President Biden’s fiery State of the Union addresses voting rights, banned books and HBCUs

On the 59th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, President Joe Biden channeled the civil rights activists, one of whom sat in the first lady’s box, who marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge to force America to do right by all of its citizens. He was defiant declaring, “I will not bow down,” referring to the war in Ukraine. Addressing Jan. 6 insurrectionists, he was patriotic, bellowing, “You can’t love your country only when you win.” And name checking one of the […]

March 11, 2024

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South Carolina legalizes permitless open gun carry

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Any adult who can legally own a gun can now carry one openly in South Carolina after Gov. Henry McMaster signed a bill into law Thursday, just a day after it received final legislative approval. Gun rights supporters have pushed for the law for nearly a decade, first allowing open carry for people who took the training to get a permit to carry a concealed weapon. Encouraging that kind of training was one of the biggest roadblocks for […]

March 11, 2024 1

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Alabama Republicans approve anti-DEI bill, absentee ballot limits

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Republicans in the Alabama House of Representatives on Thursday advanced a bill that would prohibit diversity, equity and inclusion programs at universities and state agencies and another to put limits on absentee ballot assistance. Representatives approved both bills on 75-28 party-line votes after Republicans moved to cut off debate. Both measures return to the Alabama Senate for senators to consider House changes. Republican lawmakers across the country have pushed initiatives that would restrict diversity, equity and inclusion […]

March 11, 2024 3

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Tennessee moves to cut Memphis reforms after Tyre Nichols death

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Republican Tennessee House lawmakers on Thursday advanced a bill to undo the reforms to police traffic stops made by the city of Memphis in response to the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols by officers last January. Republicans held the vote as Democrats accused Memphis Republican Rep. John Gillespie of being misleading about when the bill would come up again, resulting in Nichols’ parents not coming to the Capitol in Nashville on Thursday. Gillespie called it a […]

March 11, 2024 1

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Chicago police get training to manage protests during the DNC

CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago police are undergoing fresh training on handling large-scale protests and First Amendment rights ahead of anticipated demonstrations during the Democratic National Convention this summer, Superintendent Larry Snelling said Wednesday. “Everything we are doing is rooted in constitutional policing,” Snelling told reporters at a news conference previewing security preparations. “We want to make sure we maintain peace. We are not going to tolerate the violence.” Thousands of elected officials and activists are expected to come to the nation’s third-largest city […]

March 10, 2024 1

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Biden, Trump issue dire warnings at dueling rallies in Georgia

ATLANTA (AP) — President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump warned of dire consequences for the country if the other wins another term in the White House as the pair held dueling rallies in Georgia Saturday fresh off strong wins in Super Tuesday contests that positioned them for an all-but-certain rematch this November. The state was a pivotal 2020 battleground — so close four years ago that Trump finds himself indicted here for his push to “find 11,780 votes” and overturn Biden’s victory — and both parties […]

March 10, 2024 2

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Watch: ‘The Hill with April Ryan’ explores if Kentucky’s Democratic Party is ready for a showdown with a Black Republican

The Hill with April Ryan” talks to Colmon Elridge, head of the Democratic Party in Kentucky, about Black Republican Daniel Cameron, the state’s former attorney general and 2023 gubernatorial candidate, potentially running to replace U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell when he ends his term in 2027. Elridge expressed confidence that the Kentucky Democratic Party is prepared for any challenge from the Republicans as the GOP navigates once being known as the “Party of Lincoln” to now being a party dominated by […]

March 10, 2024 1

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Judge upholds program allowing migrants from Haiti into US

HOUSTON (AP) — The Biden administration can keep operating a program that allows a limited number of migrants from four countries to enter the U.S. on humanitarian grounds after a federal judge on Friday dismissed a challenge from Republican-led states. U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton said Texas and 20 other states had not shown they had suffered financial harm because of the humanitarian parole program that allows up to 30,000 asylum-seekers into the U.S. each month from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela combined. […]

March 10, 2024 2

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Wisconsin Senate panel votes to fire regents who voted against limiting UW diversity initiatives

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A state Senate committee is recommending the full chamber fire two Universities of Wisconsin regents who voted against a deal that called for limiting campus diversity positions in exchange for state funding. The Republican-controlled Senate Committee on Universities and Revenue voted 5-3 along party lines Thursday to recommend the full body refuse to confirm regents Dana Wachs and John Miller. They voted against the deal twice last December. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers appointed both of them. The Senate […]

March 9, 2024 1

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