Political News

As the House prepares to consider the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, Black women remain at the forefront of the voting rights struggle. Errin Haines Originally published by The 19th Standing next to the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell of Alabama introduced House Resolution …

Next month, more than 7 million unemployed Americans are expected to lose the extended unemployment benefits Congress first passed via the March 2020 CARES Act, and then extended through the American Rescue Plan. Gig workers, contractors, recipients of the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, and Americans receiving Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation will …

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced it would extend its mask mandate for travel on airplanes, buses, and trains. The current mask mandate was set to expire on September 13, 2021, and will now end on January 18, 2022. TSA will extend the directives through January 18, 2022,” the company …

Yesterday, Alabama Rep. Terri Sewell introduced H.R. 4, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. The legislation would restore key protections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA), which were gutted by the Supreme Court in the 2013 Shelby County v. Holder decision and more recently in the 2021 Brnovich v. …

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wrote a letter to her colleagues on Sunday expressing that she is looking to pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the $3.5 trillion budget resolution at the same time. In the letter to her Democratic colleagues on Sunday, Pelosi said that she asked the House Rules …

The state of Texas has requested five mortuary trailers from the Federal Emergency Management Agency(FEMA) in preparation for an increase in COVID-19 deaths. The state requested the trailers on August 4 after studying data. “We are anticipating a need within the state of Texas for these trailers as COVID cases and …

The Biden Administration announced on Monday that food stamp benefits would be increased indefinitely by about 27% in October. The increase in benefits to the food stamp program, officially called the  Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), is the largest increase in the history of the program. The Thrifty Food Plan, which …

President Biden addressed the nation Monday, saying he stands “squarely behind” his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan after having a presence for 20 years. Talking from the White House Monday, the president said his administration has been “closely monitoring the situation on the ground in Afghanistan” and is …

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Friday signed a bill aimed at ending discrimination based mostly on hairstyles — particularly these related to race, together with protecting Black hairstyles — in Illinois schools. The new legislation says schools “will not prohibit hairstyles historically associated with race, ethnicity, or hair texture, including, …

The death toll from a magnitude 7.2 earthquake in Haiti soared to at the very least 1,297 Sunday as rescuers raced to discover survivors amid the rubble ahead of a possible deluge from an approaching tropical storm. Saturday’s earthquake additionally left at the very least 2,800 individuals injured in the …

The Department of Homeland Security on Friday issued a new National Terrorism Advisory System bulletin warning of the threat of extremist violence as the coronavirus spreads widely again and the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terror attacks approaches. “The Homeland continues to face a diverse and challenging threat …

President Joe Biden, last week, nominated Damian Williams to oversee the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York — a role that no Black man has ever been nominated for. The office, which covers Manhattan, the Bronx, and the area north of New York City, is …

Children’s hospitals across the country are overwhelmed by COVID-19 cases as the Delta variant continues to surge and schools reopen. Approximately 1,600 children infected with COVID-19 were hospitalized last week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Public Health officials warn that the number of infections will …

Houston Independent School District leaders voted 8-0 on Thursday to require students, staff, and visitors to wear masks on school property and buses. The mandate will go into effect on Monday. HISD Board Mask Mandate Vote 8-12-21.mp4 from Houston ISD on Vimeo. “The safety of our students and staff will …

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is endorsing a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine for immunocompromised individuals. All eleven members of the agency’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted in favor of additional shots of the vaccine. “At a time when the Delta variant is surging, an …