trying to incite violence. Those videos brought her criticism in the primary, with some Georgia Republicans pulling their support, but opposition eased after her runoff win over neurosurgeon John Cowan.
Progressive challengers' year: 3 wins and some close calls
But some challengers lost, and their overall wins were a modest number compared with the 535 House and Senate members. Kessler wasn't impressed with the three progressive challengers who defeated Democratic incumbents, either. Other high-profile progressive hopefuls lost Senate Democratic primaries in Colorado, Maine and Texas, and House contests in states including Georgia, New York and Ohio. Jamaal Bowman, a Black educator raised by a single mom, defeated House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel of the Bronx and Westchester, New York. They're an effective and well-funded operation now," said Sean McElwee, who does polling and research for progressive Democrats.
Movement for Black Lives seeks sweeping legislative changes
FILE - In this May 31, 2020, file photo, demonstrators kneel in a moment of silence outside the Long Beach Police Department in Long Beach during a protest over the death of George Floyd. Proposed federal legislation that would radically transform the nation's criminal justice system through such changes as eliminating agencies like the Drug Enforcement Administration and the use of federal surveillance technology is set to be unveiled Tuesday, July 7, by the Movement for Black Lives. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)
Movement for Black Lives seeks sweeping legislative changes
(AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)DETROIT – Proposed federal legislation that would radically transform the nation's criminal justice system through such changes as eliminating agencies like the Drug Enforcement Administration and the use of surveillance technology was unveiled Tuesday by the Movement for Black Lives. Dubbed the BREATHE Act, the legislation is the culmination of a project led by the policy table of the Movement for Black Lives, a coalition of more than 150 organizations. University of Michigan professor and criminal justice expert Heather Ann Thompson acknowledged the uphill battle, but noted that the legislation is being introduced at a highly opportune time. The polling found that the majority of Americans say the criminal justice system needs major changes, including many saying it needs a complete overhaul. “We are a generation that wants to make sure that the needs of all Black people are met,” Cullors said.
Israel grants Rep. Tlaib West Bank visit on humanitarian grounds
JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel's interior minister says he has received and granted a request by Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib to enter the Israeli-occupied West Bank on humanitarian grounds. Minister Aryeh Deri said in a statement on Friday that Tlaib asked to visit her 90-year-old grandmother in the West Bank. In a letter published by Deri's office, Tlaib said she would respect any restrictions and would "not promote boycotts" during her visit. On Thursday, Israel had decided to ban Tlaib and Rep. Ilhan Omar from visiting the West Bank, arguing that they would promote a boycott campaign against Israel during the trip. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Israel bars U.S. Reps. Tlaib & Omar from entering country
Israel decided to ban Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar from entering the country, a spokesman for deputy foreign minister Tzipi Hotovely told CNN on Thursday. The announcement came shortly after Trump said Israel would be showing "great weakness" by allowing them to enter the country. On Thursday, Trump said it would show "great weakness" if Israel allowed entry to Omar and Tlaib. "It would show great weakness if Israel allowed Rep. Omar and Rep. Tlaib to visit," Trump tweeted. If used to deny entry to Tlaib and Omar, it would be by far the most high-profile implementation of the law.