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Extended Jobless Benefits Depend on House Vote
The nation’s unemployed are on pins and needles waiting to find out if the House will approve the extension of jobless benefits. The bill, which had been filibustered by Republicans in the Senate, finally cleared that hurdle earlier this week. All eyes are on the House of Representatives to see if it will approve the…
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Black Professor at HBCU Questions Black National Anthem
Professor Timothy Askew has a problem with the black national anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” He says that he loves the song, but the label of “black national anthem” creates “a lot of confusion and tension.” For whom? He goes on to say that the label makes it separatist and divisive. Again, for whom?…
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Detroit Police Chief Resigns; Reality Show Fallout May Be to Blame
Detroit Police Chief Warren Evans has resigned. Although Mayor Dave Bing’s office did not offer a reason for Evans’ resignation, Motown is speculating that there was fallout from a reality show centered around Evans called The Chief. The announcement came just hours before a Detroit television station was to report on said video. You may…
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Arizona Governor's SB 1070 Legal Defense Fund Is Over $1 Million
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer is pulling out all stops to defend seven lawsuits brought against the state in response to SB 1070. In addition to the state’s in-house legal counsel, Brewer has also hired the outside law firm Snell & Wilmer, whose attorneys reportedly charge $450 an hour. Those costs are being picked up by…
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Vilsack on Sherrod: 'This Is a Good Woman. She's Been Put Through Hell'
During a news conference, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack expressed regret and publicly apologized to Shirley Sherrod for firing her. Vilsack admitted that he did not think before acting, so “this poor woman has gone through a very difficult time.” Vilsack said he made the hasty decision on his own and was not advised to do…
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Sherrod Takes Fox News to Task for Role in Debacle
Much to the chagrin of the White House and Fox News, Shirley Sherrod is not going away. In an interview with Joe Strupp, she brings the discussion about the media frenzy gone horribly wrong back to Fox News, which has yet to correct its coverage despite mounting evidence that the news outlet (and the rest…
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Oakland Legalizes Large-Scale Marijuana Cultivation for Medical Use
The city of Oakland, Calif., legalized large-scale marijuana cultivation for medical use and will issue up to four permits for “industrial” cultivation starting next year. On Tuesday the city council passed a resolution after four hours of debate that pitted small-scale “garden” growers against advocates of a bigger industrial system that would become a “Silicon…
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Panel Urges FDA to Pull Avastin for Use Against Breast Cancer
Federal health advisers overwhelmingly urged the Food and Drug Administration to withdraw its approval for a breast cancer drug after follow-up studies failed to show meaningful benefits for patients. The panel of experts voted 12 to 1 Tuesday in favor of removing the drug’s indication for use in breast cancer patients alongside chemotherapy. Avastin was…
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Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Reconsidering Sherrod Firing
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says that he will reconsider his department’s decision to fire Shirley Sherrod amid false allegations of racism. Sherrod was besieged by conservative pundits, the news media, the NAACP and the USDA over comments that were taken completely out of context and a doctored videotape. The NAACP has retracted its denouncement of…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
